Hello Brave team,
I’m a long-term user of Brave Search and the Brave browser, and I’m writing to ask about the future availability of Ask Brave — the search-grounded AI assistant available at search.brave.com/ask — outside of the browser context.
What I value about Ask Brave specifically
I use Ask Brave (not Leo) as my primary research tool. The combination of:
-
Iterative Deep Research (multiple search rounds, 200+ pages analysed per query)
-
Multi-source triangulation with cited, verifiable sources
-
Adaptive conversation — the ability to correct a wrong answer mid-conversation and have the assistant rebuild its response from verified data rather than doubling down
-
The search-first architecture (Llama/Qwen grounded in your 40B-page index, not a general-purpose LLM with occasional search augmentation)
…gives me a research assistant that I trust in a way I don’t trust browser-sidebar AIs. When I deep-dive into a technical topic (hardware, engineering, policy), the difference between “searches once and answers” and “iterates through multiple queries and cross-references” is the difference between a useful answer and a confident hallucination.
What I’m asking
I understand Ask Brave is currently only accessible inside the Brave browser (desktop and mobile). I’d like to know:
1. Standalone mobile app
Is there any plan to offer Ask Brave as a standalone mobile application (iOS/Android) — separate from the browser? I don’t need the browser. I need the assistant. A dedicated app with a conversation interface, Deep Research access, and the ability to resume a conversation across sessions would make this usable as a daily research tool on the go (4G/5G/WiFi), not just something I access when I happen to have the browser open.
I’m aware that Leo is available in the mobile browser and in Android quick actions. I understand Leo is a different product with a different architecture. I’m specifically asking about the Ask Brave / Deep Research experience.
2. Consumer-facing API access
I see that the Brave Search API offers an “Answers” plan ($4/1000 queries + token costs) with an OpenAI-compatible endpoint and a research mode. This appears to be the closest programmatic equivalent to what Ask Brave does interactively.
My questions:
-
Is the “Answers” API endpoint the same model/stack that powers Ask Brave in the browser, or is it a different (lighter) configuration?
-
Is there any plan to offer a consumer-facing version of this — not a raw API key for developers, but a simple authenticated endpoint I could connect to a personal app, Home Assistant instance, or smart display?
-
If I were to build a simple personal app (or use an existing framework like Home Assistant’s Assist) that calls the Answers API with
enable_research: true, would that effectively give me Deep Research on my phone?
3. Smart home / always-available access
I use a Denon receiver, a Dell monitor, and a desktop PC. I’m not a smart home power user, but I am interested in the possibility of having a search-grounded assistant accessible via:
-
A smart display (Google Nest Hub, Echo Show, or similar)
-
Home Assistant (I see community integrations exist for Brave Search API as a web search tool — is there any plan for a first-party integration that exposes the full Answers/Research capability, not just raw search results?)
-
A dedicated Brave hardware device (I understand this is likely far-fetched, but I’m asking because you built the browser, the search engine, the API, and the AI assistant — a $99 always-on device with a mic, speaker, and small screen that runs Ask Brave natively would be a natural product extension)
4. Pricing
I’m willing to pay for this. If a standalone Ask Brave app or a personal API plan costs £5–15/month, that’s a non-negotiable purchase for me. I’d rather pay Brave directly than route through a third-party LLM that doesn’t have your index.
Why this matters (from a user perspective)
The current setup works when I’m at my desktop. But I want to be able to:
-
Start a Deep Research query on my phone while commuting
-
Continue the conversation at home on the desktop without losing context
-
Ask a question to a smart display in the kitchen without pulling out my phone
-
Have the assistant available in environments where opening a browser is friction I don’t want
The adaptive, corrective nature of the conversation (where I can say “that’s wrong, verify that” and get a corrected answer) is what makes this different from a one-shot search. That conversational loop needs to be available wherever I am.
What I’ve already checked
-
Brave’s mobile app (Android/iOS) — Ask Brave is available inside the browser but not as a standalone app
-
Brave Search API documentation — the Answers plan with research mode appears to be the programmatic equivalent
-
Home Assistant community — third-party integrations exist for Brave Search (raw results) but not for the Answers/Research layer
-
Brave Origin ($59.99) — this is the browser, not the assistant
Summary of requests
| What | Priority | Willingness to pay |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone mobile app (Ask Brave + Deep Research) | High | £5–10/month |
| Consumer API access (Answers + Research) | High | £5–10/month |
| Home Assistant first-party integration | Medium | Included in above |
| Smart display / hardware device | Low (long-term) | £99–149 one-time |
I’m happy to be an early tester, provide feedback, or pay for a beta if that accelerates anything. I’m also happy to discuss this via a support ticket if that’s more appropriate than a forum post.
Thank you for building an independent search engine and an AI assistant that actually cites its sources. It’s the only one I trust for serious research, and I’d like to keep using it everywhere, not just at my desk.
Thank you for your consideration
( Yes Brave Assistant helped me with this request letter )