Most token efficient
- Precision / 1k tokens
- 1.51
- F1
- 33.2%
- Search price / 1,000 queries
- $5.00
Recorded search API price. Model and scrape costs are separate. Official docs ↗ · Pricing ↗
Independent comparison · 2026
Best Search and Scrape API (2026): Token Efficiency, Quality & Cost
Best search and scrape API by token efficiency: Firecrawl, 1.51 precision points per 1,000 tokens. Highest F1: Exa deep, 48.2%. Cheapest: TinyFish, $0.00/1,000 queries within free-tier limits.
Compare 12 providers, including Exa, Tavily, Brave, Parallel and Firecrawl, across 20 configurations on 45 questions. Compare search and scrape APIs ranked by token efficiency, measured as precision per 1,000 task tokens.
Best by F1
- F1
- 48.2%
- Mean search time
- 47.08s
- Search price / 1,000 queries
- $12.00
Recorded search API price. Model and scrape costs are separate. Official docs ↗ · Pricing ↗
Cheapest search
- F1
- 30.2%
- Mean search time
- 26.59s
- Search price / 1,000 queries
- $0.00
Free-tier limits apply. Model and scrape costs are separate. Official docs ↗ · Pricing ↗
Compare all 20 configurations → · Open benchmark code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗
Updated 23 September 2026. Last measured 14 September 2026.
Best search and scrape API, ranked by token efficiency
Token efficiency on 45 company questions. The same agent can search more than once and scrape the page. Token efficiency is precision per 1,000 task tokens, and higher is better. This page orders the comparison by that figure. F1 is shown beside it. Prices are the benchmark-recorded rate basis, with the same configurations used for the quality results.
| Rank | Provider & configuration | Precision / 1k tokens | F1 | Mean search time | Recorded $ / 1,000 queries | Median task time | Median task cost | Official docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FirecrawlfirecrawlPOST /v2/search | 1.51 | 33.2% | 40.23s | $5.002 credits / 10 resultsScrape $0.0025 per page. | 82.06s | $0.29 | Official docs ↗ |
| 2 | Brave SearchbraveGET /res/v1/web/search | 1.35 | 29.4% | 7.15s | $5.00Recorded search-request rate; see official terms.Scrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 45.13s | $0.28 | Official docs ↗ |
| 3 | TinyFishtinyfishGET api.search.tinyfish.ai | 1.32 | 30.2% | 26.59s | $0.0030 req/min capScrape $0.0000 per page. | 63.37s | $0.22 | Official docs ↗ |
| 4 | Nimblesearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown]POST /v2/search | 1.21 | 25.8% | 53.50s | $1.10search_depth=lite · full_content=falseScrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 72.36s | — | Official docs ↗ |
| 5 | Parallel turboparallel-turboPOST /v1/search mode=turbo | 0.77 | 36.0% | 5.38s | $1.00mode=turbo · 10 resultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 48.07s | $0.41 | Official docs ↗ |
| 6 | Perplexitysearch_context_size=highPOST /search | 0.72 | 46.6% | 13.98s | $5.00Search API · POST /searchScrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 53.89s | $0.50 | Official docs ↗ |
| 7 | Parallel fastparallel-fastPOST /v1/search mode=fast | 0.69 | 39.3% | 12.27s | $1.00mode=fast · 10 resultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 55.08s | $0.44 | Official docs ↗ |
| 8 | Nimblesearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown]POST /v2/search | 0.62 | 31.3% | 23.00s | $5.00search_depth=standard · full_content=falseScrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 59.23s | — | Official docs ↗ |
| 9 | Exa deepexa-deepPOST /search type=deep | 0.61 | 48.2% | 47.08s | $12.00type=deepScrape $0.0010 per page. | 95.80s | $0.68 | Official docs ↗ |
| 10 | Parallel advancedparallel-advancedPOST /v1/search mode=advanced | 0.58 | 42.2% | 36.66s | $5.00mode=advanced · 10 resultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 80.87s | $0.60 | Official docs ↗ |
| 11 | Tavily basictavily-basicPOST /search search_depth=basic | 0.57 | 38.1% | 20.30s | $8.001 credit · $0.008 PAYGScrape $0.0032 per page. | 61.97s | $0.61 | Official docs ↗ |
| 12 | Exa instantexa-instantPOST /search type=instant | 0.55 | 44.9% | 5.90s | $7.00type=instant · up to 10 resultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 52.51s | $0.65 | Official docs ↗ |
| 13 | Tavily advancedtavily-advancedPOST /search search_depth=advanced | 0.43 | 41.0% | 44.65s | $16.002 credits · $0.008 PAYGScrape $0.0032 per page. | 92.63s | $0.90 | Official docs ↗ |
