Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Custom Search Engine VS Brave

Compare Google Custom Search Engine VS Brave and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Google Custom Search Engine logo Google Custom Search Engine

Google Custom Search is a platform provided by Google that allows web developers to feature specialized information in web searches, refine and categorize queries and create customized search engines, based on Google Search.

Brave logo Brave

Fast and secure, ad and tracker blocking browser.
  • Google Custom Search Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-31
  • Brave Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29

Brave

Website
brave.com
$ Details
Release Date
2015 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Brendan Eich
Employees
100 - 249

Google Custom Search Engine features and specs

  • Easy Integration
    Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) allows for seamless integration into your website with just a few lines of code, providing a hassle-free way to add powerful search capabilities.
  • Customizable Appearance
    The appearance of the search engine can be customized to match the aesthetics of your website, ensuring a consistent user experience.
  • Google Search Algorithms
    CSE leverages Google's advanced search algorithms, which means it provides highly relevant search results and reliable performance.
  • Filtering and Restrictions
    You can specify certain sites or pages to be included or excluded from the search results, allowing for tailored control over search parameters.
  • Sponsored Links Integration
    By default, the search results can include relevant ads, providing potential revenue opportunities without additional work.
  • Multiple Sites Search
    CSE allows you to create search engines that span multiple websites or subsets of sites, enhancing the search scope as needed.

Possible disadvantages of Google Custom Search Engine

  • Advertising
    The free version of CSE displays ads alongside the search results, which could be distracting or undesirable for some users and website owners.
  • Limited Customization for Free Version
    The level of search result customization is limited unless you opt for the paid version, which may incur additional costs.
  • Dependency on Google Infrastructure
    Using CSE ties your site's search functionality to Google's infrastructure, which could be a concern for those seeking more independent or diversified solutions.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using Google services for search means that information about users' search behavior can be collected by Google, potentially raising privacy issues.
  • Data Limitations
    The specificity and depth of data accessibility are limited compared to integrating a custom-built search engine with full database access.
  • Learning Curve
    Configuring and optimizing CSE, especially for more complex requirements, may require some learning and adjustment time from the developer's side.

Brave features and specs

  • Privacy
    Brave blocks trackers and ads by default, providing users with increased privacy and preventing third-party companies from collecting their data.
  • Speed
    Due to its ad-blocking capabilities, Brave loads pages faster compared to browsers that display ads, enhancing the user experience.
  • Ad Blocking
    Brave automatically blocks intrusive ads, which not only helps with privacy but also reduces page clutter.
  • BAT Rewards
    Users can earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) by opting into Brave’s privacy-respecting ads, providing an incentive for users to view ads.
  • Security
    Brave includes features such as HTTPS Everywhere, ensuring secure connections, and a built-in password manager.
  • Open Source
    The Brave browser is open-source, allowing anyone to inspect the code and contribute to its development, fostering transparency and community involvement.
  • Chromium-Based
    Being based on Chromium, Brave supports a wide range of extensions available from the Chrome Web Store.

Possible disadvantages of Brave

  • Extension Compatibility
    While Brave supports many Chrome extensions, there are occasional compatibility issues with certain extensions.
  • Syncing Data
    Brave's data sync feature is still maturing and may not be as reliable or comprehensive as competitors’ syncing services.
  • Advertising Model
    Some users might find the BAT ad model confusing or may not be interested in participating, preferring traditional ad-free browsing.
  • New Ecosystem
    Brave is relatively new compared to other browsers like Chrome and Firefox, which might make users hesitant due to its less established ecosystem.
  • Customization
    While Brave offers various customization options, it may still lack certain features and settings that power-users expect from more established browsers.

Analysis of Brave

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Brave is generally considered a good web browser.

Why this product is good

  • Brave is recognized for its strong privacy features, fast browsing speed, and built-in ad and tracker blocking. It also offers innovative features like Brave Rewards, which allow users to earn cryptocurrency for viewing select ads, and its integration with the Tor network for enhanced privacy.

Recommended for

  • Privacy-conscious users who want enhanced control over their data and browsing activity.
  • Individuals looking for a faster browsing experience by blocking ads and trackers.
  • Users interested in earning cryptocurrency through passive activities like viewing ads.
  • People who appreciate open-source software.

