Alternatives · SEO APIs
SearchApi alternatives
As of Oct 24, 2026, the best SearchApi 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."
SearchApi compared with 12 alternatives: SerpApi, Serper, DataForSEO, Scrapingdog, Brave Search API and 7 more.
SearchApi is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly. 5 of the 12 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SearchApiThis tool | Free trial · from $40/mo | Trial only | Web |
| SerpApi | Free plan · from $25/mo | Yes | Web |
| Serper | Free trial · from $50 one-time | Trial only | Web |
| DataForSEO | Free trial · from $50 | Trial only | Web |
| Scrapingdog | Free trial · from $40/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Brave Search API | Free plan | Yes | Web |
| Autom | Free trial · from $50 one-time | Trial only | Web |
| HasData | Free plan · from $49/mo | Yes | Web |
| Scale SERP | Free plan · from $23/mo | Yes | Web |
| Scavio | Free trial · from $24/mo | Trial only | Web |
| SearchCans | Free trial · from $18 one-time | Trial only | Web |
| SerpBase | Free trial · from $3/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Serpdog | Free plan | Yes | Web |
Price against what you get
SearchApi starts at $40 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 6 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
SerpApi, Scale SERP, Scavio and SerpBase start lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from SearchApi
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.
- SerpApi has a free plan, which SearchApi lacks.
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).
Suits: AI chatbots and agents that need current Google results
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 also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
Suits: Developers building their own rank trackers, keyword tools or backlink checkers
Scrapingdog
Web scraping and Google SERP APIs on one shared credit plan
- Scrapingdog starts at $40 per month for 200,000 credits, billed monthly.
Suits: Teams that need Google results and general web scraping from one account
Brave Search API
Web search API from Brave's own index, built for AI agents and apps
- Brave Search API has a free plan, which SearchApi lacks.
Suits: Developers grounding AI agents and chatbots in current web results
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.
Suits: Developers who want several search engines on one key and one price
HasData
Google SERP API and web scraping APIs on one monthly credit allowance
- HasData starts at $49 per month for 200K credits, billed annually ($59 billed monthly).
- HasData has a free plan, which SearchApi lacks.
Suits: Developers building rank trackers or SEO dashboards on Google data
Scale SERP
Google results API from Traject Data with a free monthly allowance
- Scale SERP starts at $23 per month for 1,000 searches, billed annually ($29 billed monthly).
- Scale SERP has a free plan, which SearchApi lacks.
Suits: Developers who need many Google result types, including Scholar and Trends
Scavio
Scraper API for Google, social and shopping data, built for AI agents
- Scavio starts at $24 per month for 7,000 credits, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly).
Suits: AI agents that need Google results and social data from one API
SearchCans
Prepaid Google and Bing search API with a web-to-markdown reader
- SearchCans starts at $18 one-time for 20,000 credits (1 credit = 1 search), valid 6 months.
Suits: AI agents that search Google and then read the pages behind the results
SerpBase
Search, social and shopping data API with 47 endpoints on one key
- SerpBase starts at $3 per month for 10,000 credits.
Suits: Developers who need Google results and other sources on one key
Serpdog
Google SERP API with a lighter half-price endpoint and scraping APIs
- Serpdog has a free plan, which SearchApi lacks.
Suits: Developers who want Google results and other sources under one API key
Limits worth knowing in SearchApi
- Each plan can use only 20% of its monthly searches in any one hour.
- The Legal Protection Guarantee and team management are not on the Developer plan.
- Enhanced speed doubles the price of any plan; larger plans run to Octo 2M at $2,800 and Octo 5M at $5,000 a month, with custom plans on request.
- The 100 free requests are a sign-up allowance; the pages do not describe an ongoing free plan.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to SearchApi?
The alternatives to SearchApi in this directory are SerpApi, Serper, DataForSEO, Scrapingdog, Brave Search API, Autom, HasData, Scale SERP, Scavio, SearchCans, SerpBase and Serpdog. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with SearchApi.
Is there a free alternative to SearchApi?
Yes. SerpApi, Brave Search API, HasData, Scale SERP and Serpdog have 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.