Brave Search API vs Mediastack: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Brave Search API (3.9/5) edges ahead of Mediastack (3.8/5) overall. Brave Search API is the better choice for developers replacing Bing News Search with an independent index. Mediastack is the stronger option for low-traffic sites needing a cheap commercial headline feed. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
Brave Search API vs Mediastack: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Brave Search API | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2015 |
| HQ | San Francisco, USA | Vienna, Austria (apilayer); owned by Idera |
| Team size | 201–500 | Part of Idera |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Results from its own crawler, independent of Google and Bing | Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month |
| Pricing model | Metered per request | Monthly request plans |
| Entry price | $5 per 1,000 requests | $24.99/mo |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON, MCP server | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | AI & LLM apps, News & content apps, SEO | News & content apps, Marketing & PR |
Brave Search API vs Mediastack: overview
Brave Search API
Brave Software, a San Francisco company founded in 2015, sells API access to the index behind Brave Search, which it crawls itself instead of reselling Google or Bing results. The news endpoint returns recent articles with source, age and thumbnail fields, and the same key covers web, image and video search. That matters for developers who lost Bing News Search when Microsoft retired its search APIs in 2025. Reports from 2026 say Brave moved everyone to metered billing at about $5 per 1,000 requests and ended the free plan, though some Brave docs still describe older tiers. You get snippets, so full text needs a separate fetch.
Mediastack
Mediastack belongs to apilayer, the Vienna company behind ipstack and weatherstack, which Julian and Paul Zehetmayr founded in 2015 and the US software group Idera bought in January 2021. If you already use another apilayer API, the key format, parameters and error codes will look familiar. It covers live and historical news from 7,500+ sources in 13 languages, with filters for country, category, language and keyword. The free plan gives 100 requests a month, which a day of testing can use up, and paid plans run from $24.99 for 10,000 requests to $249.99 for 250,000. Responses carry descriptions and metadata, without full text or enrichment.
Features: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Capability | Brave Search API | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✗ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✗ | ✓ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✗ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Format / SDK | Brave Search API | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | N/A |
| MCP server | ✓ | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Criterion | Brave Search API | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $5 per 1,000 requests | $24.99/mo |
| Pricing model | Metered per request | Monthly request plans |
| Access models | Pay-as-you-go, Enterprise contract | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Public price |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
Who each API suits: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Dimension | Brave Search API | Mediastack |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Teams with budget | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | AI & LLM apps, News & content apps, SEO | News & content apps, Marketing & PR |
| Example use cases | Migrating a retired Bing News Search integration. News grounding for an LLM without Google dependence. | A category news feed on a small website. Classroom projects that need commercial terms. |
| How you get access | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier |
Brave Search API vs Mediastack: pros and cons
| Brave Search API | |
|---|---|
| + | One of the few independent indexes left after Bing APIs closed |
| + | Fast responses with high per-second limits on paid plans |
| + | An MCP server for agent use |
| + | Plans that state data rights for AI use |
| - | The free plan was reportedly removed in 2026 |
| - | Snippets only, without archive or full text |
| - | Thinner coverage of small local outlets than Google |
| Mediastack | |
|---|---|
| + | Among the lowest paid entry prices for general news |
| + | Shares conventions with the other apilayer APIs |
| + | History included on paid plans |
| + | Short docs with copy-paste code |
| - | 100 free requests a month barely covers testing |
| - | Only 7,500 sources in 13 languages |
| - | No full text, entities or sentiment |
Who should choose Brave Search API?
A typical fit: migrating a retired Bing News Search integration.
Results from its own crawler, independent of Google and Bing. Paid access starts at $5 per 1,000 requests. Typical uses: AI & LLM apps, News & content apps, SEO.
Who should choose Mediastack?
A typical fit: a category news feed on a small website.
Commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. Paid access starts at $24.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, Marketing & PR.
Decision matrix: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Mediastack |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Brave Search API |
| You need full article text in the response | Neither returns full text |
| You need years of historical news | Mediastack |
| You want an official SDK | Neither; both are plain REST |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Brave Search API |
Use case fit: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
| Use case | Brave Search API fit | Mediastack fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI & LLM apps | Strong | Limited | Brave Search API |
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| SEO | Strong | Limited | Brave Search API |
| Marketing & PR | Limited | Strong | Mediastack |
Verdict: Brave Search API vs Mediastack
Brave Search API (3.9/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Results from its own crawler, independent of Google and Bing.
Mediastack (3.8/5) is worth a look if you need classroom projects that need commercial terms. If your situation matches that, Mediastack is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Brave Search API vs Mediastack FAQ
Is Brave Search API better than Mediastack?
Brave Search API (3.9/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Brave Search API's strongest advantage: one of the few independent indexes left after Bing APIs closed. Mediastack's strongest advantage: among the lowest paid entry prices for general news.
How do Brave Search API and Mediastack differ in pricing?
Brave Search API: metered per request, with paid access from $5 per 1,000 requests. Mediastack: monthly request plans, with paid access from $24.99/mo. Only Mediastack offers free access.
Which is better for enterprise: Brave Search API or Mediastack?
Brave Search API sells enterprise contracts with negotiated volume and SLA terms. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between Brave Search API and Mediastack?
What sets Brave Search API apart: results from its own crawler, independent of Google and Bing. What sets Mediastack apart: commercial use and historical news from $24.99 a month. They also differ on entry price ($5 per 1,000 requests vs $24.99/mo) and typical uses (AI & LLM apps, News & content apps vs News & content apps, Marketing & PR).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.