Scrapingdog vs SearchApi (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Scrapingdog and SearchApi share a 2.4 GPA, neither has a free plan and they start at the same price, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Scrapingdog
Web scraping and Google SERP APIs on one shared credit plan
SearchApi
Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites
Which one is for you
Pick Scrapingdog if
- Fits if you need Google results and general page scraping from the same account
- Works for projects mixing search data with Amazon, YouTube or LinkedIn data
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: a full Google search costs 10 credits, so Lite's 200,000 credits is about 20,000 searches
- Tight if you run out mid-month, as requests are refused until the next billing date, with no pay-per-use
- Skip it if you want unused credits kept on Lite, as rollover starts at Standard and plan changes aren't prorated
- Not for you if you want a free plan that renews, as the 100 credits come once
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
| 2.4GPAScrapingdogFair | 2.4GPASearchApiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $40 a month for 200,000 credits, this category's middle. A full Google search is 10 credits, so that's about 20,000 searches, $2 per 1,000. Yearly billing gives two months free. | 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 | CNo lasting free plan: 100 credits on sign-up with no card, about 10 full Google searches. The pricing page shows a Free plan but doesn't say the credits renew. | CNo free plan: 100 free requests on sign-up with no card, and then you're paying. |
| Features | BGoogle search, AI Mode, Maps, News, Shopping, Scholar, Trends and more, Bing and Brave search, a general scraper and scrapers for Amazon, YouTube and LinkedIn, all on one credit pool. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. | 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: Python and Node.js SDKs and a Google Sheets add-on. No rating on record, and each API costs a different number of credits, so you work out what a search really costs. | 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 | BWeb, with an API, Python and Node.js SDKs, an MCP server, an n8n node, a Google Sheets add-on, LangChain and LlamaIndex. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. | 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 and web scraping on one plan | 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: Scrapingdog and SearchApi. How we grade
Price against what you get
Scrapingdog starts at $40 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SearchApi starts at $40 a month and scores 2.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other SERP and SEO data APIs on the chart, none scores higher than Scrapingdog 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
| Scrapingdog | SearchApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $40 per month for 200,000 credits, billed monthly | $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 100 free credits on sign-up with access to every API, no credit card required | 100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | OpenData Labs Private Limited | SearchApi, LLC |
| Price read from | scrapingdog.com | searchapi.io |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Scrapingdog
- A full Google search costs 10 credits and a light one 5, so plan credit counts overstate the number of searches.
- When credits run out, requests are refused until the next billing date unless you upgrade; there is no pay-per-use overage.
- Unused credits roll over only from the Standard plan up, and plan changes are not prorated.
- The pricing page lists a Free plan at $0 but describes the 100 credits as a sign-up allowance, without saying they renew.
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
Scrapingdog
- Google APIs
- Google SERP Light at 5 credits a request and SERP Advance at 10, plus AI Mode, Images, Shopping, Maps, News, Scholar, Trends, Jobs, Hotels, Lens, Finance, Videos and Patents.
- Other search engines
- Bing and Brave search APIs at 5 credits a request, and a Universal Search API at 20.
- General web scraper
- Rotating proxies at 1 credit a request, JavaScript rendering at 5, premium proxies or geotargeting at 10, and an AI Parser at 10.
- Site-specific scrapers
- APIs for Amazon, Walmart, eBay, YouTube, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, Yelp, Indeed and the Apple App Store, all drawing on the same credits.
- Failed requests refunded
- Failed, blocked and timed-out requests are credited back to the balance automatically.
- SDKs and no-code tools
- Python and Node.js SDKs, an MCP server, an n8n node and a Google Sheets add-on.
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
Scrapingdog
Lite$40
per month for 200,000 credits, billed monthly
5 concurrent requests, geotargeting and email support; about 20,000 full Google searches at 10 credits each.
Standard$90
per month for 1 million credits, billed monthly
50 concurrent requests and priority email support. Unused credits roll over from this plan up.
Pro$200
per month for 3 million credits, billed monthly
100 concurrent requests, priority email support and team support.
Premium$350
per month for 6 million credits, billed monthly
150 concurrent requests, with team support.
Business$500
per month for 9 million credits, billed monthly
200 concurrent requests, with team support.
Business Plus$1,000
per month for 19 million credits, billed monthly
250 concurrent requests. Plans continue up to Nova Pro at $30,000 a month for 1.1 billion credits.
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
Scrapingdog
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Scrapingdog prices annual billing at ten months for twelve on every plan, the equivalent of two months free.
SearchApi
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Scrapingdog or SearchApi?
As of Oct 23, 2026, they start at the same price. Scrapingdog starts at $40 per month for 200,000 credits, billed monthly, and SearchApi starts at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Scrapingdog or SearchApi?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither Scrapingdog nor SearchApi has a free plan. Both have 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.