SearchApi review
A search results API that extracts live Google, Bing, and other engine pages as structured JSON.
A search results API that extracts live Google, Bing, and other engine pages as structured JSON.
Reviewed by
Vincent Edes · Founder & reviewer
Last reviewed Oct 23, 2026
The SearchApi homepage leads with live Google results as JSON, pay-for-success billing, and 100 free requests.
SearchApi is a real-time SERP extraction API by SearchApi, LLC in New York, available at searchapi.io. Instead of scraping arbitrary websites, it focuses on search engine results pages. You send a single GET request with an engine name and query to get structured JSON back. It fits keyword rank trackers, SEO platforms, and competitor monitoring tools that need fresh search data without managing proxy pools. Skip it when you need a regular website crawled into Markdown.
The Google endpoint parses organic links, sponsored ads, local maps, news, jobs, shopping, and AI Overviews. The same API key also covers engines like Bing, Baidu, YouTube, and Amazon. Each response includes the parsed JSON plus a stored copy of the raw HTML for verification. What it does not do is follow recursive links or format pages for LLMs. If you need whole-site crawling or Markdown, Firecrawl is the right tool.
SearchApi's core strengths are reliability, speed, and responsive customer service. Paid plans include a published 99.9% uptime SLA, sub-2 second response times, and automatic retries across a 100M+ proxy pool. You only pay for searches that return HTTP 200, so failed requests cost nothing. Customer support is directly reachable at support@searchapi.io, and high-volume tiers add priority support. On their pricing page, Developer starts at $40 a month for 10,000 searches ($4 per 1,000). Production is $100 for 35,000 searches and adds team management plus a $2 million legal protection guarantee. Scale is $500 for 250,000 searches, while Octo plans run from $900 for 500,000 to $5,000 for 5 million searches ($1 per 1,000). New signups get 100 free requests to test with no credit card, though there is no recurring monthly free tier. Hourly use is also capped at 20 percent of your monthly credits.
The Google docs include parameter guides, a public playground on the homepage, and code snippets in cURL, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, and C#. There is also an official MCP integration for Claude and Cursor, though they do not provide official installable SDK packages.
Choose SearchApi when you need reliable, fast search engine results delivered as structured JSON. For site crawls and Markdown extraction, pick Firecrawl or Context.dev. For scraping, search, and screenshot tools on one credit balance, see Geekflare, or read our guide to the best web scraping APIs.
What's included with SearchApi
- Real-time JSON for Google, Bing, YouTube, and Amazon
- Pay only for searches that return an HTTP 200
- Published 99.9% uptime SLA with sub-2 second average response times
- Parsed JSON plus stored raw HTML for response verification
- Direct customer support, MCP integration, and code samples in seven languages
Our review
SearchApi pros and cons
Pros
- Only HTTP 200 searches are billed
- Published 99.9% SLA on paid plans
- Sub-2 second average response times
- Structured JSON for Google, Bing, and Amazon
- Direct customer support and MCP integration
Cons
- No website crawling or Markdown extraction
- Paid plans start at $40 a month
- Free tier is 100 one-time requests
- Hourly usage capped at 20% of credits
Best for
SEO platforms and rank-tracking teams that need live search results rather than a site crawl.
Skip if
You need arbitrary websites crawled into Markdown for AI pipelines, or you want a recurring monthly free tier instead of a 100-request test allowance.
Score breakdown
- Features: 4.4 out of 5
- SearchApi covers live search pages across Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, and other engines, including organic links, ads, maps, shopping, jobs, and AI Overviews. It does not crawl regular websites or output Markdown, so its capabilities are deep for search results but narrow for general web scraping.
- Reliability: 4.8 out of 5
- Paid tiers include a published 99.9% uptime SLA, and you are only billed for searches that return HTTP 200. The provider also states sub-2 second average response times, automatic retries, and a 100M+ proxy pool. This rating reflects those published terms. We did not run an independent load test.
