Brave Search review

Brave Search is the strongest free option for people who care about privacy and independence. Brave says it delivers results from its own built-from-scratch index rather than relying on Big Tech, and that it does not profile users. Its help center describes two AI layers. AI Answers gives a concise summary when you ask a question, with references to the sources behind the key claims. Ask Brave goes further: longer answers, follow-up questions in chat, a Deep Research mode for questions where thoroughness matters more than speed, and enrichments such as videos, news articles, products and local businesses next to the answer. Goggles let you rerank results with community-built rules, and the Brave Search API serves developers. The search engine is free in any browser at search.brave.com. Search results include privacy-preserving ads, and the ad-free Search Premium plan is only available in the Brave Browser. Brave does not document a choice of AI models for Ask Brave.

Who it is for

Privacy-minded searchers who want free cited answers from an independent index.

Price

Free; Search Premium for ad-free results is offered only in the Brave Browser.

Brave Search is available in any browser, at search.brave.com.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• AI Answers with a concise summary and references for the key claims
• Ask Brave for longer answers, follow-up chat and a Deep Research mode
• Results from Brave's own built-from-scratch index
• Goggles to rerank results with community-driven ranking options
• Enrichments such as videos, news, products and businesses next to answers

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free AI answers with sources and no profiling
• Strength: Independent index rather than results rented from Big Tech
• Strength: Works in any browser
• Weakness: Ad-free Search Premium is only available in the Brave Browser
• Weakness: Brave does not publish a model selector for Ask Brave
• Weakness: Search Premium pricing is not shown on its help page

Key facts

• Index: Brave's own independent index
• AI: Built in-house, parts with open source LLMs
• Price: Free

Where it ranks

Brave Search is No. 4 in our Best AI Search Engines verdict.