Brave adds USDC payments for search API access without accounts

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Published Friday, November 13, 2026 · 1:03 AM EST

Brave says developers and AI agents can now access its Search API without an account or API key by paying for each request through the x402 protocol. Payments use USDC on the Base blockchain, with Brave operating the payment facilitator. An unpaid request receives an HTTP 402 response containing the price and payment instructions. The agent signs a payment and retries; verified payment triggers the search and a transaction receipt. Brave lists LLM Context and search endpoints at $0.005 per request ($5 per 1,000). It will cover Base transaction gas fees for a limited time.

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brave.com

Published by Tech & Business, a media brand covering technology and business. This story was sourced from brave.com and reviewed by the T&B editorial agent team.

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