What is the best SERP API for Google in 2026?
A good SERP API hands you Google's results page as clean JSON, at the price you budgeted.
Maybe you track rankings for 2,000 keywords, feed fresh search results to an AI agent, or watch competitor prices on Google Shopping. Either way you need a SERP API: a service that runs the Google search for you and returns the results page as structured JSON, while it deals with blocks, proxies and captchas.
The short answer. DataForSEO wins once volume matters: $0.60 per 1,000 result pages in the standard queue, from a prepaid balance that never expires. Bright Data gives you 5,000 free requests every month, then $1.50 per 1,000 pay as you go. SerpApi returns the richest data (AI Overviews, AI Mode, Maps, Shopping, Scholar, Bing, YouTube) and charges for it. Serper is the cheapest real-time option, as long as you burn your credits within 6 months. SearchApi doesn't bill failed requests.
Two things most lists skip. Google's own Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers and shuts down for everyone at the start of 2027. And since 2025 Google ignores num=100, so reading the top 100 now takes 10 requests. Every cost on this page accounts for both.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best SERP API for your project
$0.60 per 1,000 pages, balance never expires
Best free tier5,000 free requests every month
Richest dataAI Overviews, AI Mode, Maps, Scholar
Cheapest real-time$1 down to $0.30 per 1,000 queries
Failed calls are free$4 down to $1 per 1,000 requests
Tight budget, unrankedUnranked, see Other options
5 SERP APIs side by side
This ranking is for a developer, SEO agency or SaaS team pulling anywhere from 1,000 to several million Google result pages a month. Every ranked API publishes readable pricing for Google search specifically. Providers that only show a generic scraping price list, with no Google SERP rate, are left out: we don't compare a price we can't see.
| Best for | What sets it apart | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DataForSEO | Best overall | Prepaid balance, no expiry, no subscription | 4.5/5 | $0.60/1,000 pages | — | SEO agencies, rank trackers, high volume | Visit → |
| 2 | Bright Data | Best free tier | 5,000 free requests a month | 4.2/5 | $1.50/1,000 requests | ✓ | Data teams, AI agents, spiky volume | Visit → |
| 3 | SerpApi | Richest data | AI Overviews, AI Mode and dozens of engines | 4.1/5 | $25/mo (1,000 searches) | ✓ | Developers who need the whole page | Visit → |
| 4 | Serper | Cheapest real-time | 2,500 free queries, no card | 4.0/5 | $50 for 50,000 queries | ✓ | Prototypes, AI agents, Google only | Visit → |
| 5 | SearchApi | Failed calls are free | Failed requests not billed | 3.9/5 | $40/mo (10,000 requests) | — | Developers, mid volume | Visit → |
Scores use five weighted criteria, explained in the method. Prices taken in 2026 from each vendor's official pricing page, in US dollars, before tax.
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How we compared and rated
This page is for people who read Google results from code: a rank tracker, an SEO dashboard, a price monitor, or an AI agent that needs fresh results before it answers. It doesn't cover full SEO suites that show rankings in their own dashboard. If you don't write code, our list of rank tracking software is the better fit.
The core criterion is the real cost of 1,000 Google searches, read off each vendor's official pricing page. It carries 40% of the score. The price lists don't compare directly: one sells a monthly plan, another sells credit packs that expire, a third runs on a prepaid balance. We converted everything to the same unit, price per 1,000 requests, then worked out the monthly bill at 10,000 and 100,000 requests.
Billing model and free tier weigh 15%, because a 6-month credit expiry or a minimum deposit changes the math on a small project. Data depth weighs 20%: AI Overviews (the AI summary Google shows at the top), local pack, Shopping, other engines. Response time weighs 10%: instant answer or a queue that takes minutes. User feedback and support weigh 15%.
We read reviews starting with the bad ones. SerpApi holds 4.9/5 from 106 Trustpilot reviews, with support praised again and again. DataForSEO holds 4.5/5 from 70 reviews: people like pay-as-you-go pricing and dislike the $50 minimum deposit. Bright Data holds 4.3/5 from 1,036 reviews, which cover the whole platform rather than the SERP API. Serper's Trustpilot page has only six reviews, too few for a rating, and the main complaint is credits lost at expiry.
