What is Brave Search used for?

Brave Search is a privacy-focused search engine that runs on Brave's own web index rather than relying on other providers' results. It is a good fit for searching without relying on Google results and privacy-minded daily search.

Is Brave Search free?

Yes. Brave Search is free to use.

Is Brave Search open source?

No. Brave Search is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Brave Search include SearXNG, YaCy and Degoog.

What are some alternatives to Brave Search?

Brave Search competes with DuckDuckGo, Kagi and Startpage. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Brave Search alternatives.

Brave Search: features, pricing and alternatives

About Brave Search

Brave Search is a web search engine from Brave that is built on its own independent web index. This means results do not simply come from a larger provider, and it is designed with privacy in mind, without tracking people across their searches.

Brave Search is proprietary and vendor-hosted and is available through a web interface and through the Brave browser. It is related to, but separate from, the paid Brave Search API aimed at developers. Features such as AI answers and search customization are described by Brave on its own site.

Key features

Independent web index
Privacy-focused web search engine
Available in the Brave browser
Web interface with no account needed

Good fit for

→Searching without relying on Google results
→Privacy-minded daily search

Tags: search-engine; privacy; web-search; brave; independent-index; no-tracking

Brave Search: questions and answers

What is Brave Search used for?: Brave Search is a privacy-focused search engine that runs on Brave's own web index rather than relying on other providers' results. It is a good fit for searching without relying on Google results and privacy-minded daily search.
Is Brave Search free?: Yes. Brave Search is free to use.
Is Brave Search open source?: No. Brave Search is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Brave Search include SearXNG, YaCy and Degoog.
What are some alternatives to Brave Search?: Brave Search competes with DuckDuckGo, Kagi and Startpage. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Brave Search alternatives.