---
title: "Best Web Search APIs for LLM Agents, Independently Benchmarked: 2026 Comparison | Openbenchmarks"
description: "Compare the best web search APIs for LLM agents from 12 providers, including Exa, Firecrawl, Parallel, Tavily and Brave, by search quality, speed and cost. Best by search quality: Parallel basic at 46.5% F1. Fastest by median task time: SERP at 31.4s. Cheapest by median task cost: SERP at $0.103, including LLM and search API spend. Independent multiple-search benchmark results using search results and snippets, with official API docs for LLM agents and RAG."
url: https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/best-web-search-api-for-llm-agents
---

[](https://openbenchmarks.com/) 

[← web search benchmark](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) 

[benchmarks](https://openbenchmarks.com/) / [web-search](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) / best web search API for LLM agents 

independent · open source code · public sample · held-out scoring set · last measured 21 Oct 2026

# Best Web Search APIs for LLM Agents: 2026 Comparison

Compare the best web search APIs for LLM agents from 12 providers, including Exa, Firecrawl, Parallel, Tavily and Brave, by search quality, speed and cost. Best by search quality: Parallel basic at 46.5% F1\. Fastest by median task time: SERP at 31.4s. Cheapest by median task cost: SERP at $0.103, including LLM and search API spend. Independent multiple-search benchmark results using search results and snippets, with official API docs for LLM agents and RAG.

Same run, by audience: [Best Web Search API for Developers 2026: LLM Apps and LLM Agents →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/best-web-search-api-for-developers)  · [Best web search API for LLM apps 2026 →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/best-web-search-api-for-llm-apps) 

Use each provider's official docs to check endpoints, parameters and access requirements. For agents that also scrape pages, see the [search-and-scrape benchmark](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search).

[\[01\] **Multiple searches** Compare search quality, speed and cost for LLM agents. ](#multi-hop) [\[02\] **Developer search** Compare web search APIs for developers. ](#hard-retrieval) [\[03\] **Single search for grounding** Compare answer accuracy from one web search. ](#factual-lookup) 

[Full web search benchmark →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) 

[Best web search API for AI agents 2026 →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/best-web-search-api-for-ai) 

2026-09-15 Hard retrieval: Benchmarked Nimble lite and standard plus You highlights with and without knowledge=core on search-only and search + scrape; 100 tasks across three repeats per configuration and mode. [Full changelog →](#changelog) 

\[00\] TL;DR

## Which web search API should your LLM agent use?

Choose a web search API by comparing quality, speed and cost for the search pattern your app uses. These tables use search results and snippets. Look at the [full web search benchmark](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) if you want both search and scrape APIs.

* **Multiple searches:** Parallel basic leads this comparison with 46.5% F1 across 45 questions. Compare F1, latency and cost together to choose an API for your requirements.
* **Developer search:** Perplexity leads this developer-search comparison at 77.3% completion.
* **Single search for grounding:** Exa (type=fast) leads this comparison at 99.3% answer accuracy.

\[01\] for LLM agents

## Web search API comparison for LLM agents: quality, latency and cost

Compare APIs when an LLM agent makes multiple searches to answer a question. Ranked by F1 across 45 questions, using search results and snippets.

[Full web search benchmark for search and scrape APIs →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) 

Rows are ordered by F1 on this task. Median time includes the agent's reasoning and repeated searches. Median task cost and API list price are shown separately; blank prices indicate unavailable data. Endpoint and configuration are shown so you can compare the actual modes tested. Check current provider terms before estimating a production bill.

