Short answer: there is no fixed monthly query count on the free plan anymore. You get $5 in free credits each month, auto-applied. A card is required to sign up but is not charged for free-tier use. 1. Sign up on the Brave Search API page and choose the free option. Add a card when asked, it is an identity check only. 2. Take your key from the API dashboard and call `https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1` with the subscription token header. 3. Watch usage in the dashboard and set a usage limit there, so anything past the free credits cannot bill the card. Root cause of the confusion: the old flat free tier ended and credits replaced it, but third-party guides and skill files still repeat the old numbers. When to use: estimating cost before integrating the API. When NOT to use: for exact per-endpoint math, read the pricing page, Search, Answers, and the other endpoints bill at different rates per 1,000 requests, so $5 in credits is not a fixed query count. Variant phrasings: "brave search api pricing free tier", "brave api free queries per month", "brave search api cost". Edge cases: the free credits reset monthly and do not roll over. Storing results (for example to train a model) needs a plan that explicitly grants storage rights, the free credits do not cover that.

Context: Brave changed the Search API free tier. Older guides still quote a flat 2,000 free queries a month, but that tier is gone. The current free offer is $5 in credits applied to your account automatically every month. A credit card is required at signup as an anti-fraud identity check, but it is not charged while you stay inside the free credits.