SERP and search APIs compared
Agents need search results either as raw SERP data (titles, links, positions) or as AI-ready search with extracted content. SERP APIs suit rank tracking and SEO; AI search APIs suit retrieval for agents. Both are compared here using verified free-tier limits and prices.
Prices verified on vendor pages for 5 of 7 providers below; the rest are marked unknown. Always confirm at checkout. Order: vendor discounts, then free tiers, then standard signups, A–Z. Affiliate status does not affect order.
Comparison table
| Provider | Offer | Published pricing (verified) | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Data | Free tier | 5,000 free credits/mo (~$7.50); no card; Web Unlocker/SERP/Scraper/Studio/Browser API pool | Yes |
| SerpApi | Free tier | 250 successful searches/mo on Free plan | Yes |
| Tavily | Free tier | Researcher/Free: 1,000 API credits every month | Yes |
| APILayer | Standard signup | unknown | Not verified |
| Exa | Standard signup | Free Starter: $10 credits/month plus $10 onboarding bonus, no payment method; Search from $4/1k requests, Contents $1/1k pages, Deep Search $12/1k, Agent runs $0.012-$1.00 (per exa.ai/pricing). | Not verified |
| Scrapingdog | Standard signup | free signup; paid plans | Not verified |
| SERP-Tool | Standard signup | unknown | Not verified |
Pros and cons
Derived only from facts on the vendor pages we checked.
Bright Data
Pros:
- Free plan, trial or credits to test before paying
- No card required to start (per vendor page)
- Pricing is published, so you can budget before signing up
Cons:
- Requires an application; approval is not guaranteed
SerpApi
Pros:
- Free plan, trial or credits to test before paying
- Pricing is published, so you can budget before signing up
Cons:
- Limits and overage rates vary by plan; read them before committing
Tavily
Pros:
- Free plan, trial or credits to test before paying
- Pricing is published, so you can budget before signing up
Cons:
- Limits and overage rates vary by plan; read them before committing
APILayer
Pros:
- None verified beyond the listing
Cons:
- No verified public price in our records; you must check the vendor site
Exa
Pros:
- Free plan, trial or credits to test before paying
- No card required to start (per vendor page)
- Offers an MCP server or agent integration
- Pricing is published, so you can budget before signing up
Cons:
- Limits and overage rates vary by plan; read them before committing
Scrapingdog
Pros:
- Pricing is published, so you can budget before signing up
Cons:
- Limits and overage rates vary by plan; read them before committing
SERP-Tool
Pros:
- None verified beyond the listing
Cons:
- No verified public price in our records; you must check the vendor site
How to choose
- Need exact Google positions and features? Use a SERP API. Need relevant pages with content for an LLM? Use an AI search API.
- Count successful requests: some vendors bill only for successful searches.
- Check locale and device targeting if you track rankings.
- Free monthly credits are enough to prototype; compare per-1,000 cost at scale.
FAQ
What is the best SERP API for AI agents?
If the agent needs page content, an AI search API returning extracted text saves a second fetch. For rank data, a SERP API is the better fit.
Are there free SERP APIs?
Several have free monthly allowances; verified ones are marked in the table.
Related
Categories: SERP & search API deals
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