Alternatives · SEO APIs
Brave Search API alternatives
As of Oct 24, 2026, the best Brave Search API alternative for most people is DataForSEO (2.8 GPA), first in our ranking of SERP and SEO data APIs. The best free one is SerpApi (2.4 GPA). The catch, in its listing's words: "250 searches a month, up to 50 successful searches an hour."
Brave Search API compared with 7 alternatives: SerpApi, Serper, SearchApi, DataForSEO, Autom and 2 more.
Brave Search API has a free plan. 1 of the 7 alternatives is free or has a free plan. 6 more offer a free trial.
Listings checked up to Oct 23, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave Search APIThis tool | Free plan | Yes | Web |
| SerpApi | Free plan · from $25/mo | Yes | Web |
| Serper | Free trial · from $50 one-time | Trial only | Web |
| SearchApi | Free trial · from $40/mo | Trial only | Web |
| DataForSEO | Free trial · from $50 | Trial only | Web |
| Autom | Free trial · from $50 one-time | Trial only | Web |
| Serpex | Free trial · from $5 | Trial only | Web |
| Serply | Free trial · from $5 one-time | Trial only | Web |
How each one differs from Brave Search API
SerpApi
Real-time search results API for Google and dozens of other engines
- SerpApi starts at $25 per month for 1,000 searches, billed monthly.
Suits: Developers who need Google results, AI Overviews and AI Mode answers as JSON
Serper
Google search results API sold in prepaid credit packs
- Serper starts at $50 one-time for 50,000 credits ($1.00 per 1,000 queries).
- Serper has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
Suits: AI chatbots and agents that need current Google results
SearchApi
Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites
- SearchApi starts at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.
- SearchApi has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
Suits: Developers who need Google results and AI engine answers from one API
DataForSEO
Pay-as-you-go APIs for SERP, keyword, backlink and AI mention data
- DataForSEO starts at $50 minimum top-up, used as you go.
- DataForSEO has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
Suits: Developers building their own rank trackers, keyword tools or backlink checkers
Autom
SERP API for Google, Bing, Brave and Perplexity, one credit each
- Autom starts at $50 one-time for 50,000 credits, valid 1 year.
- Autom has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
Suits: Developers who want several search engines on one key and one price
Serpex
Pay-as-you-go web search and page extraction API for AI agents
- Serpex starts at $5 minimum top-up, used as you go ($0.80 per 1,000 credits).
- Serpex has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
Suits: Grounding AI agents and chatbots in current web results
Serply
Prepaid Google search API with a hosted MCP server for AI agents
- Serply starts at $5 one-time for 2,500 credits (1 credit = 1 request), used as you go.
- Serply has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Brave Search API.
Suits: Grounding AI agents in live Google results through MCP
Limits worth knowing in Brave Search API
- Usage is billed from prepaid credits: Search is $5 per 1,000 requests, and Answers $4 per 1,000 queries plus $5 per million input and output tokens.
- Spellcheck and Autosuggest cost $5 per 10,000 requests, and storing results or training models on them needs a plan with storage rights.
- Results come only from Brave's index, so it does not report what ranks on Google or Bing.
- Capacity is 50 requests per second on Search and 2 on Answers; more needs an Enterprise agreement.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Brave Search API?
The alternatives to Brave Search API in this directory are SerpApi, Serper, SearchApi, DataForSEO, Autom, Serpex and Serply. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Brave Search API.
Is there a free alternative to Brave Search API?
Yes. SerpApi has a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 23, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.