SearchApi vs Zenserp (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SearchApi grades higher than Zenserp: 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
Zenserp
SERP API for Google, Bing, Yandex and DuckDuckGo with monthly plans
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 Zenserp if
- Fits if you need Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo results from one key on a fixed monthly quota
- Works for small tests that fit in 50 free Google searches a month
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Free, with 50 searches a month and Google Search only
- Pricey if you need batches, keyword volume or AI answer engines, which start at $149.99 a month
- Watch out: each AI Overview request uses 3 searches from your allowance
- Skip it if you need over 1 million searches a month without a sales quote
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASearchApiFair | 2.0GPAZenserpFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CSmall is $49.99 a month for 25,000 searches, $2 per 1,000, at the dear end of this category's usual range. AI answer engines, keyword volume and the batch endpoint wait for Medium at $149.99. |
| 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 50 searches a month, Google Search only. Other engines, result types and AI Overviews all need a paid plan. |
| 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 with images, maps, news, shopping and trends, plus Bing, Yandex, DuckDuckGo and AI Overviews on paid plans. The gaps are in the listing: no batch endpoint, AI answer engines or keyword volume below $149.99 a month. |
| 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: JSON or Markdown back, and usage emails at 90% and 100%. No rating on record, and no client libraries named. |
| 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 plus Bing and DuckDuckGo on a monthly plan |
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 Zenserp. 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. Zenserp starts at $49.99 a month and scores 2.0.
SearchApi scores higher and starts $9.99 a month lower. Of the other SERP and SEO data APIs on the chart, none scores higher than SearchApi for less, and 16 score higher than Zenserp 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 | Zenserp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly | $49.99 per month for 25,000 searches, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 50 searches a month of Google Search only, with email support. Other engines, result types and AI Overviews need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | 100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | SearchApi, LLC | Apilayer Data Products GmbH |
| Price read from | searchapi.io | zenserp.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.
Zenserp
- The free plan's 50 searches cover Google Search only.
- Each AI Overview request uses 3 searches from the allowance.
- AI answer engines, keyword volume, the batch endpoint and the SLA start at Medium for $149.99 a month.
- Above 1 million searches a month is quoted by 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.
Zenserp
- Google result types
- Web results with ads and snippets, plus image, maps, news, shopping, trends, reverse image and YouTube searches, with geolocated results.
- Other search engines
- Bing, Yandex and DuckDuckGo results on every paid plan.
- AI Overviews and answer engines
- Google AI Overviews with citations on paid plans, at 3 searches each, and answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok and Copilot from Medium up.
- Keyword volume and CPC
- Search volume and cost-per-click data come with the Medium plan and above.
- Batch endpoint
- Send many queries in one batch from the Medium plan; Premium and Enterprise add a custom queue.
- Only successful requests billed
- Invalid or failed requests do not count against the monthly limit, and email alerts go out at 90% and 100% of usage.
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.
Zenserp
Free$0
50 Google searches a month.
Small$49.99
per month for 25,000 searches, billed monthly
$2.00 per 1,000. Bing, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, images, news, maps, shopping, trends, video, hotels, flights, jobs, Markdown and AI Overviews.
Medium$149.99
per month for 100,000 searches, billed monthly
$1.50 per 1,000. Adds the batch endpoint, keyword volume and CPC, AI answer engines, personal support, onboarding and an SLA.
Large$299.99
per month for 250,000 searches, billed monthly
$1.20 per 1,000, with everything in Medium.
Premium$499.99
per month for 500,000 searches, billed monthly
$1.00 per 1,000, plus a custom queue.
Enterprise$899
per month for 1,000,000 searches, billed monthly
$0.90 per 1,000, plus priority support. Above 1 million searches a month is a custom quote.
Ways to pay less
SearchApi
No public discounts listed.
Zenserp
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Zenserp's pricing page offers a 20% discount on a yearly subscription compared with paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SearchApi or Zenserp?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SearchApi is cheaper to start with: $40 a month, against $49.99 a month for Zenserp. SearchApi starts at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly, and Zenserp starts at $49.99 per month for 25,000 searches, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, SearchApi or Zenserp?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Zenserp 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.