Cheapest listed search
TinyFish · $0.00
Per 1,000 queries within published free limits. Lowest listed paid rate: Parallel fast / Parallel turbo at $1.00.
Compare plan fees and usage limits below.
independent benchmark · official pricing · search for AI
Cheapest Web Search API (2026): Pricing per 1,000 Queries & Benchmark
Compare web search APIs from 11 providers, including Exa, Firecrawl, Parallel, Tavily and Brave, for AI, LLM apps, agents and RAG. Cheapest listed search: TinyFish $0.00 per 1,000 queries, within its published limits. Lowest listed paid rate: Parallel fast and Parallel turbo $1.00 per 1,000 queries. Best search accuracy: Exa fast 99.3%. Fastest search: Parallel turbo 348ms average. Independent benchmark with official API docs, pricing plans and free limits.
Compared on the same 300 search questions. Last measured 12 September 2026. Pricing review: 19 September 2026; recorded-price exceptions are marked in the table.
Best search accuracy
99.3%
Exa fast
Correct answers from returned search evidence.
Fastest search
348ms
Parallel turbo
Average measured API response time.
Web Search API Pricing: Cost per 1,000 Queries
Start with the price, then compare accuracy and speed for the same mode. Ranked by listed unit rate, with accuracy breaking ties. Prices cover search requests in USD; free allowances, subscription fees and extra scrape calls affect your total bill.
| API / mode | Price / 1,000 queries | Accuracy | Average search time | Billing basis | Official docs & pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TinyFishfree · 30 req/min cap | $0.00 | 92.0% | 2.62s | Free search; 30 requests/minute and 500/hour.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Parallel fastmode=fast | $1.00 | 86.0% | 942ms | Per-request price for up to 10 results; extra results/excerpts add cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Parallel turbomode=turbo | $1.00 | 71.3% | 348ms | Per-request price for up to 10 results; extra results/excerpts add cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Nimble litesearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general | $1.10 | 75.3% | 3.15s | search_depth=lite · full_content=falsePricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| SERPlimit=10 | $3.00 | 96.0% | 751ms | Pro overage $0.003/requestRecorded 1 September 2026; confirm current rate with provider. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Perplexity lowsearch_context_size=low | $5.00 | 97.3% | 1.38s | Search API, POST /search; one query per request in this comparison.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Linkup fastdepth=fast · outputType=searchResults | $5.00 | 96.7% | 1.57s | Prepaid API-key pricing with outputType=searchResults.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Firecrawl | $5.00 | 95.3% | 510ms | Standard-plan top-up rate: 2 credits/10 results. Subscription required; see plans below.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Brave Search llm-contextcount=10 | $5.00 | 94.0% | 601ms | Prepaid Search plan; LLM Context included. Before monthly free credits.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Brave Search webcount=10 · result_filter=web | $5.00 | 93.3% | 630ms | Prepaid Search plan; LLM Context included. Before monthly free credits.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Parallel basicmode=basic | $5.00 | 93.3% | 1.68s | Per-request price for up to 10 results; extra results/excerpts add cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Nimble standardsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general | $5.00 | 93.0% | 861ms | search_depth=standard · full_content=falseRecorded 1 September 2026; confirm current rate with provider. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Linkup standarddepth=standard · outputType=searchResults | $5.00 | 92.0% | 2.55s | Prepaid API-key pricing with outputType=searchResults.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| You highlights coreextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | $5.00 | 92.0% | 889ms | Web Search price, including highlights; live page extraction adds cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| You highlightsextraction_mode=highlights | $5.00 | 90.7% | 628ms | Web Search price, including highlights; live page extraction adds cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Exa fasttype=fast | $7.00 | 99.3% | 652ms | Per-request price for up to 10 results; extra results and summaries add cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Exa instanttype=instant | $7.00 | 97.7% | 398ms | Per-request price for up to 10 results; extra results and summaries add cost.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Tavily basicsearch_depth=basic | $8.00 | 87.7% | 1.88s | 1 credits/search at $0.008/credit, pay as you go.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
| Tavily advancedsearch_depth=advanced | $16.00 | 93.0% | 4.29s | 2 credits/search at $0.008/credit, pay as you go.Pricing checked 19 September 2026. | Official docs ↗Official pricing ↗ |
What Do 100,000 Web Searches Cost?
