shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Brave Search?

Search the Web. Privately. Truly useful results. - search.brave.com

Worth it. Confidence is low because reviewed sources were thin, but Brave Search is a free, privacy-first search engine that costs nothing to try. Skip it if you need enterprise search APIs or Google-scale results on obscure queries.

Confidence

Low. Based on 5 relevant public sources; most retrieved evidence was unrelated noise, so confidence is low.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depthNo feature detail in reviewed sources
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Privacy-conscious searchers
  • People de-Googling
  • Everyday general web search

Not for

  • Enterprise/AI search API buyers — use Azure AI Search or Glean instead
  • Marketers needing SEO analytics or ad platforms
  • Users requiring deep Google ecosystem integration
  • Anyone needing Google-grade results on obscure queries

Gotchas - check before you buy

low

Guess: independent index is younger than Google's; obscure queries may return thinner results.

low

Guess: core search is free, but Brave monetizes elsewhere — expect ads/API offerings to evolve.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Privacy-first positioning: 'Search the Web. Privately.'
  • Featured in PCMag's roundup of smarter alternatives to Google
  • Free to use, no purchase decision required

Cons

  • Guess: independent index is newer and smaller than Google's
  • Guess: fewer ecosystem extras (email, docs, ads) than Google

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 5 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x2security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 5

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free to use, nothing to pay
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Guess: standard search box, no setup
  • Feature depth. No feature detail in reviewed sources
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture: 4/5. Privacy-first positioning; no public vulnerabilities found
  • Free Price Web search at search.brave.com
  • Yes Free tier Guess: no account or payment needed
  • Privacy search Category Listed among Google alternatives by PCMag

Pricing

Free tier: Yes

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Sources contained no direct user reviews of Brave Search; coverage discussed search-engine alternatives generally.

Alternatives

Compare Brave Search with each alternative.

  • DuckDuckGo

    Mature privacy search; the default de-Googling pick

    Brave Search vs DuckDuckGo

  • Google Search

    Best result depth and ecosystem; trades away privacy

  • Peekier / Yandex

    Other engines de-Google users mention in Reddit threads

Full analysis

Based on 5 relevant public sources; most retrieved evidence was unrelated noise, so confidence is low.

Free, privacy-first web search. Zero cost to try; independent index may miss niche results.

Methodology

Based on 5 relevant public sources; most retrieved evidence was unrelated noise, so confidence is low.

Sources

  1. Brave Search: Private Search Enginesearch.brave.com
    official
  2. Brave Search Security pagesearch.brave.com
    security
  3. PCMag: Smarter search engines to trypcmag.com
    review
  4. Reddit r/degoogle: Google search alternativesreddit.com
    review
  5. List of search enginesen.wikipedia.org
    news

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