- Price per 1,000 searchesReal cost of 1,000 Google searches on the official price list, at low and high volume.40%
- Billing model and free tierSubscription, expiring credits or prepaid balance, minimum deposit, free requests, failed calls billed or not.15%
- Data depthAI Overviews, AI Mode, local pack, Shopping, Maps, engines beyond Google.20%
- Response timeInstant answer or queue, and paid options to go faster.10%
- User feedback and supportPublic reviews, recurring complaints, docs and support quality.15%
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
SERP API pricing changes several times a year. Get the updates
DataForSEO
DataForSEO is the cheapest API on this list once volume climbs. You top up a balance, and each page of 10 Google results takes a fraction of a cent. No subscription, no credits with an expiry date. The minimum deposit is $50, and you get a $1 trial credit plus a free sandbox to wire up your code before you pay.
Price depends on how fast you want the answer. Standard queue: $0.0006 a page, $0.60 per 1,000, around 5 minutes on average. Priority: $1.20 per 1,000, about a minute. Live: $2 per 1,000, 6 seconds or less. Even live, it undercuts most of the field.
On data, it covers organic results, AI Overview and Google AI Mode, the last one at $0.0012 a page. Several settings multiply the base price: going deeper than 10 results, pulling AI Overviews asynchronously, or expanding People Also Ask. Read the docs before you set a budget.
The catch: the queue means two-step code (post the task, come back for the result). That's more work than a single call. Reviewers also say finding the right doc page takes time, and docs and support are English only. One customer found the $50 deposit steep for a side project.
Tip: for daily rank tracking, the standard queue is enough. Queue your tasks overnight, read results in the morning, and pay about a third of the live price. Working no-code? Our guide to the DataForSEO SERP API in Make shows the setup.
- $0.60 per 1,000 pages, standard queue
- Prepaid balance with no expiry
- Free sandbox for development
- ✓Lowest price on the list
- ✓No subscription or commitment
- ✓Three speed tiers
- ✗$50 minimum deposit
- ✗Queue logic takes more code
- ✗Docs take time to navigate
The first pick for a rank tracker or an agency running serious volume. If you want instant answers without writing queue logic, look at Serper or SerpApi.
Bright Data
Bright Data is first a proxy and web data company, and its SERP API is one piece of a large platform. It has the biggest free tier on this list: 5,000 requests a month, no credit card. That's enough to prototype an agent or check a few hundred keywords every week.
Past that, you pay $1.50 per 1,000 requests, and only successful requests are billed. You can set a spending cap, which saves you from a runaway loop. The Scale plan costs $499 a month for 380,000 requests, then $1.30 per 1,000.
Platform reviews praise fast support and billing only for delivered results. Complaints target the support bot, compliance holds and minimum spends for small accounts. Our full Bright Data review also flags silent failures. Identity checks (KYC) apply to residential proxies, not the SERP API.
The catch: the dashboard is crowded. You sign up to a platform with dozens of products and have to find the right zone before your first call. For one SERP API, that's heavier than Serper or SerpApi.
Tip: set the spending cap on day one, just above your free quota. You'll see your real usage before you commit to Scale.
- 5,000 free requests a month
- Only successful requests billed
- Adjustable spending cap
- ✓Free quota that resets monthly
- ✓Pay as you go, no subscription
- ✓Same account for the rest of your scraping
- ✗Busy dashboard for a single API
- ✗Reviews cover the whole platform
- ✗Support bot draws complaints
The best starting point on a zero budget, and a solid pick if you already scrape other sites with Bright Data. For one simple API, Serper plugs in faster.
SerpApi
SerpApi is the long-standing default, and the most complete. One key covers Google (web results, AI Overview, AI Mode via engine=google_ai_mode, Maps, Shopping, Scholar) plus Bing, YouTube and more. Every call returns detailed JSON, block by block, in real time. If your product needs everything on the page, nothing else comes close.
