Brave
Brave Software builds a privacy-focused Chromium browser, an independent Web search engine with a 30+ billion-page index, and a privacy-first AI assistant (Leo) used by roughly 117.6M monthly active consumers, while monetizing via ads, premium subscriptions, a developer Search API, and Web3/BAT.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Brave does
Brave Software, Inc. is an independent, privately-held company founded in 2015 by Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla) that builds a privacy-first Web platform centered on a Chromium-based browser (released under MPL 2.0) and an independent search engine backed by its own 30+ billion-page Web index. The company reports approximately 117.6 million monthly active users and 42 million daily active users as of late 2025, with nearly 20 billion annualized search queries, and is localized in roughly 160 languages. Core technology includes the adblock-rust engine (overhauled with FlatBuffers in January 2025 for a 75% memory reduction and now adopted by Firefox 149 and Waterfox), the Brave Search index with 100M+ daily page updates, the multi-LLM Leo AI assistant with cryptographically-verifiable deployment via NEAR AI Trusted Execution Environments, and a self-custody Wallet and BAT token economy for Web3 users.
The company operates a freemium model. The browser, Brave Search, Shields ad-blocker, basic Leo, Wallet, and Rewards are free; monetization comes from privacy-preserving Browser Ads and Search Ads (400% ad-revenue growth in 2025), recurring subscriptions for Firewall + VPN ($9.99/month, powered by Guardian with 300+ servers in 40+ regions), Leo AI Premium ($14.99/month), Search Premium ($3/month) and Talk Premium ($7/month), a $59.99 one-time Brave Origin license, usage-based fees on the Brave Search API ($5/1,000 Search requests, $4/1,000 Answers requests) distributed via AWS Marketplace and SOC 2 Type II attested, and BAT/Web3 transaction flow. Go-to-market is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer download, app-store and OS distribution, enterprise group-policy deployment, self-serve developer signup, an enterprise ad sales motion in the UK, France, and Germany, and a deep integration ecosystem across LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, Cursor, Snowflake, and Microsoft Power Platform. Advertiser and API customers include Amazon, Booking.com, Ford, eBay, Intuit, Toyota, Intel, Ubisoft, Cohere, Mistral, Shopify, Turnitin, and Chegg; major partners include Guardian (VPN infrastructure), NEAR AI (TEE), Mozilla (adblock-rust adoption), Unstoppable Domains (.brave), and Snowflake.
Brave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brave
- Legal name
- Brave Software, Inc.
- Website
- https://brave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Brave Software builds a privacy-focused Chromium browser, an independent Web search engine with a 30+ billion-page index, and a privacy-first AI assistant (Leo) used by roughly 117.6M monthly active consumers, while monetizing via ads, premium subscriptions, a developer Search API, and Web3/BAT.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Privacy Web Browser
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Search Engines (BPAMAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Browser & Web Isolation Security (HDADAEAK)
Keywords
Where Brave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Brave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Brave Search Ads & Browser Ads: Privacy-preserving advertising sold through ads.brave.com. Search Ads use keyword targeting on the independent Brave Search index; Browser Ads include New Tab Takeovers and push-style Notification Ads. Reported to have grown 400% in revenue in 2025 and 1500% in click volume in 2024.
- Brave Firewall + VPN subscription: Recurring subscription at $9.99/month or $99.99/year, 7-day free trial, covering up to 10 devices across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, powered by Guardian infrastructure.
- Leo AI Premium subscription: Recurring subscription at $14.99/month or $149.99/year for access to industry-leading LLMs (Claude, etc.), higher rate limits, and early access to new features.
- Search Premium subscription: Recurring subscription at $3.00/month or $29.99/year for ad-free Brave Search results that financially supports the independent index.
- Talk Premium subscription: Recurring subscription at $7.00/month or $69.99/year for Brave Talk private video calls, with call recordings, moderator controls, and Groupwatch for YouTube.
- Brave Origin one-time license: $59.99 one-time purchase for a minimalist browser build, redeemable as a standalone install or as an upgrade to existing Brave installations, with rate-limited multi-device activation managed via Privacy Pass-style blind tokens.
- Brave Search API usage fees: Usage-based API monetization at $5 per 1,000 Search requests and $4 per 1,000 Answers requests (plus $5 per million tokens), with $5/month free credits, AWS Marketplace distribution, SOC 2 Type II attestation, and a Zero Data Retention enterprise tier.
