# Brave Search

> Source: https://fuckyc.org/services/brave-search/
> Website: https://search.brave.com/
> Categories: Search engines
> KYC: none — No account required for default search; premium / API access uses accounts.
> Status: active
> Jurisdiction: United States (operator-disclosed)
> Fiat on-ramp: no
> Founded: 2021
> Open source: no
> Custodial: no
> Last verified: 2026-01-01

## Verdict

Brave Search is a no-account independent-index search engine. Useful as a non-Bing-derived alternative to DDG. Operator context (Brave's broader ad-and-tokens business) is the reason some users prefer Mojeek.

## Strengths

- Independent index (largely; the proportion of self-crawled results has grown).
- No-account default usage.

## Caveats

- Operator is the same as Brave Browser; ad-incentive structure is visible elsewhere in their product.
- Independent-index claim has had caveats over time; check the current ratio.
- Facts need re-verification by operator (last seeded 2026-01).

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## What Brave Search is

An independent-index search engine from Brave Software.

## Threat-model fit

No-account, non-Bing-derived alternative.

## Sources

- [Brave Search help](https://search.brave.com/help) — accessed 2026-01-01
- [Brave Search page](https://brave.com/search/) — accessed 2026-01-01