SearchApi vs serpstack (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SearchApi grades higher than serpstack: 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.
SearchApi
Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites
serpstack
Google search results API from apilayer, with monthly search quotas
Which one is for you
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
Pick serpstack if
- Fits if you already use other apilayer APIs and want Google results on the same account
- Works for non-commercial projects that fit in 100 free searches a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Bing or any engine other than Google
- Watch out: checkout pre-selects Platinum Support, which the FAQ prices from $479.88 a year
- Watch out: going over the quota bills each extra search, from $0.023992 on Basic, rather than stopping
- Not for you if your free project is commercial, since the free plan rules that out
- Tight if you want yearly billing later, as switching from monthly needs a request to sales
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASearchApiFair | 2.0GPAserpstackFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CBasic is $26.99 a month on yearly billing ($29.99 monthly) for 5,000 searches, about $5.40 per 1,000, so the low entry buys fewer searches than most rivals give. Each search past the quota is about $0.024. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan: 100 free requests on sign-up with no card, and then you're paying. | CA free plan for good, but 100 searches a month, non-commercial use only, JSON only and no support. |
| Features | 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. | CGoogle web, image, video, news and shopping results with ads and related questions, by device and down to the city. It covers Google only: the plans list just the Google Search API. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: plain HTTP GET calls returning JSON or CSV, with alerts at 75%, 90% and 100% of the quota. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CWeb only, with a REST API and no client libraries or integrations named in the listing. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | Google and AI answer engines from one API | Google results on a fixed monthly quota |
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: SearchApi and serpstack. How we grade
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. serpstack starts at $26.99 a month and scores 2.0.
SearchApi scores higher, and starts $13.01 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, none scores higher than SearchApi for less, and 9 score higher than serpstack 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
| SearchApi | serpstack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly | $26.99 per month for 5,000 searches, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 100 searches a month for non-commercial use, JSON output only and no support. |
| Free trial | 100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | SearchApi, LLC | apilayer |
| Price read from | searchapi.io | serpstack.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
serpstack
- The free plan is for non-commercial use only, with JSON output and no support.
- Going over the quota is billed per extra search, from $0.023992 each on Basic, rather than cut off.
- Checkout pre-selects an optional Platinum Support add-on billed yearly, which the FAQ prices from $479.88 a year.
- The plans list only the Google Search API; switching from monthly to yearly billing needs a request to sales.
Key features
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.
serpstack
- Google result types
- Web, image, video, news and shopping results, sponsored ads, related questions, maps and answers from a full Google results page.
- Devices and locations
- Results as seen on mobile, tablet or desktop, from any city, region or country.
- JSON or CSV
- Requests are plain HTTP GET calls; paid plans can return CSV as well as JSON.
- Errors not counted
- Each lookup uses one request from the quota, and API errors do not count toward it.
- Usage alerts and overages
- Email and dashboard alerts at 75%, 90% and 100% of the monthly quota; after that, extra searches are billed per call instead of being blocked.
Plans
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.
serpstack
Free$0
100 searches a month, non-commercial use only, JSON only, no support.
Basic$26.99
per month for 5,000 searches, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
Commercial use, JSON and CSV, no rate limit and standard support. Extra searches cost $0.023992 each.
Business$87.99
per month for 20,000 searches, billed yearly ($99.99 billed monthly)
The same features as Basic with a larger quota. Extra searches cost $0.019998 each.
Business Pro$169.99
per month for 50,000 searches, billed yearly ($199.99 billed monthly)
The same features with 50,000 searches. Extra searches cost $0.0159992 each.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume searches, a custom SLA and custom solutions, quoted on request.
Ways to pay less
SearchApi
No public discounts listed.
serpstack
- Annual discount
Up to 15% off with yearly billing
serpstack's FAQ says annual billing costs up to 15% less; Business Pro is $169.99 a month billed yearly against $199.99 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SearchApi or serpstack?
As of Oct 23, 2026, serpstack is cheaper to start with: $26.99 a month, against $40 a month for SearchApi. SearchApi starts at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly, and serpstack starts at $26.99 per month for 5,000 searches, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, SearchApi or serpstack?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only serpstack 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.