Perplexity Search API
Search APIsPerplexity's Search API returns web results from Perplexity's own search engine. Your code sends a question and gets links and text back.
The verdict
Perplexity Fast is the cheapest search in our test at $1 per 1,000 searches. The regular Search API is $5 per 1,000.
It returns Perplexity's own results, so if you need Google's exact results, use SearchApi.
Best for
Teams that run many web searches and care most about the price per search.
Not for
Skip it if you need Google's exact results or the full text of each page.
Pricing truth
$1 per 1,000 on Fast. The regular Search API is $5 per 1,000 searches. Checked October 14, 2026.
When we use it
- Run a high volume of cheap web searches for an AI agent.
- Use Fast search when price per search is the main concern.
- Add web lookups to a tool without paying for Google's exact results.
- Compare it against SearchApi when you need Google's own ranking.
How to wire it
- Decide whether you need Google's exact results. If you do, use SearchApi instead.
- Start on Fast and check whether the results are good enough for your job.
- Move to the regular Search API only for the searches where Fast falls short.
- If you also need full page text, add Firecrawl for the pages you read.
Margin notes
- The math for 10,000 searches: Fast is 10 × $1 = $10. Regular is 10 × $5 = $50.
- The math against SearchApi Developer: $40 for 10,000 is 4 times Fast's $10.
- You pay per search, so there is no monthly plan to size.
- Results come from Perplexity's index, so they can differ from Google's.