Price is the weak spot. The free plan gives 250 searches a month. Then it's $25 for 1,000, $75 for 5,000 ($15 per 1,000), $150 for 15,000, up to $725 for 100,000. Cloud plans drop to $3.75 per 1,000 at a million searches. Monthly, no commitment, no annual discount listed.
Feedback is the best on the list: 4.9/5 on Trustpilot, support called first class, quick to get running. We found no negative review on the first page.
The catch: legal risk. Google sued SerpApi in late 2025, alleging it circumvented Google's anti-bot protections. In 2026, the federal court dismissed most of Google's claims while letting Google amend part of them, so the case may not be over. Reddit also sued SerpApi and other providers in late 2025.
Tip: start on the free plan and check which fields you actually use. If you only need the 10 organic links, you're paying SerpApi for data you throw away.
- Google AI Overview and AI Mode
- Bing, YouTube, Maps, Scholar and more
- 4.9/5 from 106 Trustpilot reviews
- ✓Most detailed JSON on the market
- ✓Real-time answers, easy to code
- ✓Top-rated support
- ✗$15 per 1,000 searches on Developer
- ✗Google lawsuit, outcome uncertain
- ✗No annual discount listed
The right call when data depth matters more than price. For high-volume rank tracking, you'd pay ten times what DataForSEO charges.
Serper
Serper does one thing: real-time Google search, cheap. You buy a credit pack and each query uses one credit. The first pack is $50 for 50,000 queries, $1 per 1,000. It drops with volume: $0.75 on the $375 pack, $0.50 at $1,250, $0.30 on the largest. You get 2,500 free queries to start, no card needed.
It's a favorite with AI agent builders: a simple call, an instant answer, a low entry price. Comparison write-ups describe it as fast and cheap.
Two catches. Serper covers Google only: no Bing, no YouTube. And your credits expire after 6 months. That's the main complaint on its Trustpilot page, where one customer says they lost about $1,000 worth. The page has only six reviews, so treat it as a signal, not a verdict. One review also questions result quality.
Tip: don't buy the big pack for the unit price. Estimate six months of usage and buy the pack closest to it. A 500,000 pack half used works out to $1.50 per 1,000, pricier than Bright Data.
- $1 per 1,000 queries from $50
- 2,500 free queries, no card
- Real-time answers
- ✓Cheapest real-time API here
- ✓Dead simple to call
- ✓No subscription
- ✗Credits valid 6 months only
- ✗Google only
- ✗Very few public reviews
Hard to beat for wiring Google into an AI agent on a budget. Size your packs to real usage, or expiry eats the savings.
SearchApi
SearchApi sits between SerpApi and Serper. Like SerpApi, it covers several search engines, not just Google. Like Serper, it aims low on price. Developer gives you 10,000 requests for $40 a month, $4 per 1,000. That drops to $2.86 on Production, $2.50 on BigData, $2 on Scale, and $1 per 1,000 on the 5-million Octo plan.
Its most concrete selling point: failed requests aren't billed. When Google blocks or errors out, you don't pay. On a fixed monthly quota, that's requests you keep.
The catch: the free tier is 100 requests at sign-up, with no monthly allowance. We also found little public user feedback, which drags its score. At 10,000 requests a month it costs four times what Serper does.
Tip: plans bill monthly. Pick the tier just above last month's real usage instead of buying for growth you haven't seen yet.
- Failed requests not billed
- Several search engines
- $1 per 1,000 at the top tier
- ✓Cheaper than SerpApi at equal volume
- ✓Clear volume discounts
- ✓Monthly, no commitment
- ✗Only 100 free requests
- ✗Few public reviews
- ✗Pricier than Serper at low volume
A sound SerpApi alternative if you want several engines without the premium price. Just ask yourself whether you need anything beyond Google.
What a SERP API really costs per month
Subscription, credits or prepaid balance: here's what 10,000 and then 100,000 Google searches a month cost at official prices, in US dollars before tax. Remember: since 2025, the top 100 for one keyword takes 10 requests.
At 10,000 searches a month
DataForSEO: $6 in the standard queue, $20 live (on a $50 minimum deposit). Serper: about $10 a month with the $50 pack, used up over 5 months. Bright Data: $15 pay as you go. SearchApi: $40 on Developer. SerpApi: $150 on Production, since Developer stops at 5,000. That's a 25x spread.