Google Custom Search Engine videos

Create a Google Custom Search Engine To Monetize Your Site

Brave videos

Brave browser review

More videos:

  • Review - Brave Browser Review 2020: Why You NEED To Switch!
  • Review - Does the Brave Browser Really Beat Fingerprinting? Let's Test!
  • Demo - This Is Brave
  • Demo - song

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Custom Search Engine and Brave)
Custom Search Engine
100 100%
0% 0
Web Browsers
0 0%
100% 100
Custom Search
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Custom Search Engine and Brave

Google Custom Search Engine Reviews

We have no reviews of Google Custom Search Engine yet.
Be the first one to post

Brave Reviews

The 7 best web browsers in 2025
Unlike ad blockers, though, Brave doesn't just ban advertisements: it replaces them with its own, far less intrusive and private promotions. Every time you browse Brave and see its ads, it rewards you with points, which you can then use to compensate your favorite publishers and creators. For this to work, the website must be a Brave partner. Many popular ones, like The...
Source: zapier.com
Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Performance-wise, I found it to be a bit better than the Brave browser, but it doesn’t receive as frequent updates as Brave.
Source: mspoweruser.com
Best Tor Browser Alternative for Risk-Free Web Surfing
Brave Browser is a relatively newer entrant in the world of privacy-conscious browsers. Known for its aggressive approach to blocking advertisements and trackers, Brave Browser aims to deliver a fast and secure browsing experience. Additionally, Brave Browser supports Basic Attention Token (BAT), a cryptocurrency reward system for viewing privacy-respecting ads.
5 Most Privacy Focused Web Browsers
Brave features numerous privacy-centric settings, like the ability to sync browser data securely, without needing to create an account. The browser effectively blocks trackers to give you a private web experience.
Source: itsfoss.com
Avoid The Hack: 6 Best Privacy Browser Picks for Windows
Brave has a native adblocker ("shields") enabled by default. Brave proxies all/any requests to Google, effectively substituting Google Services with "Brave Services." For example, when "Safe Browsing" is enabled, Brave proxies the request to the Google Safe Browsing service.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Brave seems to be a lot more popular than Google Custom Search Engine. While we know about 585 links to Brave, we've tracked only 22 mentions of Google Custom Search Engine. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Custom Search Engine mentions (22)

  • Website Search Hurts My Feelings
    There are actually plenty of non-ES products that are way easier to integrate and tune (and get better results with less effort). - Typesense (https://github.com/typesense/typesense). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How To De-index Your Docs From Google (And Then Fix It)
    One other important detail — there is an in-site search for the C7 docs. Notably, it is built on a programmable Google search engine. Basically, that means that the search functionality on the site is powered by Google. A search query entered into the C7 docs search box gives basically the same results as entering the query on google.com and filtering by site:docs.camunda.org. Again, "foreshadowing....". - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Swirl: An open-source search engine with LLMs and ChatGPT to provide all the answers you need 🌌
    Using the Galaxy UI, knowledge workers can systematically review the best results from all configured services including Apache Solr, ChatGPT, Elastic, OpenSearch, PostgreSQL, Google BigQuery, plus generic HTTP/GET/POST with configurations for premium services like Google's Programmable Search Engine, Miro and Northern Light Research. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Mullvad Leta
    We used this for a project: https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/about/ before we moved to Elastic Search. It has a REST API (and can be used to query the internet also). - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Tutorial: Create an AI agent that reads Wikipedia for you
    First, you need to create a programmable search engine for Wikipedia. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
View more

Brave mentions (585)

  • Useful Sites for Privacy and Security
    Brave - Privacy-focused browser with ad-blocking. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Google Being Forced to Sell Chrome Is Not Good for the Web
    We can always use Chromium https://www.chromium.org/chromium-projects/ This is like if Microsoft was forced to sell Edge or Apple sold Safari. I am thinking of switching from Chrome to Brave https://brave.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • uBlock Origin is no longer available on the Chrome Store
    Https://brave.com/ Ignore the crypto; enjoy the integrated ad-blocking. Most seamless ad-blocking I've ever experienced. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • uBlock Origin is no longer available on the Chrome Store
    If you are in tech do your friends and family and a favor: Download and setup Brave browser on their device. I haven't seen an ad in years. https://brave.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Personal TODO list on how I set up my dev machine
    I install: Discord, Brave, [Telegram(https://desktop.telegram.org/) and VSCode, which then I sync with my github profile to pull down my settings. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Custom Search Engine and Brave, you can also consider the following products

Algolia - Algolia's Search API makes it easy to deliver a great search experience in your apps & websites. Algolia Search provides hosted full-text, numerical, faceted and geolocalized search.

Mozilla Firefox - Get the browsers that put your privacy first — and always have

Swiftype - The simplest way to add search to your website or application. Sign up for free.

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.

ElasticSearch - Elasticsearch is an open source, distributed, RESTful search engine.

Vivaldi - Vivaldi is a free, fast web browser designed for power-users. You decide how you browse. Download Vivaldi's fully customisable browser now and browse your way.