Web search APIs · pick by what comes back
If you want Google results as data, start with SearchApi, at $40 for 10,000 searches. If your agent also has to read the pages, use Firecrawl.
our pick for you
Our pick
Start with SearchApi if you want Google results as data. Pick Firecrawl if your agent also has to read the pages. Tavily and Exa suit chat agents that want ready text.
- An API is the way your own code asks another service for data. A web search API runs a search and sends the results back to your code.
- SearchApi returns parsed Google results. Developer is $40 for 10,000 searches, and you pay only for searches that work.
- Firecrawl search costs 2 credits per 10 results, and reads pages from the same credits.
- The math for 10,000 searches: Perplexity Fast 10 × $1 = $10, SearchApi $40, Exa Instant 10 × $4 = $40, Tavily basic $78, Firecrawl $83 a month billed yearly.
- Depth changes the bill. Tavily advanced search costs 2 credits, and Exa Deep costs 3 times Exa Instant.
Ranked picks
- #1
SearchApitop pickBest for: Teams that want Google results as data at the lowest price per search.
- You pay only for searches that work.
- You get 100 free searches to test.
- #2
Best for: Agents that search and then read the full pages.
- Reading a plain page costs 1 credit from the same balance.
- The free plan has 1,000 credits.
- #3
Best for: Chat agents that want short text answers ready for an AI model.
- The free plan has 1,000 credits a month.
- The math for 10,000 basic searches: Project $30 + 6,000 × $0.008 = $78.
- #4
Best for: Agents that search by meaning and want page text back.
- You get $10 of free use each month.
- The math: 10,000 Instant searches = 10 × $4 = $40.
- #5
Best for: Teams that want the lowest price per web search and don't need Google's own results.
- The math: 10,000 Fast searches = 10 × $1 = $10, the lowest here.
Compare
| Tool | Price band | Best for | Dealbreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 SearchApi | From $40 a month. | Teams that want Google results as data at the lowest price per search. | You can use only 20% of your plan's searches in one hour, so spread big jobs out. |
| #2 Firecrawl | From $16 a month yearly. | Agents that search and then read the full pages. | Search alone costs more. |
| #3 Tavily | From $30 a month. | Chat agents that want short text answers ready for an AI model. | Advanced search costs 2 credits. |
| #4 Exa | $7 per 1,000 searches. | Agents that search by meaning and want page text back. | Deep search costs $12 per 1,000, which is 3 times the Instant price. |
| #5 Perplexity Search API | $1 per 1,000 on Fast. | Teams that want the lowest price per web search and don't need Google's own results. | It returns Perplexity's own results. |
MethodHow we scored these tools▾
Each API is priced for the same 10,000 searches a month, using its published prices on October 14, 2026. The APIs return different things, so the page groups them by what comes back.
Who it's for
buy if
- Use this page if you are adding web search to an AI agent or a data job.
- Use this page if you need to price 10,000 or more searches a month.
skip if
- Skip this page if you only need a few searches a day. Every tool here has a free tier that covers that.
The short answer
Start with SearchApi if you want Google results as data. Pick Firecrawl if your agent also has to read the pages. Pick Tavily or Exa if you run a chat agent that wants short, ready text.
Three kinds of results, three kinds of API
Some APIs return Google links and snippets as data. SearchApi does this.
Some return short text chunks ready for an AI model, called LLM-ready text. Tavily and Exa do this.
Perplexity returns results from its own search engine.
Some return the full text of each page. Firecrawl does this.
Pick the one that returns what your code would otherwise have to build.
What 10,000 searches a month cost
Prices are from October 14, 2026.
The math on SearchApi: Developer covers 10,000 searches for $40.
The math on Perplexity: 10 × $1 = $10 on Fast, or 10 × $5 = $50 on standard search.
The math on Exa: 10 × $4 = $40 on Instant, or 10 × $7 = $70 on Fast.
The math on Tavily basic: Project $30 for 4,000 credits + 6,000 × $0.008 = $48, so $78 in total. That beats Bootstrap at $100.
The math on Tavily advanced: 20,000 credits = Bootstrap $100 + 5,000 × $0.008 = $40, so $140. That beats Startup at $220.
The math on Firecrawl: each search of 10 results costs 2 credits, so 10,000 searches × 2 = 20,000 credits. That is past Hobby's 5,000, so Standard at $83 a month billed yearly.
Hourly limits on big jobs
SearchApi lets you use only 20% of your plan's searches in any one hour. A rate limit like this caps how fast you can call the API. Spread a batch job across the day.
Common questions
What is the cheapest web search API?▾
Perplexity's Fast search, at $1 per 1,000. For Google's own results, SearchApi at $40 for 10,000.
What is the difference between a SERP API and an AI search API?▾
A SERP API returns Google's results as data. An AI search API returns text ready for an AI model to read.
Which web search APIs have a free tier?▾
Tavily has 1,000 credits a month, Exa has $10 of use a month, Firecrawl has 1,000 credits, and SearchApi has 100 searches.
what to do next
What to do next
Write down what your agent needs back: links, short text or full pages. If you need Google results as data, start with SearchApi and its 100 free searches. If you also need the page text, try Firecrawl's free plan with 1,000 credits. For Tavily's full credit table, read Tavily pricing. For the head to head, read Firecrawl vs Tavily. If you are leaving SerpApi, read SerpApi alternatives. Try SearchApi Try Firecrawl Next · SerpApi pricing shows the Google results price ladder.