Title: Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e - freem

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_This conversation was exported from ChatGPT_[[1]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-1)

## gpt-5-2[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=1 "Edit section: gpt-5-2") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section's source code: gpt-5-2")]

### User: Cheapest web search api 2026[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=2 "Edit section: User: Cheapest web search api 2026") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section's source code: 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…[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Assistant: Here are the most cost-effective web search APIs available in 2026 if your priority is lowest price per query, along wi…") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section's source code: 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[[2]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-2)

#### 🏷️ Top Cheapest Web Search API Options[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=4 "Edit section: 🏷️ Top Cheapest Web Search API Options") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section's source code: 🏷️ Top Cheapest Web Search API Options")]

##### 🥇 Keirolabs[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=5 "Edit section: 🥇 Keirolabs") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section's source code: 🥇 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[[3]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-3)

##### 🪶 Serper[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=6 "Edit section: 🪶 Serper") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section's source code: 🪶 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[[4]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-4)

##### 🆓 Brave Search API[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=7 "Edit section: 🆓 Brave Search API") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section's source code: 🆓 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[[5]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-5)

##### 🧠 DataForSEO[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=8 "Edit section: 🧠 DataForSEO") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section's source code: 🧠 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[[6]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-6)

##### 📊 SearchAPI (varies)[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=9 "Edit section: 📊 SearchAPI (varies)") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section's source code: 📊 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[[7]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-7)

#### 📌 Comparative Price Summary (Typical Range)[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=10 "Edit section: 📌 Comparative Price Summary (Typical Range)") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=10 "Edit section's source code: 📌 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[[8]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-8)

#### 🧠 Tips for Keeping Costs Low[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=11 "Edit section: 🧠 Tips for Keeping Costs Low") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=11 "Edit section's source code: 🧠 Tips for Keeping Costs Low")]

✅ Use caching aggressively — APIs like Keirolabs that discount repeated searches can dramatically cut costs. Medium[[9]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-9) ✅ Leverage free tiers first for prototyping (e.g., Brave + Serper credits). Medium[[10]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-10) ✅ Batch queries if supported — reduces overhead on requests. Medium[[11]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-11) ✅ For full text + metadata extraction, some providers cost more but save you the cost of separate scraping. Medium[[12]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-12)

#### ⚠️ Note on Bing Search API[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=12 "Edit section: ⚠️ Note on Bing Search API") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=12 "Edit section's source code: ⚠️ 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[[13]](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_note-13)

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[[edit](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&veaction=edit&section=13 "Edit section: References") | [edit source](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?title=Openai/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e&action=edit&section=13 "Edit section's source code: References")]

1.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-1 "Jump up")["Cheapest Web Search APIs"](https://chatgpt.com/share/696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e). ChatGPT. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
2.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-2 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
3.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-3 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
4.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-4 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
5.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-5 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
6.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-6 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
7.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-7 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
8.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-8 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
9.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-9 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
10.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-10 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
11.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-11 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40manas_52181/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-ai-agents-2026-pricing-rate-limits-and-real-costs-0856311430f3). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
12.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-12 "Jump up")["Medium"](https://medium.com/%40RonaldMike/cheapest-web-search-apis-for-production-use-2026-real-costs-hidden-fees-and-what-actually-90f2e7643243). medium.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
13.   [↑](https://freemwiki.com/index.php?oldid=595871&title=Openai%2F696f38b8-6790-8012-9bef-936da99e1c4e#cite_ref-13 "Jump up")["theverge.com"](https://www.theverge.com/news/667517/microsoft-bing-search-api-end-of-support-ai-replacement). theverge.com. Retrieved 2026-01-21.