Brave Search vs DuckDuckGo
Both let you search without an account, yet the links come from different places. Brave states that its results are drawn from its own index, with no other engine as a fallback. DuckDuckGo states that its traditional links and images are mostly sourced from Bing. Only Brave publishes developer API prices; no consumer subscription price appeared at either company on the pages we read.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Brave Search ifyou prefer an index the vendor says it builds and ranks itself, or a project needs a priced search API.
Choose DuckDuckGo ifyou want an account-free default with a stated no-history policy and a documented AI opt-out, and can live with Bing-sourced links.
Brave Search and DuckDuckGo side by side
| Brave Search | DuckDuckGo | |
|---|---|---|
| Our search engines rank | #3 of 12 | #7 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | Not stated by the vendor |
| List price, 2 November 2026 | Search API at USD 5 per 1,000 requests, USD 5 of free credit each month; the consumer site is paid for by ads, and no amount is shown for ad-free Premium | No charge, ads shown. Plus and Pro subscriptions exist, but the pages we looked at give no amounts |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Developers and users who want an independent index and an optional ad-free paid tier | Users who want a no-account private default with optional AI features |
| Not for | Buyers who need a stated Premium price before committing | Buyers who want results from an index independent of Microsoft |
Both are reviewed in full in our search engines ranking: Brave Search and DuckDuckGo.
Where they differ
Brave Search 3 · DuckDuckGo 1 · open 1- 01
Where the links come from
On its API page, Brave claims each result is crawled and ranked by Brave in its own independent index, with no other engine behind it. Its help page adds that it does not depend on Big Tech such as Bing. DuckDuckGo's help page, by contrast, says most of its traditional links and images arrive via Bing. Both are vendor claims, but they point in clearly different directions.
Edge: Brave Search
- 02
Paying to remove ads
Brave's ads page says Premium members get an ad-free experience but names no Premium price. In DuckDuckGo's help navigation, Plus and Pro subscription plans appear, and the pages we reached showed no amounts either. With no figures on either side, this round is a draw on evidence.
Depends on the buyer
- 03
Developer pricing
Brave's API page puts Search at USD 5 per 1,000 requests, with a USD 5 monthly credit and 50 queries per second. Answers is priced at USD 4 for each 1,000 requests with token charges on top, at 2 queries per second. Billing runs on prepaid credits, not a subscription. Nothing we read from DuckDuckGo describes developer or API pricing.
Edge: Brave Search
- 04
Privacy statements and AI
DuckDuckGo says search, chat and browsing history are neither saved nor shared, that no IP address is stored with searches, and that a noai address lets you opt out of AI features. Brave's index relies on anonymous community contributions through its opt-in Web Discovery Project. The plainer no-history statement comes from DuckDuckGo.
Edge: DuckDuckGo
- 05
Knowing the company
Brave identifies as Brave Software Inc, based in the USA. DuckDuckGo is Duck Duck Go, Inc., founded 2008 and independent, yet no country or address turns up on any privacy, terms or company page we read. Jurisdiction can be pinned down for Brave only.
Edge: Brave Search
When neither fits
If you want a Europe-based operator or a subscription with no ads, Startpage is run from the Netherlands and Kagi sells search by subscription.
Brave Search or DuckDuckGo: questions
3 answersIs Brave Search really independent of Bing?
Brave's pages say yes: results are drawn from its own index, with no other search engine as fallback. That is a vendor claim; we did not test how complete the index is.
How much does Brave Search cost?
The consumer site is funded by ads. For developers, Search API calls cost USD 5 per 1,000 requests, offset by USD 5 of free credit each month. No price for ad-free Premium appeared on the pages we read.
Does DuckDuckGo use Bing?
According to its help page, yes for traditional links and images, which largely come from Bing. DuckDuckGo also operates its own crawler, DuckDuckBot, and adds instant-answer sources.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026- Brave Search API: Search and Answers rates, monthly credit, query limits, prepaid billing, own-index claim.
- Brave Search help: independent index; anonymous community contributions.
- Brave Search ads help: ad revenue; Premium without ads, no amount given.
- Brave privacy policy: company name, USA base, opt-in Web Discovery Project.
- DuckDuckGo privacy policy: no-history claims; 2008 founding.
- DuckDuckGo help on result sources: Bing share of links; DuckDuckBot; plans; noai.
- DuckDuckGo company help page: no country given; no plan amounts.