- BAT / Web3 ecosystem monetization: Basic Attention Token (BAT) opt-in rewards: users earn BAT for viewing privacy-preserving ads and tip creators; merchants pay in BAT for campaigns, .brave domain mints, and metaverse activations (Ubisoft, Decentraland).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Brave Firewall + VPN subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Leo AI Premium subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Search Premium subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Talk Premium subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Brave Origin one-time license |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Brave Search API (Search tier) |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Brave Search API (Answers tier) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Brave Search API Enterprise |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Brave browser (free) |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels11 records
Marketing channels10 records
Brave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brave Software develops and distributes the Brave Browser, a privacy-first Chromium-based web browser available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS with default-on ad, tracker, and fingerprint blocking (Brave Shields). It also operates the independent Brave Search engine (30+ billion pages indexed, ~2 billion monthly queries) and the commercially licensed Brave Search API used by developers and AI platforms, alongside premium subscriptions (Firewall + VPN, Leo AI, Search, Talk) and the Brave Ads platform for advertisers.
Product overview
Brave offers a privacy-first Web platform centered on the open-source Chromium-based Brave Browser (available on desktop and mobile) and tightly integrated with the independent Brave Search engine, the AI assistant Brave Leo with its Leo Agentic browsing mode, the Ask Brave search-AI chat, and the developer-facing Brave Search API (Web, LLM Context, Answers, Image, Video, News, Place Search endpoints with an MCP server and Zero Data Retention). Surrounding the browser and search core are user-facing modules such as Brave Shields (ad/tracker/fingerprint blocking), Brave Firewall + VPN (powered by Guardian), Brave Rewards / BAT and Brave Wallet, Brave Talk, Brave News, Brave Playlist, Brave Translate, Speedreader, and Brave Sync, plus the paid minimalist variant Brave Origin. On the business side, the platform extends to a privacy-first ad business (Brave Ads, including Browser Ads and Search Ads) and Web3 initiatives like Brave Games, all unified by Brave Software Inc.'s privacy-by-default product philosophy and its open-source Chromium code base.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Brave Browser: Privacy-focused web browser built on Chromium with built-in ad/tracker blocking (Shields), available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
- Brave Search
- Brave Leo
- Brave Origin
- Brave Firewall + VPN
- Brave Rewards
- Brave Wallet
- Brave Talk
- Brave Ads
- Brave Search API
- Basic Attention Token (BAT)
- Ask Brave
Products and services
- Brave Browser Privacy-focused Chromium-based web browser with built-in ad, tracker, cookie, and fingerprinting blocking via Brave Shields, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, with extensions, sync, vertical tabs, and ~100M+ monthly active users as of September 2025.
- Brave Search Independent, privacy-first search engine with Brave's own index of 30+ billion pages refreshed daily, Goggles re-ranking, AI-powered answers, the Web Discovery Project, and Ask Brave chat mode. Default in the Brave browser and available at search.brave.com.
- Brave Search API Developer API over Brave's independent 30+ billion-page index, offering Web, LLM Context, Answers, Image, Video, News, Suggest, Spellcheck, and Place Search endpoints, plus an MCP server, with $5 per 1,000 Search requests and $4 per 1,000 Answers requests, $5/month free credits, SOC 2 Type II attestation, and a Zero Data Retention option for enterprise compliance.
- Brave Firewall + VPN
- Brave Origin Paid, minimalist variant of the Brave browser that compiles out Leo, News, Playlist, Rewards, VPN, Wallet, Tor, and most other features while retaining Shields privacy protection, sold as a one-time $59.99 license (free on Linux) available as a standalone install or upgrade, with up to 10 device activations managed via Privacy Pass-style blind tokens.
- Brave Ads (Browser Ads and Search Ads)
Quantifiable outcome
- 117.6 million monthly active users; 42 million daily active users
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Brave
Customer profileNamed customers39 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Brave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration28 records
AI capability17 records
Feature7 records
Brave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
31 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- The Digital Voice PR agencycoreThe Digital Voice was appointed as agency of record for Brave Browser & Search Engine, providing B2B PR amplification in the adtech/martech sector alongside operations in the UK, US, France, and Spain.
- Mozilla (Firefox)flagshipFirefox 149 integrated Brave's adblock-rust engine as a prototype content blocker (Mozilla Bug 2013888, led by engineer Benjamin VanderSloot), signaling industry adoption of Brave's native blocking technology. Waterfox has also adopted the engine.
