# Brave Search API alternative: page text, no card, crypto credits

> Brave Search API alternative for 2026: live web search for AI agents with full page text, no card needed, from $1.20/1K searches. No KYC, crypto.

- URL: https://llmwebsearch.com/alternatives/brave-search-api/
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: LLMWebSearch (https://llmwebsearch.com)

Brave sells search from its own independent index at a flat $5 per 1,000 requests. To start, it asks for a credit card, and its default terms limit what you may do with results. This page compares it with LLMWebSearch and says where Brave remains the better pick.

**Quick answer — What is a good Brave Search API alternative for AI agents?**

**LLMWebSearch** is a web search API for AI agents that returns up to 20 results with the top 3 pages as Markdown, paid in crypto with no card and no KYC. As of October 2026, Brave charges $5 per 1,000 requests, returns page chunks rather than whole pages, and asks for a card even for its free credit. LLMWebSearch starts at $1.85/1K searches.

## Brave Search API and LLMWebSearch at a glance

|  | LLMWebSearch (ours) | Brave Search API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where results come from | A live web search at the moment of the call | Brave's own independent index, with no fallback engine |
| Price per 1,000 | $1.85/1K searches to $1.20/1K searches | $5 per 1,000 requests at every volume |
| Page content | Top 3 pages as full Markdown | LLM Context endpoint: extracted chunks (8,192 tokens by default, 4,096 per URL) |
| Free credit | None | $5 a month (1,000 requests) |
| Card | Not needed: crypto top-up | Required, even for the free credit |
| Credit expiry | Never | One year from issuance |
| Storing results | No rule of ours against it | Default terms forbid storing, caching or building a database of results |
| Training AI on results | We do not train on queries; your use of page text follows the sites' rights | Default terms forbid using results to train, fine-tune or benchmark models |
| Throughput | Per-minute limit shown in the dashboard | 50 queries per second on the Search plan |
| Payment | BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC | Card, in US dollars |
| MCP server | Copy-paste server in our docs | Official @brave/brave-search-mcp-server (MIT), API key required |

*Prices checked on October 22, 2026.*

Brave facts from brave.com/search/api, api-dashboard.search.brave.com (pricing, LLM Context, terms of service last updated 2026-09-01, credit terms) and its MCP repository, read on 2026-10-22.

## Why do developers look for a Brave Search API alternative?

Usually because of the card, the data terms, or the content format. Brave's FAQ answers "Why do you ask for a credit card?" with "To prevent abuse." That applies to the free monthly credit too.

The terms of service, last updated on 2026-09-01, set two default limits. Section 3(b)(i) bars storing, caching or building a database of search results. Section 3(b)(xiii) bars using results to create, train, fine-tune or benchmark AI models. Brave says a plan with storage rights allows it, without naming the plan on the pages we read.

Finally, the LLM Context endpoint returns extracted chunks, not the whole page. For many agents that is enough. For long documents, the agent may still need to fetch the page.

## What did Brave change in 2026?

Brave moved to its current plans on 2026-02-12, according to its own blog post. The Search plan costs $5 per 1,000 requests and covers web search, LLM Context, news, videos and images. Every plan includes a $5 monthly credit. An Answers plan grounds LLM answers at $4 per 1,000 queries plus $5 per million input and output tokens.

Brave's API page also carries a banner about Google's Custom Search JSON API, which ends for existing customers on 2027-01-01. Teams leaving it compare Brave, standalone AI search APIs and model-provider grounding tools.

## When is Brave the better choice?

Brave is the right pick when an independent index matters. Its results never come from another engine, which some teams need for diversity of sources or contractual reasons. It also covers images, video and news on the same plan, supports Goggles to re-rank results, and handles 50 queries per second.

Its chunks-based LLM Context is compact and cheap for short answers. OpenClaw tries Brave first in its auto-detect order, so many OpenClaw users already have a key. If your agent fits those needs and a card is not a problem, Brave is a solid choice. If you need whole pages, no card and no documents, or results you can keep, LLMWebSearch fits better.