A direct comparison of per-request rates before free credits. Each request contains one search query. For LLM apps, AI agents and RAG, add model tokens and any extra search or scrape calls.
| API / mode | 1,000 queries | 10,000 queries | 100,000 queries | Pricing basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallel fast / turbo | $1.00 | $10.00 | $100.00 | Up to 10 results per requestOfficial pricing ↗ |
| Brave Search | $5.00 | $50.00 | $500.00 | Prepaid Search planOfficial pricing ↗ |
| Exa fast / instant | $7.00 | $70.00 | $700.00 | Up to 10 results per requestOfficial pricing ↗ |
| Tavily basic | $8.00 | $80.00 | $800.00 | Pay as you go; 1 credit/searchOfficial pricing ↗ |
| Tavily advanced | $16.00 | $160.00 | $1600.00 | Pay as you go; 2 credits/searchOfficial pricing ↗ |
Free Search APIs, Credits and Monthly Plans
Use the plan that fits your expected monthly volume. Effective price = total plan spend ÷ searches used × 1,000. These offers were checked 19 September 2026.
TinyFish: free search with caps
Search is free within 30 requests per minute and 500 per hour. Spread requests within both limits; higher-throughput requirements need a separate plan discussion.
TinyFish official pricing ↗Tavily: credits and volume pricing
Basic uses 1 credit and advanced uses 2. Pay as you go is $0.008 per credit. The $500/month Growth plan includes 100,000 credits: $5 per 1,000 basic searches or $10 per 1,000 advanced searches when fully used. Free monthly allowance: 1,000 credits.
Tavily official pricing ↗Firecrawl: search credits and plan costs
Search uses 2 credits per 10 results. Hobby includes 5,000 credits for $19/month: $7.60 per 1,000 searches at full use. Standard includes 100,000 credits for $83/month billed annually; using all 50,000 searches gives $1.66 per 1,000.
Top-ups require a paid plan. Their equivalent rates are $10 / $5 / $4 / $2 per 1,000 searches on Hobby / Standard / Growth / Scale. The main table uses Standard’s $5 top-up rate. Free allowance: 1,000 credits/month, or 500 searches.
Firecrawl official pricing ↗Exa and Brave: free credits
Exa provides $20 at signup and $10 monthly credits; search costs $7 per 1,000 requests with up to 10 results. Brave’s $5 monthly Search credit covers 1,000 requests at its $5 rate. Shared credits can also fund other API features.
Exa official pricing ↗ · Brave official pricing ↗Cost-Effective Search: Price per Correct Answer
A lower query price is useful when the results also answer your questions. Divide price per 1,000 searches by accuracy as a fraction: $5 at 80% accuracy equals $6.25 per 1,000 correct answers.
Compare recorded cost per 1,000 correct answers
This supporting table uses the benchmark’s recorded search costs. The primary pricing table and current plan examples above explain today’s billing options.
| Rank | Vendor | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | $ / 1k correct | Accuracy | $ / 1k queries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TinyFishweb search | GET api.search.tinyfish.aifree · 30 req/min cap | Official docs ↗ | Free30 req/min cap | 92.0% | Free |
| 2 | Parallelweb search | POST /v1/searchmode=fast | Official docs ↗ | $1.16 | 86.0% | $1.00 |
| 3 | Parallelweb search | POST /v1/searchmode=turbo | Official docs ↗ | $1.40 | 71.3% | $1.00 |
| 4 | Nimbleweb search | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general | Official docs ↗ | $1.46 | 75.3% | $1.10 |
| 5 | SERPgoogle search | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.comlimit=10 | Official docs ↗ | $3.13 | 96.0% | $3.00 |
| 6 | Perplexityweb search | POST /searchsearch_context_size=low | Official docs ↗ | $5.14 | 97.3% | $5.00 |
| 7 | Linkupweb search | POST /v1/searchdepth=fast · outputType=searchResults | Official docs ↗ | $5.17 | 96.7% | $5.00 |
| 8 | Firecrawlweb search | POST /v2/search | Official docs ↗ | $5.24 | 95.3% | $5.00 |
| 9 | Brave Searchweb search | POST /res/v1/llm/contextcount=10 | Official docs ↗ | $5.32 | 94.0% | $5.00 |
| 10 | Parallelweb search | POST /v1/searchmode=basic | Official docs ↗ | $5.36 | 93.3% | $5.00 |
| 11 | Brave Searchweb search | GET /res/v1/web/searchcount=10 · result_filter=web | Official docs ↗ | $5.36 | 93.3% | $5.00 |
| 12 | Nimbleweb search | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general | Official docs ↗ | $5.38 | 93.0% | $5.00 |
| 13 | Linkupweb search | POST /v1/searchdepth=standard · outputType=searchResults | Official docs ↗ | $5.43 | 92.0% | $5.00 |
| 14 | Youweb search | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | Official docs ↗ | $5.43 | 92.0% | $5.00 |
| 15 | Youweb search | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights | Official docs ↗ | $5.51 | 90.7% | $5.00 |
| 16 | Exaweb search | POST /searchtype=fast | Official docs ↗ | $7.05 | 99.3% | $7.00 |
| 17 | Exaweb search | POST /searchtype=instant | Official docs ↗ | $7.17 | 97.7% | $7.00 |
| 18 | Tavilyweb search | POST /searchsearch_depth=basic | Official docs ↗ | $9.13 | 87.7% | $8.00 |
| 19 | Tavilyweb search | POST /searchsearch_depth=advanced | Official docs ↗ | $17.20 | 93.0% | $16.00 |
$ / 1k correct is $ / 1k queries divided by extracted-answer accuracy. Ranked by $ / 1k correct. Cost per 1,000 queries is the published PAYG list price, linked to the vendor pricing page. Not promotional packs or volume discounts. TinyFish Search is free with a 30 requests/min cap — $0 is not unlimited throughput.
