Skip to content
ToolGPA

The SearchApi Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about SearchApi in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

Download the PDF
Pass it onEmailLinkedInXWhatsApp
ToolGPAOctober 2026

SearchApi

The Insider’s Guide

Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites

SearchApi, as pictured on searchapi.io

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SERP and SEO data APIs, read from SearchApi’s own pages.

Made by SearchApi, LLC · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.4GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from SearchApi’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on SearchApi’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.4

GPA, above 16 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade

SearchApi is a real-time scraping API that returns search results as JSON. It covers Google Search and its AI Overview, AI Mode, Maps, Shopping, Flights and other verticals, AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Bing Copilot, and sites from Bing and YouTube to Amazon, TikTok and ad libraries. Monthly plans include a set number of searches, and only successful ones are charged.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about SearchApi, taken from its own pages and our grades.

Judged on how fast a developer gets a first result: plain GET requests, with examples in Python, Node, Ruby, Java, Go, PHP and C#.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for Google and AI answer engines from one API

    SearchApi covers Google and its AI features, answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and sites from Bing to the TikTok ad library, charging only for successful searches.

  2. 2

    Paid plans start at $40 a month

    As its pricing page puts it: $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.

  3. 3

    You can try it first

    100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required

  4. 4

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  5. 5

    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.

  6. 6

    AI answer engines

    Endpoints for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Bing Copilot answers alongside the Google AI features.

  7. 7

    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.

  8. 8

    A 2.4 GPA, above 16 of 38

    That is against the other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  9. 9

    Keep it

    To replace SearchApi you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

SearchApi at a glance

Pricing
Free trial, from $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly
Free plan
No
Free trial
100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required
Runs on
Web
Made by
SearchApi, LLC
Category
SERP & SEO Data APIs
Our grade
2.4 GPA, fair

The report card

Best for Google and AI answer engines from one API

SearchApi covers Google and its AI features, answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and sites from Bing to the TikTok ad library, charging only for successful searches. The cheapest plan is $40 a month, any one hour can use only 20% of it, and the legal guarantee and team tools wait for the $100 plan.

ToolGPA report cardSearchApiGraded Oct 23, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCDeveloper 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 trialCNo free plan: 100 free requests on sign-up with no card, and then you're paying.
FeaturesBGoogle 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 useCJudged 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 integrationsBWeb, 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.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who SearchApi is for

  • 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

Who it is not for

  • 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

Good to know

Good for

  • Developers who need Google results and AI engine answers from one API
  • Teams tracking ads across Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Reddit and TikTok libraries
  • Monthly workloads from 10,000 to millions of searches

Worth knowing

  • 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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$40

A month to start

SearchApi is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.

  • 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.

Trying it first

100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required

Read from searchapi.io on Oct 23, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Web

Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, sERP API.

Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job.
From our grade for features
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.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • MCP

SearchApi is made by SearchApi, LLC.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

16/38

Other SERP and SEO data APIs it is graded above

SearchApi's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 16 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 14.

It stands best on features (B, above 26 of 38) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).

Its paid plans start at $40 a month, against a middle price of $29.49 for the category: 16 of the 25 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 39 SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, cut by the letter each got. SearchApi’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 38
  • CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 38
  • BFeaturesAbove 26 of 38
  • CEase of useAbove 0 of 38
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 9 of 38

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 26 SERP and SEO data APIs. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. SearchApi is the marked dot.

C2.0B3.0A4.0$2$5$10$20$50$100$200$500More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessSearchApiSerpBaseApifyZenserpScrape.do

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace SearchApi you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It costs $480 a year.

What you could not

  • Search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.
  • It plugs into other products, MCP among them, and has an API.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. SearchApi’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

SerpApi, Serper, DataForSEO, Scrapingdog and Brave Search API

The 5 tools SearchApi is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

13

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is SearchApi free?

No, SearchApi is a paid product, but you can try it first. 100 free requests on sign-up, no credit card required.

How much does SearchApi cost?

SearchApi lists 6 plans. Developer Plan: $40 per month for 10,000 searches, billed monthly.

What platforms does SearchApi work on?

SearchApi is available on Web.

Does SearchApi have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. SearchApi is listed for Web.

Does SearchApi have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. SearchApi is listed for Web.

Is SearchApi open source?

SearchApi is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.

Does SearchApi have an API?

Yes. SearchApi offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does SearchApi integrate with?

SearchApi's listing names MCP. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes SearchApi?

SearchApi is made by SearchApi, LLC.

What are the alternatives to SearchApi?

The closest alternatives to SearchApi in our directory are SerpApi, Serper, DataForSEO, Scrapingdog and Brave Search API.

How does SearchApi compare with other SERP and SEO data APIs?

SearchApi's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 16 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 14.

Is SearchApi good value for money?

ToolGPA grades SearchApi C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $40 a month, against a middle price of $29.49 for the category: 16 of the 25 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of SearchApi?

To replace SearchApi you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from SearchApi’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SearchApi's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by SearchApi, LLC. Prices change, so check searchapi.io before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "SearchApi: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/searchapi

Know someone choosing between SERP and SEO data APIs?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/searchapi/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded SERP and SEO data APIs after SearchApi, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what SearchApi’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. SearchApi is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by SearchApi, LLC. Prices and plans change: check searchapi.io before you buy.