At 100,000 searches a month
DataForSEO: $60 standard, $200 live. Serper: about $75 a month with the $375 pack, used up over 5 months. Bright Data: $150 pay as you go. SearchApi: $250 on BigData. SerpApi: $725 on Searcher. At this volume, the billing model matters as much as the sticker price.
What rank tracking costs
Tracking 1,000 keywords daily on the top 10 means 30,000 requests a month. On the top 100 it's 300,000, because Google now returns 10 results per request. DataForSEO bills depth in blocks of 10 results. Ask yourself whether you really need positions 11 to 100.
- Is the price per search, per page of 10 results, or per credit?
- Do credits expire, and when?
- Are failed requests billed?
- Is there a minimum deposit or a monthly plan?
- Do AI Overviews and other blocks cost extra?
- Do you need an instant answer, or will a few-minute queue do?
Other options worth knowing
These come up in every search. They're not ranked because they're going away, serve a different use, or don't publish a Google SERP price. Here's when they're worth a look.
Google Custom Search JSON API: closed to new customers
Ends 2027Google's Custom Search JSON API no longer takes new customers and shuts down for existing ones at the start of 2027. Until then: 100 free queries a day, then $5 per 1,000, capped at 10,000 a day. Google points to Vertex AI Search, limited to 50 domains; for the whole web, you have to contact Google. If your code depends on it, plan the move now.
- Price
- $5 per 1,000 after 100 a day
- Status
- Closed to new customers
Scrapingdog: credits for small budgets
BudgetScrapingdog sells credits that work across its APIs. A light Google search costs 5 credits, an advanced one 10. The $40 Lite plan gives 200,000 credits, about 40,000 light searches ($1 per 1,000) or 20,000 advanced ($2 per 1,000). You get 100 credits to try it. Handy if the same account also scrapes other sites.
- Price
- Lite $40 for 200,000 credits
- Best for
- Small, mixed workloads
Serpstack: simple, pricey at volume
SimpleSerpstack, from apilayer, gives 100 searches a month for non-commercial use only. Basic is $29.99 for 5,000 searches ($26.99 billed yearly), Business $99.99 for 20,000, Business Pro $199.99 for 50,000. At $4 per 1,000 at best, it can't match the ranked APIs.
- Price
- From $29.99 for 5,000 searches
- Free plan
- Non-commercial only
Oxylabs and Decodo: no Google-specific price list
No SERP pricingBoth proxy providers sell scraping APIs that handle Google. But their pricing pages show a generic scraping price list with no rate for Google results. We don't rank them. Oxylabs is also among the providers named in Reddit's lawsuit. To compare, ask for a written price per 1,000 Google searches.
- Price
- Generic list, confirm first
- Best for
- Teams already on their proxies
Apify: a marketplace of ready-made scrapers
MarketplaceApify isn't a single-price SERP API. It's a marketplace where developers sell scrapers, several of them for Google, each with its own price. Useful if you want results without code, or you combine Google with other sources. Our Apify vs Bright Data comparison explains the difference.
- Price
- Depends on the scraper
- Best for
- No code, many sources
What blows up a SERP API bill
These mistakes show up again and again in reviews and developer threads. None of them is visible on the pricing page.
Assuming one request reads the top 100
VolumeFor years you added num=100 to get 100 results in one call. Google stopped honoring it in 2025: now it's 10 requests of 10 results. Your top-100 tracking budget just grew tenfold. DataForSEO now bills depth in blocks of 10 results.
- Impact
- 10 requests for 100 results
Overbuying credits that expire
PriceSerper packs last 6 months. The big pack's unit price is tempting, but what you don't use is gone. DataForSEO keeps your balance with no time limit. Always compare the price per request you actually use, not per request you bought.
- No expiry
- DataForSEO balance
Missing the settings that multiply cost
PriceOn DataForSEO, asking for more than 10 results, async AI Overviews or expanded People Also Ask multiplies the base price. Run a small batch with your real parameters and check the exact charge before you send the full list.
