Web Search / Best search API for news
Independent comparison · 2026

Best Search API for News (2026): Search Accuracy, Speed & Cost

Best search API for news by accuracy: Exa fast, 99.3% at $7.00/1,000 queries. Fastest: Parallel turbo, 348ms. Cheapest: TinyFish, $0.00/1,000 queries within free-tier limits.

Compare 11 providers, including Exa, Tavily, Brave, Parallel and Firecrawl, across 19 configurations on 300 questions. Compare search APIs for news on current questions about company events, ranked by search accuracy.

Best by accuracy

Exa fast

Accuracy
99.3%
Mean search time
652ms
Search price / 1,000 queries
$7.00

Recorded search API price. Model and scrape costs are separate. Official docs ↗ · Pricing ↗

Cheapest search

TinyFish

Accuracy
92.0%
Mean search time
2.62s
Search price / 1,000 queries
$0.00

Free-tier limits apply. Model and scrape costs are separate. Official docs ↗ · Pricing ↗

Compare all 19 configurations → · Open benchmark code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗

Updated 23 September 2026. Last measured 12 September 2026.

Best search API for news

Search accuracy on 300 company-news questions. Every API receives the same query. Accuracy is whether the results support the correct answer. Mean search time is the search request. This page orders the comparison by accuracy. Prices are the benchmark-recorded rate basis, with the same configurations used for the quality results.

300 questions · 19 configurations · ordered by accuracy
RankProvider & configurationAccuracyMean search timeRecorded $ / 1,000 queriesMean snippet tokensOfficial docs
1Exa fasttype=fast/search99.3%652ms$7.00type=fast · up to 10 results1,987Official docs ↗
2Exa instanttype=instant/search97.7%398ms$7.00type=instant · up to 10 results2,128Official docs ↗
3Perplexity lowsearch_context_size=low/search97.3%1.38s$5.00Search API · POST /search476Official docs ↗
4Linkup fastdepth=fast · outputType=searchResults/v1/search96.7%1.57s$5.00depth=fast · searchResults3,022Official docs ↗
5SERPlimit=10google-search74.p.rapidapi.com96.0%751ms$3.00Pro overage $0.003/request497Official docs ↗
7Brave Search llm-contextcount=10/res/v1/llm/context94.0%601ms$5.00Search plan · LLM Context2,064Official docs ↗
9Parallel basicmode=basic/v1/search93.3%1.68s$5.00mode=basic · 10 results2,330Official docs ↗
10Nimble standardsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general/v2/search93.0%861ms$5.00search_depth=standard · full_content=false2,730Official docs ↗
11Tavily advancedsearch_depth=advanced/search93.0%4.29s$16.002 credits · $0.008 PAYG2,210Official docs ↗
12Linkup standarddepth=standard · outputType=searchResults/v1/search92.0%2.55s$5.00depth=standard · searchResults2,983Official docs ↗
14You highlights coreextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core/v1/search92.0%889ms$5.00highlights · knowledge=core · same Web Search price assumption2,862Official docs ↗
15You highlightsextraction_mode=highlights/v1/search90.7%628ms$5.00highlights included in Web Search2,837Official docs ↗
16Tavily basicsearch_depth=basic/search87.7%1.88s$8.001 credit · $0.008 PAYG1,639Official docs ↗
17Parallel fastmode=fast/v1/search86.0%942ms$1.00mode=fast · 10 results1,839Official docs ↗
18Nimble litesearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general/v2/search75.3%3.15s$1.10search_depth=lite · full_content=false413Official docs ↗
19Parallel turbomode=turbo/v1/search71.3%348ms$1.00mode=turbo · 10 results1,853Official docs ↗

Choose the best search API for news

The news task behind this ranking

The questions cover current company events, including funding, acquisitions, launches and leadership changes, and the score is whether search results support the correct answer. That is the measurement for a search API for news on this page. Dedicated news-index products are a different mechanism and are ranked on their own page.

Freshness, URL and the answer

A news search is only useful when the result URL is the page a reader can open and the excerpt contains the fact. Accuracy here is support for the keyed answer. It is not a score of headline writing, paywall bypass, or full-article licensing.

Speed and price for a news search

Mean search time is the request. Price is the recorded search rate per 1,000 queries. A news application that searches once per answer can use those figures directly. An agent that searches several times per brief should also read the company-research comparison.

Compare web search with a news index when you need one

General web search and a dedicated news index answer different product questions. This page ranks web search APIs on the company-news questions. If your application must query a press-release or newsroom index specifically, use the news-index comparison linked from the company-news benchmark.

Benchmark method and source data

Search accuracy on 300 company-news questions. Every API receives the same query. Accuracy is whether the results support the correct answer. Mean search time is the search request. This page orders the comparison by accuracy. Each row is one measured configuration. Missing measurements appear as a dash.

Open benchmark code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗ · All benchmark methods →

View the company-news search benchmark →

Common questions

What is the best search API for news?

Best search API for news by accuracy: Exa fast, 99.3% at $7.00/1,000 queries. Fastest: Parallel turbo, 348ms. Cheapest: TinyFish, $0.00/1,000 queries within free-tier limits.

Which benchmark does the main ranking use?

Search accuracy on 300 company-news questions. Every API receives the same query. Accuracy is whether the results support the correct answer. Mean search time is the search request. This page orders the comparison by accuracy.

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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