Multiple Searches: Model Cost and Task Quality
For agents making several searches, model cost and answer quality also matter. These supporting tables use model spend divided by F1 across 45 company-discovery questions. Add search and scrape API fees when budgeting total application cost.
Multiple searches: model cost per task quality
| Provider | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | LLM $ / task quality | Task quality (F1) | LLM $ / run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | POST /searchsearch_context_size=low | Official docs ↗ | $0.665 | 37.8% | $0.252 |
| Firecrawl | POST /v2/searchfirecrawl | Official docs ↗ | $0.711 | 30.4% | $0.216 |
| Brave Search | GET /res/v1/web/searchbrave | Official docs ↗ | $0.738 | 28.0% | $0.207 |
| TinyFish | GET api.search.tinyfish.aitinyfish | Official docs ↗ | $0.784 | 26.6% | $0.209 |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general | Official docs ↗ | $0.825 | 24.1% | $0.199 |
| Parallel fast | POST /v1/search mode=fastparallel-fast | Official docs ↗ | $1.110 | 38.0% | $0.422 |
| Exa deep | POST /search type=deepexa-deep | Official docs ↗ | $1.119 | 45.4% | $0.508 |
| Parallel turbo | POST /v1/search mode=turboparallel-turbo | Official docs ↗ | $1.125 | 34.7% | $0.391 |
| Parallel advanced | POST /v1/search mode=advancedparallel-advanced | Official docs ↗ | $1.154 | 44.2% | $0.510 |
| Exa instant | POST /search type=instantexa-instant | Official docs ↗ | $1.193 | 43.3% | $0.517 |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general | Official docs ↗ | $1.276 | 30.7% | $0.392 |
| Tavily basic | POST /search search_depth=basictavily-basic | Official docs ↗ | $1.295 | 36.5% | $0.473 |
| Tavily advanced | POST /search search_depth=advancedtavily-advanced | Official docs ↗ | $1.727 | 41.1% | $0.709 |
| Linkup fast | POST /v1/search depth=fastlinkup-fast | Official docs ↗ | $1.881 | 41.1% | $0.774 |
| Linkup standard | POST /v1/search depth=standardlinkup-standard | Official docs ↗ | $1.911 | 40.6% | $0.776 |
| Parallel basic | POST /v1/search mode=basicparallel-basic | Official docs ↗ | $1.982 | 46.5% | $0.922 |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | Official docs ↗ | $2.025 | 38.1% | $0.771 |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights | Official docs ↗ | $2.119 | 38.6% | $0.818 |
| Seltz | POST /v1/search scope=companiesseltz-companies | Official docs ↗ | $9.953 | 14.5% | $1.446 |
| SERP (RapidAPI) | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.comserp | Official docs ↗ | $18.570 | 0.4% | $0.069 |
LLM $ / run is model cost only; search API cost is excluded because it dominates. LLM $ / task quality divides that by F1 (task completion quality). Ranked by LLM $ / task quality.