- SnowflakeflagshipBrave Search API is integrated into Snowflake's Cortex Code AI coding agent and Cortex Agents, enabling agentic Web search for enterprise data workflows. Announced at Snowflake BUILD London 2026. Early customers include dentsu, LendingTree, and United Rentals.
- Vercel (v0)coreCo-announced with Snowflake's Cortex Code launch as an integration partner, enabling vibe-coding workflows. Relationship is Mutual.
- FanoncoreCo-developer of the multi-week "Brave Games" reality-style vault heist competition launching February 2026, expanding the BAT ecosystem through gamified Web3 community engagement.
- Midnight NetworkcoreCo-developer of Brave Games alongside Fanon and Mythical Games.
- Mythical GamescoreCo-developer of Brave Games alongside Fanon and Midnight Network.
- NEAR Foundation (Private Chat)coreNEAR AI Cloud and Private Chat, which use confidential computing, were adopted by Brave alongside Phala and OpenMind. Relationship is Them to Us — NEAR provides TEE infrastructure to Brave Leo.
- NEAR AIflagshipNEAR AI provides Trusted Execution Environments (backed by Nvidia GPUs) to run Brave Leo LLMs (DeepSeek V3.1 first) with cryptographically-verifiable privacy. The integration is available in Brave Nightly and supports confidential computing attestation for AI chats. Relationship is Mutual — Brave distributes confidential AI through NEAR's TEE platform.
- Perplexity AI (acquisition discussions)minorPerplexity engaged in acquisition discussions with The Browser Co. and Brave in mid-2025 but failed to finalize a deal; DuckDuckGo was also approached. Reported in Daring Fireball, Aug 13, 2025.
- Unstoppable DomainscoreOver 8,500 .brave domains have been minted via Unstoppable Domains, integrating Web3 identity into the BAT ecosystem.
- AWS MarketplaceflagshipBrave Search API is listed in the AWS Marketplace AI Agents and Tools category, enabling enterprise procurement and deployment.
- UbisoftcoreCo-hosted BAT Rewards events with Brave, and is a Brave Ads advertiser (Browser and Search).
- DecentralandcoreCo-hosted Brave Rewards events across multiple platforms, expanding BAT utility into the metaverse.
- GuardianflagshipGuardian powers the entire Brave Firewall + VPN infrastructure, providing 300+ servers in 40+ regions. The no-logs policy, privacy-preserving login, and independent software (assured.se, Feb 2024) and infrastructure audits (Apr 2024) are co-branded with Guardian. Relationship is Them to Us — Guardian provides the VPN backbone to Brave.
- LangChaincoreLangChain's Python framework provides official Brave Search integration via the brave_search tool, listed in Brave's developer tools & integrations catalog.
- LlamaIndexcoreLlamaIndex (data framework for LLM apps) lists Brave Search as an integration in Brave's developer tools catalog.
- CrewAIcoreCrewAI lists the BraveSearchTool in its docs, enabling autonomous agent research workflows.
- CursorcoreCursor (AI code editor) integrates Brave Search via the Model Context Protocol.
- DifycoreDify (open-source LLM app development platform) provides first-class Brave Search integration.
- n8ncoren8n (workflow automation) has an official Brave Search community node for Data for AI plans.
- FlowisecoreFlowise (low-code LLM app builder) provides a Brave Search API integration.
- Windsurf (Codeium)coreWindsurf (AI coding assistant) integrates Brave Search, listed in Brave's developer tools catalog.
- ZedcoreZed (next-generation code editor) supports Brave Search via extensions.
- ClinecoreCline (autonomous coding agent for VS Code) integrates Brave Search.
- BoltAIcoreBoltAI (Mac AI chat app) provides a Brave Search plugin.
- Microsoft Power PlatformcoreMicrosoft Power Platform provides a Brave Search connector for low-code apps and workflows.
- KirocoreKiro provides a Web Search MCP server for accessing Brave Search API results.
- STEPNminorCo-marketing via a STEPN GMT Pay Raffle tied to BAT Rewards, announced in the July 2025 Brave Rewards 3.0 Partner Program update.
- GuanoCoin (BAT Cave)minorGuanoCoin's BAT Cave grew to over 250,000 BAT locked, deepening BAT utility through the Brave Rewards 3.0 Partner Program.
- GolfNminorUpcoming GolfN merchandise capsule launch announced in the Brave Rewards 3.0 Partner Program.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Brave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Ecosia: Privacy-respecting, climate-focused search engine built on Bing/Web-index hybrids; competes with Brave Search for values-driven users and is a comparable independent alternative in the same privacy/ESG messaging lane.
