Our verdict
Being tested. An editor is using Brave Search hands-on; the verdict and score appear here once they sign it off.
What it does
Brave Search is a search engine from Brave, the company behind the Brave browser. It runs its own index of the web rather than relying on Google or Bing, and for many searches it shows an AI-written answer at the top, with links to the pages it used.
It suits people who want quick answers with sources and care about privacy: Brave says it doesn’t track or profile the people who use it.
Why use it
- Quick AI answers at the top of many searches, with links to check them.
- It is free, and works in any browser.
- Brave says it doesn’t track your searches or build a profile of you.
- Its own index of the web means results can differ from Google’s.
How it works
- Go to search.brave.com in any browser, or make it your default search engine.
- Search as usual, in plain words or as a question.
- Read the AI answer at the top, if one appears, and open its sources.
- Use the ordinary results below for anything the answer doesn’t cover.
How hard is it to use?
Beginner Easy to start. You need an account, not any technical know-how.
As easy as any search engine: there is nothing to set up, which is why we rate it Beginner.
What it costs
Free; paid ad-free option. Free to use, with ads. Brave Search Premium, a paid subscription in the Brave browser, removes the ads.
Prices change often, so check Brave Search’s own site before you pay.
Watch out for
- AI answers can summarise a source wrongly, so open the links for anything important.
- Its results come from its own index, so they can differ from Google’s; if you can’t find something, try another search engine.
Your data
Brave says its search doesn’t track or profile you: it keeps the words of each search, with details such as your device type, country and language, but nothing that links them to you. Check its privacy notice for what applies to the AI answers.
We haven’t confirmed that Brave Search can keep your data in the UK, so check where it keeps your data before you share anything private or about other people.