Brave Place Search API: The Google Maps Alternative That Costs 6–7x Less
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Brave has released an improved Place Search API offering access to ~200 million points of interest worldwide at $5 per 1,000 requests — 6 to 7 times cheaper than Google Maps API ($32–$35/1k). In a side-by-side evaluation of 1,000 real queries, Brave scored 6.4 vs Google's 7.3 out of 10. Brave outperforms on recall and handling of ambiguous names, streets, and addresses, while Google leads on category ranking precision. The API returns rich data (coordinates, hours, ratings, photos, etc.) in a single flat-rate call. Built on an independent index (not a Google scrape), it supports Zero Data Retention, SOC 2 Type II, and shared IDs across Web Search and POI endpoints. It also ships with AI coding tool integrations (Cursor, Claude Code, OpenCode) for faster developer onboarding.