## How do I switch an OpenClaw or MCP setup from Brave?

Replace the search tool, not the agent. In OpenClaw, add our MCP server next to the built-in tools, as shown in the [OpenClaw guide](https://llmwebsearch.com/docs/openclaw/). In Claude Code or Cursor, register the [MCP server](https://llmwebsearch.com/docs/mcp/) under a new name and remove Brave's.

In code, Brave's `q`, `count`, `country` and `freshness` map to our `q`, `max_results`, `country` and `time_range`. Brave's LLM Context options have no direct equivalent: use `read` and `max_chars` to set how much page text comes back.

## How much does LLMWebSearch cost?

One credit pays for one search: up to 20 ranked results, with the pages of the first 3 read and returned as Markdown. Reading 4 to 10 pages makes it 2 credits. A call that ends in an error costs nothing. Search credits have no expiry date: what you do not use this month is still there next year. Compare 12 providers in the [price table](https://llmwebsearch.com/compare/web-search-api-pricing/).

| Plan | Quantity | Price | Price per unit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Try | 5,000 searches | $9.25 | $1.85/1K searches |
| Builder | 25,000 searches | $41.25 | $1.65/1K searches |
| Production | 100,000 searches | $145 | $1.45/1K searches |
| Volume | 1,000,000 searches | $1,200 | $1.20/1K searches |

In every plan: Top 3 pages read as Markdown · Country, language, time and domain filters · Failed calls not charged · Credits never expire

**Before you pay**

- Minimum top-up $25. Top up once in crypto, then buy any plan from your balance.
- Money on your balance does not expire and buys search credits whenever you want. When a pack is cheaper than the minimum top-up, the part you paid only to reach that minimum comes back to you on request within 30 days of payment, in USDT or USDC, provided it is still unspent. The rest of a balance is not returned unless the law requires it.
- Credited once your payment is checked on the blockchain. Typical network confirmation time: BTC ≈ 20 min · USDT TRC-20 ≈ 1 min · USDT ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · USDC ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · ETH ≈ 5 min · SOL ≈ 1 min · LTC ≈ 15 min

## Questions about switching from Brave

### Does the Brave Search API need a credit card?

Yes. Brave's FAQ says it asks for a card to prevent abuse, including for the $5 monthly free credit, as read on 2026-10-22. LLMWebSearch needs no card: you top up in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC.

### Can I store Brave search results?

Not under the default terms: section 3(b)(i) bars storing, caching or building a database of results, and section 3(b)(xiii) bars AI training on them. Brave says a plan with storage rights allows it. We do not train any model on your queries or on what the API returns, and we add no rule of our own against storing results; the rights of the sites whose pages you read still apply.

### Does Brave return the full text of pages?

Its LLM Context endpoint returns extracted chunks and source metadata, by default up to 8,192 tokens per request and 4,096 per URL. LLMWebSearch returns the main content of the top 3 pages as Markdown.

### Is the Brave Search MCP server free?

The server code is free under the MIT licence, but it needs a Brave Search API key, which needs a card. See [the MCP comparison](https://llmwebsearch.com/best/web-search-mcp-servers/) for keyless options.

## Sources

1. [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/) — Brave Software (read 2026-10-22)
2. [Brave Search API pricing](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/pricing) — Brave Software (read 2026-10-22)
3. [LLM Context documentation](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/llm-context) — Brave Software (read 2026-10-22)
4. [Brave Search API terms of service](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/terms-of-service) — Brave Software (read 2026-10-22)
5. [Service credit terms](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/terms-of-service/credit-terms) — Brave Software (read 2026-10-22)
6. [The most powerful search API for AI](https://brave.com/blog/most-powerful-search-api-for-ai/) — Brave Software (2026-02-12)
7. [Brave Search MCP server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server) — GitHub (read 2026-10-22)
8. [OpenClaw web tools](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web) — OpenClaw (read 2026-10-22)

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LLMWebSearch: LLMWebSearch is a web search API for AI agents that returns ranked results with the content of the top pages in Markdown, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid credits from $1.20/1K searches never expire. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.