- Vivaldi: Independent, Chromium-based browser emphasizing power-user customization and privacy; smaller scale than Brave but directly comparable in targeting tech-savvy, privacy-conscious users who reject Chrome defaults.
- Kagi: Paid, ad-free search engine positioned as a privacy-respecting premium alternative; competes with Brave Search Premium for paying users, and is itself a Brave Search API customer/integrator, creating both a partnership and partial competitive overlap.
- Perplexity AI: AI-native answer engine that uses Brave Search among other indexes for grounding; a partial competitor (conversational answers vs. SERP) and a strategic counterpart in the failed 2025 acquisition discussions, making it a key reference peer for Brave's AI-search direction.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Edge: Chromium-based browser bundled with Windows and Bing; competes with Brave on default-distribution and AI-powered browsing (Copilot) and, via Bing, in the search layer that Brave's independent index directly replaces.
- Google (Chrome and Search): Dominant incumbent in both browsers (Chrome ~66-67% global share) and search; controls the Chromium base Brave builds on, and is the primary competitor Brave is positioned against in privacy, performance, and ad targeting.
Direct peers
- Mozilla Firefox: Open-source, privacy-focused web browser built on a different engine (Gecko) and a non-profit foundation; competes with Brave Browser for the same privacy-conscious user base, and has now adopted Brave's adblock-rust engine as a content blocker, making the technical and competitive overlap very direct.
- DuckDuckGo: Privacy-respecting search engine and browser that, like Brave, blocks trackers and serves an independent SERP; it historically relied on Bing results (vs. Brave's fully independent index), positioning it as the closest head-to-head rival in privacy search.
- The Browser Company (Arc): Independent Chromium-based browser company (Arc, Dia) that competes for the same privacy- and productivity-minded power users; Perplexity's reported acquisition discussions with both companies highlight their comparable strategic profile.
- Opera: Long-standing independent Chromium-based browser with built-in VPN, ad blocker, AI assistant (Aria), and a crypto wallet; overlaps almost line-for-line with Brave's product surface and is one of the only scaled independent browser peers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brave social profiles
Digital presenceBrave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Brave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Brave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brave
What does Brave do?
Brave Software develops and distributes the Brave Browser, a privacy-first Chromium-based web browser available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS with default-on ad, tracker, and fingerprint blocking (Brave Shields). It also operates the independent Brave Search engine (30+ billion pages indexed, ~2 billion monthly queries) and the commercially licensed Brave Search API used by developers and AI platforms, alongside premium subscriptions (Firewall + VPN, Leo AI, Search, Talk) and the Brave Ads platform for advertisers.
Is Brave a public or private company?
Brave is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Brave founded?
Brave was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Brave based?
Brave is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brave make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Brave Search Ads & Browser Ads are the primary driver. The others are brave Firewall + VPN subscription, leo AI Premium subscription, search Premium subscription, talk Premium subscription, brave Origin one-time license, brave Search API usage fees and BAT / Web3 ecosystem monetization.
Who are Brave's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Ecosia, Vivaldi, Kagi and Perplexity AI. Broad incumbents are Microsoft Edge and Google (Chrome and Search). Direct peers are Mozilla Firefox, DuckDuckGo, The Browser Company (Arc) and Opera.
Does Brave have an API?
Yes. The Brave Search API is a public, commercially available developer tool powered by Brave's independent web index (30+ billion pages). It is a REST API offering multiple specialized endpoints: Web Search, LLM Context (AI-optimized grounding data), Answers (OpenAI SDK compatible, grounded summaries), Image, Video, News, Suggest, Spellcheck, and Place Search (200M+ points of interest). Authentication uses an X-Subscription-Token header (API key). The Search plan costs $5 per 1,000 requests with $5 in free monthly credits and 50 queries/second; the Answers plan is $4 per 1,000 requests plus $5 per million input/output tokens. Code samples are published in Python, JavaScript, Go, and cURL. An official MCP server (brave-search-mcp-server) is available on GitHub for integration with Claude and other MCP-compatible agents. SOC 2 Type II attested with a Zero Data Retention option for enterprise compliance. Developer documentation is at api-dashboard.search.brave.com/app/documentation/web-search/get-started.
What industry is Brave in?
Brave's product category is Privacy Web Browser. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAB, Search Engines, with a secondary code of HDADAEAK, Browser & Web Isolation Security. Its NAICS code is 5192 and its SIC code is 7372.