__Multiple searches for LLM agents: ranked by F1__
| Provider | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | F1 | Precision | Recall | Exact set | Median time | Mean turns | Median task cost | API list price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Parallel basic](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel basic in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=basic parallel-basic | [Parallel basic official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | **46.5 ± 1.9** | 88.7 ± 0.9 | 34.4 ± 2.0 | 3.7 ± 2.6 | 67.6 s | 7.4 | $1.120 $0.070 search $1.050 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Exa deep](https://exa.ai "Open Exa deep in a new tab") | POST /search type=deep exa-deep | [Exa deep official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | **45.4 ± 2.0** | 83.2 ± 3.0 | 33.7 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 89.5 s | 7.4 | $0.717 $0.156 search $0.556 token cost | $0.012 / search |
| [Parallel advanced](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel advanced in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=advanced parallel-advanced | [Parallel advanced official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | **44.2 ± 1.4** | 87.6 ± 3.4 | 32.0 ± 1.6 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 83.4 s | 7.3 | $0.625 $0.070 search $0.565 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Exa instant](https://exa.ai "Open Exa instant in a new tab") | POST /search type=instant exa-instant | [Exa instant official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | **43.3 ± 1.0** | 82.6 ± 3.8 | 32.2 ± 0.5 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 49.8 s | 7.3 | $0.652 $0.091 search $0.559 token cost | $0.007 / search |
| [Linkup fast](https://www.linkup.so "Open Linkup fast in a new tab") | POST /v1/search depth=fast linkup-fast | [Linkup fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) | **41.1 ± 1.7** | 82.8 ± 1.0 | 30.3 ± 1.5 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 64.2 s | 7.4 | $0.923 $0.070 search $0.853 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Tavily advanced](https://tavily.com "Open Tavily advanced in a new tab") | POST /search search\_depth=advanced tavily-advanced | [Tavily advanced official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) | **41.1 ± 2.3** | 83.7 ± 4.2 | 29.8 ± 1.7 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 92.2 s | 7.4 | $1.029 $0.224 search $0.808 token cost | $0.016 / search |
| [Linkup standard](https://www.linkup.so "Open Linkup standard in a new tab") | POST /v1/search depth=standard linkup-standard | [Linkup standard official docs ↗ ](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) | **40.6 ± 0.9** | 84.0 ± 7.9 | 29.7 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 2.6 | 72.3 s | 7.3 | $0.937 $0.070 search $0.867 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | **38.6 ± 0.8** | 79.3 ± 4.9 | 28.3 ± 0.9 | 4.4 ± 0.0 | 48.2 s | 7.5 | $0.971 $0.070 search $0.901 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | **38.1 ± 0.6** | 80.9 ± 1.6 | 27.4 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 47.6 s | 7.5 | $0.895 $0.070 search $0.827 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Parallel fast](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel fast in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=fast parallel-fast | [Parallel fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | **38.0 ± 2.0** | 79.9 ± 4.6 | 27.5 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 53.9 s | 7.6 | $0.460 $0.014 search $0.447 token cost | $0.001 / search |
| [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai "Open Perplexity in a new tab") | POST /search search\_context\_size=low | [Perplexity official docs ↗ ](https://docs.perplexity.ai/api-reference/search-post) | **37.8 ± 2.1** | 79.3 ± 5.7 | 26.8 ± 1.4 | 2.2 ± 2.2 | 48.9 s | 7.7 | $0.334 $0.070 search $0.264 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Tavily basic](https://tavily.com "Open Tavily basic in a new tab") | POST /search search\_depth=basic tavily-basic | [Tavily basic official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) | **36.5 ± 3.2** | 82.5 ± 1.9 | 25.7 ± 2.7 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 63.0 s | 7.7 | $0.615 $0.112 search $0.504 token cost | $0.008 / search |
| [Parallel turbo](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel turbo in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=turbo parallel-turbo | [Parallel turbo official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | **34.7 ± 2.4** | 80.0 ± 5.2 | 24.8 ± 2.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 46.4 s | 7.6 | $0.419 $0.014 search $0.405 token cost | $0.001 / search |
| [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") | POST /v2/search search\_depth=standard · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | **30.7 ± 1.4** | 70.3 ± 3.3 | 21.3 ± 1.1 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 53.0 s | 7.7 | $0.467 $0.070 search $0.398 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Firecrawl](https://firecrawl.dev "Open Firecrawl in a new tab") | POST /v2/search firecrawl | [Firecrawl official docs ↗ ](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/api-reference/endpoint/search) | **30.4 ± 1.1** | 77.3 ± 4.4 | 20.7 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 75.0 s | 7.9 | $0.282 $0.070 search $0.212 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api/ "Open Brave Search in a new tab") | GET /res/v1/web/search brave | [Brave Search official docs ↗ ](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/web-search) | **28.0 ± 1.7** | 66.9 ± 8.5 | 19.3 ± 0.5 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 43.5 s | 8.0 | $0.268 $0.070 search $0.200 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [TinyFish](https://www.tinyfish.ai "Open TinyFish in a new tab") | GET api.search.tinyfish.ai tinyfish | [TinyFish official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tinyfish.ai/search-api) | **26.6 ± 1.3** | 64.7 ± 1.5 | 17.9 ± 0.8 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 64.2 s | 7.9 | $0.212 $0.000 search $0.212 token cost | $0 / search |
| [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") | POST /v2/search search\_depth=lite · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | **25.3 ± 1.1** | 62.8 ± 1.9 | 17.6 ± 1.2 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 67.9 s | 7.9 | $0.234 $0.015 search $0.220 token cost | $0.0011 / search |
| [Seltz](https://seltz.ai "Open Seltz in a new tab") | POST /v1/search scope=companies seltz-companies | [Seltz official docs ↗ ](https://docs.seltz.ai/) | **14.5 ± 0.9** | 40.0 ± 3.1 | 9.4 ± 0.7 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 55.2 s | 7.3 | $1.751 $0.070 search $1.681 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| [SERP](https://rapidapi.com/herosAPI/api/google-search74 "Open SERP in a new tab") | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.com serp | [SERP official docs ↗ ](https://rapidapi.com/herosAPI/api/google-search74) | **0.4 ± 0.6** | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 31.4 s | 7.8 | $0.103 $0.036 search $0.065 token cost | $0.003 / search |

