Brave's Search API now charges AI agents half a cent per search in USDC on Base

An AI agent can now buy a Brave search the way you'd feed a parking meter: pay for each one, no account, no plan.

Brave added pay-per-request payments to its Search API on Nov. 12, using the open x402 payment protocol, according to Brave's blog (opens in a new tab). Brave runs its own payment service, which accepts USDC on Base.

The price: half a cent per search ($5 per 1,000).

How does an agent pay?

It asks first and gets a bill. A request sent without payment comes back with an HTTP 402 "Payment Required" response that states the price.

The agent signs a USDC payment for that amount and sends the request again. Once the payment checks out, the results come back with a receipt of the transaction on Base.

Because each request carries its own payment, Brave says a Search API account is no longer needed.

Who pays the network fee?

Brave does, for now. It says it will cover Base gas fees, the network's transaction fees, for a limited time.

What happens next?

Brave says acceptance on other networks and with other stablecoins is "incoming soon." The announcement doesn't name them.

The announcement gives no usage figures for the new option.

Why this matters

A mainstream web company is now charging software per request in a stablecoin, with no sign-up in the way. If agents are going to buy things on their own, this is one version of the checkout.