- Value: 3.9 out of 5
- The Developer tier costs $40 a month for 10,000 searches ($4 per 1,000), and the free tier is a one-time 100-request test rather than a monthly allowance. High-volume plans drop to $1 per 1,000 searches at 5 million requests, but hourly throughput is restricted to 20 percent of your monthly credit quota.
- Docs & SDKs: 4.6 out of 5
- Each supported engine has a clear parameter reference, an OpenAPI download, and code samples in Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, C#, and cURL. There is a live playground on the homepage and an official MCP guide, though they do not offer official installable SDK packages.
- Ease of use: 4.8 out of 5
- Sending a single GET request with an engine name and search query returns structured JSON, making it straightforward to plug into rank trackers or monitoring scripts. Teams that need a URL converted into clean Markdown still require a dedicated scraper.
SearchApi covers live search pages across Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, and other engines, including organic links, ads, maps, shopping, jobs, and AI Overviews. It does not crawl regular websites or output Markdown, so its capabilities are deep for search results but narrow for general web scraping.
Paid tiers include a published 99.9% uptime SLA, and you are only billed for searches that return HTTP 200. The provider also states sub-2 second average response times, automatic retries, and a 100M+ proxy pool. This rating reflects those published terms. We did not run an independent load test.
The Developer tier costs $40 a month for 10,000 searches ($4 per 1,000), and the free tier is a one-time 100-request test rather than a monthly allowance. High-volume plans drop to $1 per 1,000 searches at 5 million requests, but hourly throughput is restricted to 20 percent of your monthly credit quota.
Each supported engine has a clear parameter reference, an OpenAPI download, and code samples in Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, C#, and cURL. There is a live playground on the homepage and an official MCP guide, though they do not offer official installable SDK packages.
Sending a single GET request with an engine name and search query returns structured JSON, making it straightforward to plug into rank trackers or monitoring scripts. Teams that need a URL converted into clean Markdown still require a dedicated scraper.
Pricing
Free
Free
One-time · 100 requests to start, with no credit card. The pricing page does not describe this as a monthly plan.
- 100 free requests
- No credit card required
- Same JSON search endpoint
Price last checked: October 23, 2026
Documentation
Alternative web scraping APIs
If SearchApi is not the right fit, these are the closest alternatives based on pricing, features, and use case.
Firecrawl
Best for AI agentsChoose Firecrawl if you need full websites turned into Markdown, with automated crawling and a dedicated AI agent API.
ScraperAPI
Choose ScraperAPI if you need raw HTML from protected websites and can work with per-domain credit multipliers.
Geekflare
Best multi-tool APIChoose Geekflare if you want scraping, live search, and screenshot tools on a single credit balance with lower entry pricing.
Related articles & comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What does SearchApi return?
A single GET request returns structured JSON for a live search results page. On Google, that includes organic links, ads, local maps, news, shopping, jobs, and AI Overviews. Each response also stores a raw HTML copy of the results page for verification. It does not extract Markdown from standard websites.
How much does SearchApi cost?
Developer is $40 a month for 10,000 searches ($4 per 1,000). Production is $100 for 35,000 searches, BigData is $250 for 100,000, and Scale is $500 for 250,000. High-volume Octo plans run from $900 a month for 500,000 searches up to $5,000 for 5 million searches ($1 per 1,000). Only successful searches that return HTTP 200 are billed.
Is there a free SearchApi plan?
New accounts receive 100 free requests to test the API with no credit card required. This is a one-time starting allowance rather than a recurring monthly plan. Once those requests are used, you need an active paid subscription starting at $40 a month.
How does SearchApi compare to Firecrawl?
Firecrawl crawls entire websites, follows links, and extracts clean Markdown for AI context. SearchApi focuses strictly on parsing live search engine results pages into structured JSON, including local packs, ads, and rich snippets. Use SearchApi for rank tracking and SERP monitoring. Use Firecrawl when you need to convert target website URLs into clean text.
Sources & research
Claims in our review are checked against primary sources, changelogs, official documentation, and founder updates.