F1, precision, recall, and exact-set accuracy are percentages reported as mean ± sample SD across three independent runs; each run aggregates all 45 questions. SD is measured in percentage points. Median time is the median end-to-end time across all runs for each vendor. Median task cost is the median of LLM $ plus search API $ per agent run. API list price is the PAYG unit rate of the search endpoint the harness calls.

\[02\] for developers

## Web search APIs for developers

Compare web search APIs for developers on 100 held-out tasks. Ranked by task completion using search results and snippets.

[Full web search benchmark for search and scrape APIs →](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search) 

__Developer search: ranked by task completion__
| Rank | Vendor | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | Task completion |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai "Open Perplexity in a new tab") | POST /search search\_context\_size=low | [Perplexity official docs ↗ ](https://docs.perplexity.ai/api-reference/search-post) | 77.3 ± 2.1 |
| 2 | [Firecrawl](https://firecrawl.dev "Open Firecrawl in a new tab") | POST /v2/search | [Firecrawl official docs ↗ ](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/api-reference/endpoint/search) | 70.3 ± 1.5 |
| 3 | [Parallel fast](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel fast in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=fast | [Parallel fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | 66.7 ± 1.5 |
| 4 | [Exa fast](https://exa.ai "Open Exa fast in a new tab") | POST /search type=fast | [Exa fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | 66.3 ± 1.5 |
| 5 | [Parallel turbo](https://parallel.ai "Open Parallel turbo in a new tab") | POST /v1/search mode=turbo | [Parallel turbo official docs ↗ ](https://docs.parallel.ai/api-reference/search/search) | 64.7 ± 2.1 |
| 6 | [Exa instant](https://exa.ai "Open Exa instant in a new tab") | POST /search type=instant | [Exa instant official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | 61.3 ± 2.9 |
| 7 | [TinyFish](https://www.tinyfish.ai "Open TinyFish in a new tab") | GET api.search.tinyfish.ai | [TinyFish official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tinyfish.ai/search-api) | 59.3 ± 1.5 |
| 8 | [Tavily basic](https://tavily.com "Open Tavily basic in a new tab") | POST /search search\_depth=basic | [Tavily basic official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) | 51.0 ± 5.3 |
| 9 | [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") | POST /v2/search search\_depth=lite · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | 46.7 ± 3.8 |
| 10 | [Linkup fast](https://www.linkup.so "Open Linkup fast in a new tab") | POST /v1/search depth=fast | [Linkup fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) | 43.3 ± 1.1 |
| 11 | [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") | POST /v2/search search\_depth=standard · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | 42.3 ± 2.5 |
| 12 | [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | 41.3 ± 3.1 |
| 13 | [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | 38.3 ± 3.2 |
| 14 | [Brave](https://brave.com/search/api/ "Open Brave in a new tab") | POST /res/v1/llm/context | [Brave official docs ↗ ](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/llm-context) | 38.0 ± 2.6 |

Task completion is mean ± SD of 3 runs; n = 100 tasks.

\[03\] for LLM apps

## Single search for grounding: web search API comparison

Compare answer accuracy from a single web search across 300 questions. Each query returns up to 10 snippets, with the same answer-extraction model for every API.

