Scale SERP vs SearchApi (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SearchApi grades higher than Scale SERP: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
SearchApi grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Scale SERP
Google results API from Traject Data with a free monthly allowance
SearchApi
Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites
Which one is for you
Pick Scale SERP if
- Fits if your local SEO work needs Google results by postal code
- Works for projects that need Scholar or Trends results next to ordinary Google search
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you start small, at $23 to $29 for 1,000 searches, many times what rivals charge per search
- Skip it if you need Bing or other engines, which Traject Data sells as SerpWow
- Watch out: searches past the plan cost $0.038 each on the 1,000-search plan
- Watch out: ScraperAPI bought Traject Data and says it is moving Traject's APIs onto its own infrastructure
- Tight if you're on Free, with 125 searches a month
Pick SearchApi if
- Fits if you need Google results and ChatGPT or Perplexity answers in the same format
- Works for teams watching ads in the Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Reddit and TikTok libraries
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your jobs come in bursts, since any one hour can use only 20% of the month's searches
- Pricey if you need answers faster, as enhanced speed doubles the price of every plan
- Skip it if you need team management or the legal guarantee for $40, as both start at $100
- Not for you if you want a free plan that renews, since the 100 requests come once
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAScale SERPFair | 2.4GPASearchApiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe 1,000-search plan is $23 a month on yearly billing ($29 monthly), between this category's cheaper quarter ($19) and its middle ($29.99), and that's $23 per 1,000 searches where most rivals charge $1 to $4. The 10,000 plan is $66. | CDeveloper is $40 a month for 10,000 searches, $4 per 1,000, right at this category's middle. Enhanced speed doubles any plan, and the Legal Protection Guarantee needs Production at $100. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free tier of 125 searches a month with no card, meant for trying the API rather than running anything on it. | CNo free plan: 100 free requests on sign-up with no card, and then you're paying. |
| Features | CGoogle Search, Places and Maps, Trends, News, Reviews, Scholar, Images, Video and Shopping, by postal code and device, with scheduled batches. Google only, though: Traject Data sells SerpWow for other engines. | BGoogle with AI Overview, AI Mode, Maps, Shopping, Lens and Scholar, answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, plus Bing, Baidu, YouTube, Amazon and ad libraries, targeted down to coordinates. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: a playground that writes HTTP, cURL, Node.js, Python and PHP code as you change the settings. No rating on record. | CJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: plain GET requests, with examples in Python, Node, Ruby, Java, Go, PHP and C#. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with a REST API and code samples but no client libraries or integrations named in the listing. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb, with an API, code samples in many languages and an MCP server for AI assistants. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | Google results by postal code | Google and AI answer engines from one API |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Scale SERP and SearchApi. How we grade
Price against what you get
Scale SERP starts at $23 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SearchApi starts at $40 a month and scores 2.7.
SearchApi scores higher, and starts $17 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other SERP and SEO data APIs on the chart, 7 score higher than Scale SERP for less, and none scores higher than SearchApi for less.
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
Where they differ
At a glance
| Scale SERP | SearchApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $23 per month for 1,000 searches, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly |
| Free plan | 125 searches a month, no credit card required. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Traject Data (ScraperAPI) | SearchApi, LLC |
| Price read from | trajectdata.com | searchapi.io |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Scale SERP
- It covers Google only; Traject Data sells SerpWow for other search engines.
- Searches beyond a plan's limit are charged per search, from $0.038 each on the 1,000-search plan.
- Enterprise plans with an account manager and team onboarding are quoted by sales.
- Traject Data was acquired by ScraperAPI, which says it is moving Traject's APIs onto its own infrastructure.
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.
Key features
Scale SERP
- Wide Google coverage
- Google Search, Places and Maps, Trends, News, Reviews, Scholar, Images, Video, Shopping and Products from one API.
- Postal-code targeting
- A Locations API finds supported locations by country, state, city or postal code, and results can be requested for desktop, mobile or tablet.
- Batches
- Queue up to 15,000 searches in a batch and run them on a schedule; plans allow up to 10,000 batches.
- Playground and code samples
- A visual playground covers every parameter and generates HTTP, cURL, Node.js, Python and PHP code as you change them.
- Only successful searches counted
- A search is a successful call to the Search API; calls to the other APIs, such as Locations, are not charged.
SearchApi
- Google and its verticals
- Google Search, Light, AI Overview, AI Mode, Maps and reviews, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, News, Images, Lens, Jobs, Scholar, Trends and a rank tracking endpoint.
- AI answer engines
- Endpoints for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Bing Copilot answers alongside the Google AI features.
- Other engines and sites
- Bing, Baidu, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Naver, YouTube, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, TikTok, app stores, and Meta, LinkedIn, Reddit and TikTok ad libraries.
- Pay per success
- Only searches that return a 200 status code are charged, and requests run through premium proxies with location targeting down to coordinates.
- Legal Protection Guarantee
- From the Production plan up, SearchApi says it takes legal responsibility for how it collects and parses public results, with up to $2 million in coverage.
- Code samples and MCP
- Plain GET requests with examples in Python, Node, Ruby, Java, Go, PHP, C# and other languages, and an MCP server for AI assistants.
Plans
Scale SERP
Free$0
125 searches a month for evaluating the API.
1,000 Searches$23
per month for 1,000 searches, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
For getting started; extra requests cost $0.038 each. Up to 10,000 batches.
10,000 Searches$66
per month for 10,000 searches, billed annually ($83 billed monthly)
Extra searches cost $0.0118 each over the plan limit.
50,000 Searches$199
per month for 50,000 searches, billed monthly
Extra searches cost $0.00796 each. Annual billing is 20% less.
250,000 Searches$599
per month for 250,000 searches, billed monthly
Extra searches cost $0.004792 each. Annual billing is 20% less.
1,000,000 Searches$1,699
per month for 1 million searches, billed monthly
Extra searches cost $0.003398 each. A 5 million plan is $4,999 a month.
SearchApi
Developer Plan$40
per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly
$4 per 1,000 searches and a 99.9% SLA. Enhanced speed, with parallel threads, doubles the price to $80.
Production Plan$100
per month for 35,000 searches, billed monthly
$3 per 1,000 searches, team management and the Legal Protection Guarantee. $200 with enhanced speed.
BigData Plan$250
per month for 100,000 searches, billed monthly
$2.50 per 1,000 searches, with medium throughput. $500 with enhanced speed.
Scale Plan$500
per month for 250,000 searches, billed monthly
$2 per 1,000 searches, high throughput and search analytics. $1,000 with enhanced speed.
Octo 500K$900
per month for 500,000 searches, billed monthly
$1.80 per 1,000 searches, dedicated throughput and priority support. $1,800 with enhanced speed.
Octo 1M$1,500
per month for 1 million searches, billed monthly
$1.50 per 1,000 searches, dedicated throughput and priority support. $3,000 with enhanced speed.
Ways to pay less
Scale SERP
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Scale SERP's pricing toggle takes 20% off for annual billing: the 10,000-search plan is $66 a month billed annually against $83 billed monthly.
SearchApi
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Scale SERP or SearchApi?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Scale SERP is cheaper to start with: $23 a month, against $40 a month for SearchApi. Scale SERP starts at $23 per month for 1,000 searches, billed annually ($29 billed monthly), and SearchApi starts at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Scale SERP or SearchApi?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Scale SERP has a free plan. SearchApi does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.