From 5d2674b336ca8fb8e89856974a8f80452d637c0b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Truong Vinh Tran Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:02:46 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] docs: Update Brave Search pricing - now $5/1000 queries (no free tier) Brave Search discontinued free tier on Feb 12, 2026. Updated all README references to reflect paid pricing. Emphasized SearXNG as free alternative. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 --- README.md | 14 +++++++------- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 83a533973..1f7200d15 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ docker compose --profile gateway up -d > [!TIP] > Set your API key in `~/.picoclaw/config.json`. > Get API keys: [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) (LLM) · [Zhipu](https://open.bigmodel.cn/usercenter/proj-mgmt/apikeys) (LLM) -> Web search is **optional** - get free [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) or use built-in auto fallback. +> Web search is **optional** - [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api) ($5/1000 queries, ~$5-6/month), [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) (free, self-hosted), or use built-in DuckDuckGo fallback. **1. Initialize** @@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ picoclaw onboard * **LLM Provider**: [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) · [Zhipu](https://open.bigmodel.cn/usercenter/proj-mgmt/apikeys) · [Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com) · [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com) · [Gemini](https://aistudio.google.com/api-keys) * **Web Search** (optional): - * [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Free tier (2000 requests/month) + * [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api) - Paid ($5/1000 queries, ~$5-6/month) * [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai) - AI-powered search with chat interface * [SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) - Self-hosted metasearch engine (free, no API key needed) * DuckDuckGo - Built-in fallback (no API key required) @@ -1062,9 +1062,9 @@ This is normal if you haven't configured a search API key yet. PicoClaw will pro PicoClaw automatically selects the best available search provider in this order: 1. **Perplexity** (if enabled and API key configured) - AI-powered search with citations -2. **Brave Search** (if enabled and API key configured) - Privacy-focused with 2000 free queries/month -3. **SearXNG** (if enabled and base_url configured) - Self-hosted metasearch aggregating 70+ engines -4. **DuckDuckGo** (if enabled, default fallback) - No API key required +2. **Brave Search** (if enabled and API key configured) - Privacy-focused paid API ($5/1000 queries) +3. **SearXNG** (if enabled and base_url configured) - Self-hosted metasearch aggregating 70+ engines (free) +4. **DuckDuckGo** (if enabled, default fallback) - No API key required (free) #### Web Search Configuration Options @@ -1083,7 +1083,7 @@ PicoClaw automatically selects the best available search provider in this order: } ``` -**Option 2 (Free Tier)**: Get a free API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) (2000 free queries/month) +**Option 2 (Paid API)**: Get an API key at [https://brave.com/search/api](https://brave.com/search/api) ($5/1000 queries, ~$5-6/month) ```json { "tools": { @@ -1168,7 +1168,7 @@ This happens when another instance of the bot is running. Make sure only one `pi | ---------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | | **OpenRouter** | 200K tokens/month | Multiple models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.) | | **Zhipu** | 200K tokens/month | Best for Chinese users | -| **Brave Search** | 2000 queries/month | Web search functionality | +| **Brave Search** | Paid ($5/1000 queries) | Web search functionality | | **SearXNG** | Unlimited (self-hosted) | Privacy-focused metasearch (70+ engines) | | **Groq** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Mixtral) | | **Cerebras** | Free tier available | Fast inference (Llama, Qwen, etc.) |