[Single-search methodology and full results →](https://openbenchmarks.com/company-news) 

__Single search for grounding: ranked by answer accuracy__
| Rank | Vendor | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | Accuracy | AR@1 | AR@5 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Exa](https://exa.ai "Open Exa in a new tab") web search fast | POST /search type=fast | [Exa fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | 99.3% | 95.0% | 99.3% |
| 2 | [Context](https://context.dev "Open Context in a new tab") web search | POST api.context.dev/v1/web/search numResults=10 · highlights maxCharacters=1200 | [Context official docs ↗ ](https://docs.context.dev/search/overview) | 98.0% | 88.7% | 98.3% |
| 3 | [Exa](https://exa.ai "Open Exa in a new tab") web search instant | POST /search type=instant | [Exa instant official docs ↗ ](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/search) | 97.7% | 80.0% | 97.3% |
| 4 | [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai "Open Perplexity in a new tab") web search | POST /search search\_context\_size=low | [Perplexity low official docs ↗ ](https://docs.perplexity.ai/api-reference/search-post) | 97.3% | 91.7% | 98.3% |
| 5 | [Linkup](https://www.linkup.so "Open Linkup in a new tab") web search fast | POST /v1/search depth=fast · outputType=searchResults | [Linkup fast official docs ↗ ](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) | 96.7% | 79.0% | 94.7% |
| 6 | [SERP](https://rapidapi.com/herosAPI/api/google-search74 "Open SERP in a new tab") google search | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.com limit=10 | [SERP official docs ↗ ](https://rapidapi.com/herosAPI/api/google-search74) | 96.0% | 78.0% | 95.0% |
| 7 | [Firecrawl](https://firecrawl.dev "Open Firecrawl in a new tab") web search | POST /v2/search | [Firecrawl official docs ↗ ](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/api-reference/endpoint/search) | 95.3% | 77.7% | 96.7% |
| 8 | [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") web search lite | POST /v2/search search\_depth=lite · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | 94.3% | 59.7% | 93.7% |
| 9 | [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api/ "Open Brave Search in a new tab") web search Brave LLM context | POST /res/v1/llm/context count=10 | [Brave LLM context official docs ↗ ](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/llm-context) | 94.0% | 81.0% | 94.7% |
| 10 | [Brave Search](https://brave.com/search/api/ "Open Brave Search in a new tab") web search | GET /res/v1/web/search count=10 · result\_filter=web | [Brave Search official docs ↗ ](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/web-search) | 93.3% | 79.3% | 91.7% |
| 11 | [Nimble](https://www.nimbleway.com "Open Nimble in a new tab") web search standard | POST /v2/search search\_depth=standard · full\_content=false · focus=general | [Nimble official docs ↗ ](https://docs.nimbleway.com/api-reference/search/search) | 93.0% | 86.3% | 94.3% |
| 12 | [Tavily](https://tavily.com "Open Tavily in a new tab") web search advanced | POST /search search\_depth=advanced | [Tavily advanced official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) | 93.0% | 65.0% | 92.7% |
| 13 | [TinyFish](https://www.tinyfish.ai "Open TinyFish in a new tab") web search | GET api.search.tinyfish.ai free · 30 req/min cap | [TinyFish official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tinyfish.ai/search-api) | 92.0% | 74.3% | 90.7% |
| 14 | [Linkup](https://www.linkup.so "Open Linkup in a new tab") web search standard | POST /v1/search depth=standard · outputType=searchResults | [Linkup standard official docs ↗ ](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) | 92.0% | 67.3% | 90.3% |
| 15 | [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") web search highlights core | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | 92.0% | 67.3% | 89.7% |
| 16 | [You](https://you.com "Open You in a new tab") web search highlights | POST /v1/search extraction\_mode=highlights | [You official docs ↗ ](https://you.com/docs/api-reference/search/v1-search) | 90.7% | 72.0% | 89.7% |
| 17 | [Tavily](https://tavily.com "Open Tavily in a new tab") web search basic | POST /search search\_depth=basic | [Tavily basic official docs ↗ ](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) | 87.7% | 82.0% | 87.7% |

\[04\] comparison

## Compare individual search API providers for LLM agents

Pairwise pages compare providers on the same three search patterns, with separate results for each.