| 14 | Linkup standardlinkup-standardPOST /v1/search depth=standard | 0.36 | 42.0% | 27.77s | $5.00depth=standard · searchResultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 81.01s | $0.91 | Official docs ↗ |
| 15 | Youextraction_mode=highlightsPOST /v1/search | 0.35 | 38.5% | 7.55s | $5.00highlights included in Web SearchScrape $0.0010 per page. | 45.63s | $0.86 | Official docs ↗ |
| 16 | Linkup fastlinkup-fastPOST /v1/search depth=fast | 0.35 | 39.9% | 17.28s | $5.00depth=fast · searchResultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 68.02s | $0.90 | Official docs ↗ |
| 17 | Youextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=corePOST /v1/search | 0.31 | 38.5% | 9.18s | $5.00highlights · knowledge=core · same Web Search price assumptionScrape $0.0010 per page. | 48.52s | $0.89 | Official docs ↗ |
| 18 | Parallel basicparallel-basicPOST /v1/search mode=basic | 0.27 | 42.3% | 21.58s | $5.00mode=basic · 10 resultsScrape $0.0010 per page. | 68.62s | $1.09 | Official docs ↗ |
| 19 | Seltzseltz-companiesPOST /v1/search scope=companies | 0.10 | 16.3% | 9.30s | $5.00Recorded search-request rate; see official terms.Scrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 60.10s | $1.74 | Official docs ↗ |
| 20 | SERP (RapidAPI)serpGET google-search74.p.rapidapi.com | 0.00 | 0.0% | 3.50s | $3.00Pro overage $0.003/requestScrape included in the measured task cost when the provider billed it. | 33.44s | $0.10 | Official docs ↗ |
Choose the best search and scrape API
Search and scrape is one measured workflow
This page ranks configurations where the agent may issue several searches and then scrape a page for the full text. The order is token efficiency: precision per 1,000 task tokens. F1, which balances precision and recall, is shown beside that rank.
How F1 sits beside token efficiency
Precision is the share of returned companies that match the question. Recall is the share of expected companies the agent found. F1 requires both. Token efficiency divides precision by the tokens the task used, so a high F1 that spends a very large context ranks below a precise result that uses fewer tokens.
Token efficiency, task time and scrape cost
Token efficiency on this board is precision per 1,000 task tokens. Higher is better. Median task tokens are the model context used to finish a question, including the scraped page. Mean search time stays in the table as the search call, and median task time includes later searches, the scrape, and the agent. Recorded search price is per 1,000 search queries. Scrape charges, when the provider prices them separately, are called out on the row.
Choose a search and scrape API for the evidence you need
Use this board when the agent must open the page. Keep the agent, question set and scrape format fixed while changing providers. Check that cited claims still point at a URL returned during the run. Official docs linked from the table are the request contract for the measured configuration.
Benchmark method and source data
Token efficiency on 45 company questions. The same agent can search more than once and scrape the page. Token efficiency is precision per 1,000 task tokens, and higher is better. This page orders the comparison by that figure. F1 is shown beside it. Each row is one measured configuration. Missing measurements appear as a dash.
Open benchmark code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗ · All benchmark methods →
Common questions
What is the best search and scrape API?
Best search and scrape API by token efficiency: Firecrawl, 1.51 precision points per 1,000 tokens. Highest F1: Exa deep, 48.2%. Cheapest: TinyFish, $0.00/1,000 queries within free-tier limits.
Which benchmark does the main ranking use?
Token efficiency on 45 company questions. The same agent can search more than once and scrape the page. Token efficiency is precision per 1,000 task tokens, and higher is better. This page orders the comparison by that figure. F1 is shown beside it.
What does the price per 1,000 queries include?
The recorded search endpoint’s request price. Model-token spend, page scrape and plan conditions are separate. Rows with a task measurement show median task cost in its own column. Check the linked provider terms for current pricing.
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