Brave Search API vs Firecrawl: search and web data API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
The Brave Search API gives apps and AI agents results from Brave's own web index, plus LLM-ready context and summarized answers. It uses prepaid credits, no subscription.
Firecrawl is a web scraping and crawling API that turns pages into clean Markdown or JSON for AI apps. Every endpoint draws on one monthly credit balance.
Listed A to Z, from brave.com and firecrawl.dev. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Search, Answers, Enterprise
- Free option
- Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month
- Published prices
- Search $5 per 1,000 requests, Answers $4 per 1,000 plus $5 per million tokens; $5 free credits monthly.
- Main price table
- Free, Hobby, Standard, Growth, Scale, Enterprise
- Free option
- Free: $0
- Published prices
- Free 1,000 credits/month, Hobby $16/mo, Standard $83, Growth $333, Scale $599 billed annually. 1 credit = 1 page.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Brave Search API checked Nov 10, 2026, Firecrawl checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Brave Search API lists 3 entries (Search, Answers, Enterprise); Firecrawl lists 6 (Free, Hobby, Standard, Growth, Scale, Enterprise).
- Free option. Brave Search API: Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month. Firecrawl: Free: $0.
Brave Search API plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Free credits | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | $5 per 1,000 requests | $5 every month | 50 queries per second |
| Answers | $4 per 1,000 requests + $5 per million input/output tokens | $5 every month | 2 queries per second |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | - | Custom |
Search includes Goggles (custom reranking and filtering), extra alternate snippets and schema-enriched results. Answers adds citations, streaming and OpenAI SDK compatibility. Enterprise adds full-funnel Zero Data Retention, custom agreements and invoicing. The page headline says up to $20 in free calls every month.
From brave.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Brave Search API pricing.
Firecrawl plans and prices
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Credits per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1,000 |
| Hobby | $16/month | $19/month | 5,000 |
| Standard | $83/month | $99/month | 100,000 |
| Growth | $333/month | $399/month | 500,000 |
| Scale | $599/month | $749/month | 1,000,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Paid plans can add credits pay as you go in $5 increments, up to a monthly limit you set. Credits roll over only on Scale (one month) and Enterprise.
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Scrape or crawl, basic page | 1 per page |
| Map call | 1 |
| Search | 2 per 10 results |
| Interact (browser) | 2 per browser minute |
| JSON, Question or Highlight format | +4 per page |
| Monitor (deterministic extraction) | 7 per page per check |
From firecrawl.dev, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Firecrawl pricing.
FAQ
How much does Brave Search API cost?
Search $5 per 1,000 requests, Answers $4 per 1,000 plus $5 per million tokens; $5 free credits monthly. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Firecrawl cost?
Free 1,000 credits/month, Hobby $16/mo, Standard $83, Growth $333, Scale $599 billed annually. 1 credit = 1 page. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Brave Search API and Firecrawl have a free option?
Brave Search API: Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month. Firecrawl: Free: $0.
Which is better, Brave Search API or Firecrawl?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: brave.com (checked Nov 10, 2026) and firecrawl.dev (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
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