[Exa vs Tavily](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/exa-vs-tavily)  · [Tavily vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/tavily-vs-parallel)  · [Brave Search vs Exa](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/brave-vs-exa)  · [Linkup vs Firecrawl](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/linkup-vs-firecrawl)  · [Parallel vs Exa](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/parallel-vs-exa)  · [Linkup vs Tavily](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/linkup-vs-tavily)  · [Exa vs Perplexity](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/exa-vs-perplexity)  · [Brave Search vs Tavily](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/brave-vs-tavily)  · [Exa vs Firecrawl](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/exa-vs-firecrawl)  · [Brave Search vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/brave-vs-parallel)  · [Perplexity vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/perplexity-vs-parallel)  · [You vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/you-com-vs-parallel)  · [Linkup vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/linkup-vs-parallel)  · [Firecrawl vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/firecrawl-vs-parallel)  · [TinyFish vs Parallel](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/tinyfish-vs-parallel)  · [Exa alternatives](https://openbenchmarks.com/web-search/exa-alternatives) 

\[05\] faq

## Best web search API for LLM agents: FAQ

### What is the best web search API for LLM agents in 2026?

Parallel basic ranks first in this web search API comparison, with 46.5% F1 across 45 questions requiring multiple searches, using search results and snippets. The same agent and questions are used for every API. Use the quality, latency and cost results to shortlist web search APIs for your LLM agent or RAG app, then evaluate them on your own questions.

### How should I compare search APIs for an LLM agent?

Compare three search patterns: multiple searches, developer search and a single search for grounding. The multiple-search comparison uses F1 across 45 questions. Precision measures how many returned answers are correct, recall measures how many expected answers were found, and F1 balances the two. Read latency and cost alongside quality rather than combining different tasks into one score.

### Do the latency and pricing columns measure an API call or a complete agent task?

Median time measures the complete agent run, including reasoning and repeated searches. Median task cost shows the measured cost per run and its available API and model components. API list price gives the provider’s unit rate separately. Blank costs indicate unavailable data. Use current provider pricing and your expected usage to estimate a monthly bill.

### Should my LLM agent use search-only or search and scrape?

The rankings on this page use search-only results and snippets. If your agent can scrape pages, use the separate search-and-scrape board in the full web search benchmark: scraping changes the available evidence and can change the winner. Compare providers within the mode your agent uses.

### How should I choose a web search API for RAG?

For retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) that uses the public web, compare search quality, latency, cost and the content returned to your model. Use the single-search results for grounding from one query and the multiple-search results for agents that gather evidence across several queries. Shortlist providers from these measured comparisons, then test citation support, freshness, domain coverage and answer quality on your own RAG questions.

### Where can I find the official API documentation for these search providers?

Each comparison table includes an Official docs column linking to the provider's documentation for the API or endpoint being tested. Use those links to check request parameters, returned content and access requirements before integrating an API. The documentation describes the provider's API; the rankings come from our benchmark results.

### Is this comparison independent and reproducible?

Inclusion and rank are independent of vendor payments. The model, question set and scoring protocol are held constant within each task. Open source code and public dataset samples accompany the benchmark; scoring questions are held out. The multiple-search comparison uses 45 company-discovery questions; developer search uses 100 documentation tickets; single search for grounding uses 300 company-news questions. These datasets define the scope of the results.

\[06\] changelog+ 

2026-09-15 Hard retrieval

Benchmarked Nimble lite and standard plus You highlights with and without knowledge=core on search-only and search + scrape; 100 tasks across three repeats per configuration and mode.

Openbenchmarks open source code · public sample · held-out scoring set 

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