Editing Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e


{{DISPLAYTITLE:Cheapest Web Search APIs}}

''This conversation was exported from ChatGPT''<ref>{{cite web|title=Cheapest Web Search APIs|url=https://chatgpt.com/share/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e|publisher=ChatGPT|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

== gpt-5-2 ==
=== User: Cheapest web search api 2026 ===
Cheapest web search api 2026

=== Assistant: Here are the most cost-effective web search APIs available in 2026 if your priority is lowest price per query, along wi… ===
Here are the most cost-effective web search APIs available in 2026 if your priority is lowest price per query, along with typical costs and when they make sense for your project: Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

==== 🏷️ Top Cheapest Web Search API Options ====

===== 🥇 Keirolabs =====
* Effective cost: ~$0.02–$0.30 per 1,000 searches (with caching and batch)
* Pricing: Plans ~ $5.99 / $14.99 / $24.99 monthly
* Best for: AI agents & repetitive queries where cache hits are high
* Notes: Very low effective cost if cache usage is significant. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

===== 🪶 Serper =====
* Cost: ~$0.30 per 1,000 calls at higher volume
* Free tier: ~2,500 free credits to start
* Best for: Budget Google-scraped search results
* Notes: One of the cheapest per-query providers that still scrapes Google SERPs. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

===== 🆓 Brave Search API =====
* Free tier: ~2,000 calls/month
* Paid: ~$5 per 1,000 calls
* Best for: Prototyping, small apps, privacy-focused search
* Notes: Uses its own index, not Google. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

===== 🧠 DataForSEO =====
* Cost: ~$0.60 per 1,000 calls
* Best for: High-volume production projects when you plan to pay from day one
* Notes: Very low price for raw Google-scraped data at scale. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

===== 📊 SearchAPI (varies) =====
* Cost: ~$2–$4 per 1,000 calls
* Free tier: ~100 free queries initially
* Best for: Mid-scale needs that require Google data cheaper than SerpApi. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

==== 📌 Comparative Price Summary (Typical Range) ====

| Provider     | Approx Cost / 1,000 Calls | Free Tier      | Notes                       |
| ------------ | ------------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------- |
| Keirolabs    | $0.02–$0.30*              | No             | Cheapest if cache effective |
| Serper       | ~$0.30                    | ~2,500 credits | Very low budget option      |
| Brave Search | ~$5                       | ~2,000/mo      | Good free baseline          |
| DataForSEO   | ~$0.60                    | None           | Low cost at scale           |
| SearchAPI    | ~$2–$4                    | ~100           | Mid-tier cheap              |

* Effective cost depends heavily on caching & how many unique queries your application performs. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

==== 🧠 Tips for Keeping Costs Low ====

✅ Use caching aggressively — APIs like Keirolabs that discount repeated searches can dramatically cut costs. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>
✅ Leverage free tiers first for prototyping (e.g., Brave + Serper credits). Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>
✅ Batch queries if supported — reduces overhead on requests. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>
✅ For full text + metadata extraction, some providers cost more but save you the cost of separate scraping. Medium<ref>{{cite web|title=Medium|url=https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243|publisher=medium.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

==== ⚠️ Note on Bing Search API ====

Microsoft has shut down its traditional Bing Search API and is steering developers toward AI-centric alternatives under Azure AI Agents, so classic “cheap Bing SERP API” options may no longer be available or may be costly. theverge.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theverge.com|url=https://www.theverge.com/news/667517/microsoft-bing-search-api-end-of-support-ai-replacement|publisher=theverge.com|access-date=2026-01-21}}</ref>

If you want a budget choice for small projects, tell me your expected monthly query volume and I can recommend the absolute cheapest plan for that scale.

== References ==
<references />


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