Best web search API for developers by search quality: Parallel basic, 46.5% F1 in this benchmark. Fastest search: SERP (RapidAPI), 2.93s (0.4% F1). Lowest recorded search price: TinyFish, $0.00 per 1,000 queries within its free-tier limits. Compare the best web search APIs for AI and LLM developers from 12 providers, including Exa, Tavily, Brave, Parallel and Firecrawl, with pricing and official API docs.
Choose search for AI applications and LLM workflows. Compare measured search quality, speed and cost, then connect the API from your application. Compare 12 providers across 20 configurations, including Exa, Tavily, Brave, Parallel and Firecrawl, on the same questions.
Updated 21 September 2026. Last measured 14 September 2026.
Same agent, questions and search budget for every API. Search quality is measured by F1, balancing precision and recall. The methodology below describes the task and scoring. Prices are the benchmark-recorded rate basis, with the same configurations used for the quality results.
| Rank | Provider & configuration | F1 | Mean search time | Recorded $ / 1,000 queries | Median task time | Median task cost | Official docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parallel basicparallel-basicPOST /v1/search mode=basic | 46.5% | 19.77s | $5.00mode=basic · 10 results | 67.63s | $1.12 | Official docs ↗ |
| 2 | Exa deepexa-deepPOST /search type=deep | 45.4% | 44.68s | $12.00type=deep | 89.50s | $0.72 | Official docs ↗ |
| 3 | Parallel advancedparallel-advancedPOST /v1/search mode=advanced | 44.2% | 36.58s | $5.00mode=advanced · 10 results | 83.43s | $0.62 | Official docs ↗ |
| 4 | Exa instantexa-instantPOST /search type=instant | 43.3% | 6.21s | $7.00type=instant · up to 10 results | 49.83s | $0.65 | Official docs ↗ |
| 5 | Linkup fastlinkup-fastPOST /v1/search depth=fast | 41.1% | 17.52s | $5.00depth=fast · searchResults | 64.20s | $0.92 | Official docs ↗ |
| 6 | Tavily advancedtavily-advancedPOST /search search_depth=advanced | 41.1% | 46.58s | $16.002 credits · $0.008 PAYG | 92.17s | $1.03 | Official docs ↗ |
| 7 | Linkup standardlinkup-standardPOST /v1/search depth=standard | 40.6% | 25.10s | $5.00depth=standard · searchResults | 72.29s | $0.94 | Official docs ↗ |
| 8 | Youextraction_mode=highlightsPOST /v1/search | 38.6% | 7.72s | $5.00highlights included in Web Search | 48.16s | $0.97 | Official docs ↗ |
| 9 | Youextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=corePOST /v1/search | 38.1% | 8.88s | $5.00highlights · knowledge=core · same Web Search price assumption | 47.64s | $0.90 | Official docs ↗ |
| 10 | Parallel fastparallel-fastPOST /v1/search mode=fast | 38.0% | 12.17s | $1.00mode=fast · 10 results | 53.93s | $0.46 | Official docs ↗ |
| 11 | Perplexitysearch_context_size=lowPOST /search | 37.8% | 14.11s | $5.00Search API · POST /search | 48.94s | $0.33 | Official docs ↗ |
| 12 | Tavily basictavily-basicPOST /search search_depth=basic | 36.5% | 20.09s | $8.001 credit · $0.008 PAYG | 63.04s | $0.61 | Official docs ↗ |
| 13 | Parallel turboparallel-turboPOST /v1/search mode=turbo | 34.7% | 5.08s | $1.00mode=turbo · 10 results | 46.40s | $0.42 | Official docs ↗ |
| 14 | Nimblesearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=generalPOST /v2/search | 30.7% | 12.22s | $5.00search_depth=standard · full_content=false | 52.97s | $0.47 | Official docs ↗ |
| 15 | FirecrawlfirecrawlPOST /v2/search | 30.4% | 39.44s | $5.002 credits / 10 results | 74.98s | $0.28 | Official docs ↗ |
| 16 | Brave SearchbraveGET /res/v1/web/search | 28.0% | 7.60s | $5.00Recorded search-request rate; see official terms. | 43.52s | $0.27 | Official docs ↗ |
| 17 | TinyFishtinyfishGET api.search.tinyfish.ai | 26.6% | 27.34s | $0.0030 req/min cap | 64.24s | $0.21 | Official docs ↗ |
| 18 | Nimblesearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=generalPOST /v2/search | 24.1% | 34.43s | $1.10search_depth=lite · full_content=false | 67.17s | $0.22 | Official docs ↗ |
| 19 | Seltzseltz-companiesPOST /v1/search scope=companies | 14.5% | 8.98s | $5.00Recorded search-request rate; see official terms. | 55.16s | $1.75 | Official docs ↗ |
| 20 | SERP (RapidAPI)serpGET google-search74.p.rapidapi.com | 0.4% | 2.93s | $3.00Pro overage $0.003/request | 31.38s | $0.10 | Official docs ↗ |
Mean F1 on 45 company-discovery questions with multiple constraints, using the same agent and search results. F1 balances precision and recall; it is distinct from percentage accuracy on a single-answer test. Each row is one measured configuration. Missing measurements appear as a dash.
Open benchmark code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗ · All benchmark methods →
Compare multi-search and search-plus-scrape results →
Other studies: AIMultiple's returned-result evaluation ↗ · Artificial Analysis Search Index methodology ↗. Their datasets and scoring differ from the F1 board above.
Best web search API for developers by search quality: Parallel basic, 46.5% F1 in this benchmark. Fastest search: SERP (RapidAPI), 2.93s (0.4% F1). Lowest recorded search price: TinyFish, $0.00 per 1,000 queries within its free-tier limits. Compare the best web search APIs for AI and LLM developers from 12 providers, including Exa, Tavily, Brave, Parallel and Firecrawl, with pricing and official API docs.
Mean F1 on 45 company-discovery questions with multiple constraints, using the same agent and search results. F1 balances precision and recall; it is distinct from percentage accuracy on a single-answer test.
The recorded search endpoint's request price. Model-token spend, optional scraping and plan conditions are separate. For rows with task measurements, median task cost is shown in its own column. Check the linked provider terms for current pricing.
Compare the tested endpoint and mode at the same request volume. Search cost equals billable API requests multiplied by the per-request rate. The table shows recorded prices per 1,000 queries alongside search quality and latency. Model tokens, optional scraping, credits and plan limits affect your full application bill.
The same agent can plan follow-up searches and combine returned evidence across 45 company-discovery questions. The primary board uses search results. F1 measures the balance of precision and recall across the returned company sets; the methodology and open runner describe the task and scoring.