- Check
- Cost with your parameters
Building a product on a non-commercial free tier
LicenseSerpstack's 100 free searches are for non-commercial use. SerpApi's 250 and Bright Data's 5,000 are for trying things out, not running a product. The day your tool has customers, budget the paid plan from the start.
- Check
- Free tier terms
Ignoring legal risk
RiskReading Google without going through Google is still a gray area. Google sued SerpApi in late 2025; in 2026 the court dismissed most claims, but part can be refiled. Reddit is going after several providers too. For a critical product, keep your code provider-agnostic: switching APIs should take a day, not a month.
- Advice
- An abstraction layer in your code
Pay less for Google results without losing quality
A few simple habits that change the bill, whichever API you pick.
Match speed to the job
PriceAn AI agent answering a user needs results in seconds. Daily rank tracking doesn't. On DataForSEO, the standard queue costs $0.60 per 1,000 against $2 live. Split the two workloads and only pay for speed where it matters.
- Savings
- Over 3x cheaper
Prototype on free quotas
FreeSerper gives 2,500 queries, Bright Data 5,000 a month, SerpApi 250 a month, and DataForSEO a free sandbox. That's enough to compare each API's JSON on your own keywords before you spend a cent.
- Free combined
- Over 7,500 requests
Never pay twice for the same search
VolumeStore every response with a timestamp. If your agent asks the same question ten times a day, one request covers it. For rank tracking, check stable keywords less often: weekly is plenty for terms that don't move.
- Gain
- Fewer billed requests
Set a spending cap
SafetyOne bad loop can fire thousands of requests overnight. Bright Data lets you set a spending cap; with DataForSEO, the prepaid balance does the same job. On a subscription, watch your quota closely the first week.
- Protection
- Cap or prepaid balance
Wiring a SERP API into an AI agent or an n8n workflow? Get our next automation guides
Keep going
These pages pick up where this one stops, on SEO and data collection.
Your questions about SERP APIs
What is a SERP API?
It's a service that runs a Google search for you and returns the results page as structured data: links, titles, positions, ads, local pack. You skip proxies and captchas and pay per request.
What is the cheapest SERP API?
DataForSEO, at $0.60 per 1,000 result pages in the standard queue, with a $50 minimum deposit. For instant answers, Serper drops to $0.30 per 1,000 on its biggest pack, but credits expire after 6 months.
Is there a free SERP API?
Yes, for small volumes. Bright Data gives 5,000 requests a month, Serper 2,500 at sign-up, SerpApi 250 a month. Google's own API offers 100 queries a day but no longer accepts new customers.
Serper vs SerpApi: which should you pick?
Serper if you only need Google web results, fast and cheap: $1 per 1,000 against $15 on SerpApi's Developer plan. SerpApi if you need AI Overviews, AI Mode, Maps, Scholar or other engines in the same JSON.
What replaces the Google Custom Search JSON API?
A third-party SERP API from this list. Google's own successor, Vertex AI Search, is limited to 50 domains; for the whole web you have to contact Google. Serper (2,500 free queries, no card) or Bright Data (5,000 free a month) let you migrate before paying anything.
Is using a SERP API legal?
Using one isn't prohibited, but the area is disputed. Google sued SerpApi in late 2025, and a US federal court dismissed most of its claims in 2026 without closing the case. For anything critical, make sure you can switch providers fast.
Which SERP API returns Google AI Overviews?
SerpApi returns AI Overview and AI Mode. DataForSEO covers both as well, AI Mode at $0.0012 a page; async AI Overviews cost more than a plain page. Check the field on your own keywords before you commit.
How many requests does it take to track 100 positions?
Ten. Since 2025 Google no longer returns 100 results in one request, so you paginate by 10. For 500 keywords checked daily on the top 100, plan for 150,000 requests a month.
Can I connect a SERP API to an AI agent?
Yes. Every ranked API is a plain HTTP call with your key, so it works from n8n, Make or your own code. To pick the agent itself, see our AI agents ranking. DataForSEO reviewers also mention using it from AI agents over MCP, the protocol that connects an AI assistant to outside tools.