Multiple searches + scrape: model cost per task quality
| Provider | Endpoint & configuration | Official docs | LLM $ / task quality | Task quality (F1) | LLM $ / run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firecrawl | POST /v2/searchfirecrawl | Official docs ↗ | $0.710 | 33.2% | $0.236 |
| TinyFish | GET api.search.tinyfish.aitinyfish | Official docs ↗ | $0.715 | 30.2% | $0.216 |
| Brave Search | GET /res/v1/web/searchbrave | Official docs ↗ | $0.730 | 29.4% | $0.215 |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown] | Official docs ↗ | $0.884 | 25.8% | $0.228 |
| Perplexity | POST /searchsearch_context_size=high | Official docs ↗ | $0.921 | 46.6% | $0.429 |
| Exa deep | POST /search type=deepexa-deep | Official docs ↗ | $1.022 | 48.2% | $0.492 |
| Parallel fast | POST /v1/search mode=fastparallel-fast | Official docs ↗ | $1.044 | 39.3% | $0.410 |
| Parallel turbo | POST /v1/search mode=turboparallel-turbo | Official docs ↗ | $1.068 | 36.0% | $0.385 |
| Exa instant | POST /search type=instantexa-instant | Official docs ↗ | $1.161 | 44.9% | $0.521 |
| Parallel advanced | POST /v1/search mode=advancedparallel-advanced | Official docs ↗ | $1.198 | 42.2% | $0.506 |
| Tavily basic | POST /search search_depth=basictavily-basic | Official docs ↗ | $1.275 | 38.1% | $0.487 |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown] | Official docs ↗ | $1.315 | 31.3% | $0.412 |
| Tavily advanced | POST /search search_depth=advancedtavily-advanced | Official docs ↗ | $1.528 | 41.0% | $0.627 |
| Linkup standard | POST /v1/search depth=standardlinkup-standard | Official docs ↗ | $1.867 | 42.0% | $0.784 |
| Linkup fast | POST /v1/search depth=fastlinkup-fast | Official docs ↗ | $1.909 | 39.9% | $0.761 |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights | Official docs ↗ | $1.987 | 38.5% | $0.766 |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | Official docs ↗ | $2.045 | 38.5% | $0.788 |
| Parallel basic | POST /v1/search mode=basicparallel-basic | Official docs ↗ | $2.238 | 42.3% | $0.947 |
| Seltz | POST /v1/search scope=companiesseltz-companies | Official docs ↗ | $9.015 | 16.3% | $1.467 |
| SERP (RapidAPI) | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.comserp | Official docs ↗ | — | 0.0% | $0.069 |
LLM $ / run is model cost only; search API cost is excluded because it dominates. LLM $ / task quality divides that by F1 (task completion quality). Ranked by LLM $ / task quality.
How We Compare Search Price, Accuracy and Speed
The benchmark uses 300 company-news questions, one search per question and up to 10 results. Each API receives the same questions; the answer model and judge stay constant. Accuracy is the share answered correctly from the returned evidence. Speed is measured mean API response time. The code and public dataset sample are available, with a held-out scoring set.
Price is the listed rate for the specified endpoint, mode and billing basis. Discounts, result count, subscription use and extra features change effective cost. Benchmark measurement dates and pricing review dates are kept separate. Nimble standard and SERP retain their recorded 1 September rates, marked in the table.
Open source code ↗ · Public dataset sample ↗ · Full search benchmark →
Search API Pricing FAQ
What is the cheapest web search API for AI?
TinyFish has the lowest listed search price on this board at $0.00 per 1,000 queries. TinyFish’s free Search API allows 30 requests per minute and 500 per hour. Parallel fast and Parallel turbo have the lowest listed paid unit rate at $1.00 per 1,000 queries. Compare each mode’s accuracy, speed, billing basis and limits in the main table.
How much do Exa, Tavily, Parallel, Brave and Firecrawl cost per 1,000 searches?
Exa fast and instant cost $7. Parallel turbo and fast cost $1; basic and advanced cost $5. Brave Search costs $5. Tavily basic costs $8 and advanced $16 at its pay-as-you-go credit rate. These rates cover the named search modes before free credits. Firecrawl’s Standard-plan top-ups work out to $5 per 1,000 searches returning 10 results, plus the required subscription. Its bundled and top-up rates vary by plan.
Which cheap search API has the best accuracy and speed?
Exa fast has the best measured search accuracy at 99.3%; Parallel turbo has the fastest average search time at 348ms on this board. Use these measured results alongside request pricing to choose a mode for your AI application.
How much would 100,000 web searches cost?
Before free credits, 100,000 requests cost $100 on Parallel fast or turbo, $500 on Brave Search, $700 on Exa fast or instant, $800 on Tavily basic pay as you go, or $1,600 on Tavily advanced pay as you go. Tavily’s fully used $500 Growth plan covers 100,000 basic searches. Search-only estimates use the stated result limits; application model tokens and additional scrape calls add to the budget.
Which web search APIs have free plans or credits?
TinyFish Search is free within its rate limits. Exa offers $20 signup credits and $10 monthly credits. Tavily provides 1,000 free monthly credits, enough for 1,000 basic or 500 advanced searches. Brave includes $5 in monthly Search credits. Firecrawl provides 1,000 monthly credits, equivalent to 500 searches with 10 results each. These allowances can be shared with other API features.
How do pricing plans change the cheapest option?
Compare total spend at your expected monthly usage. Tavily Growth is $500 for 100,000 credits: $5 per 1,000 basic searches when fully used. Firecrawl Hobby is $19 monthly for 5,000 credits: $7.60 per 1,000 searches when all credits fund 10-result searches. Unused credits increase effective cost per search; subscriptions and top-ups have different rates.
What does cost per 1,000 correct answers mean?
Divide the cost of 1,000 queries by accuracy as a fraction. A $5 rate with 80% accuracy gives $6.25 per 1,000 correct answers. The supporting cost-efficiency table uses recorded benchmark costs and accuracy. The main table ranks the stated request prices, with plan conditions beside them.
How is search accuracy measured?
The benchmark uses 300 company-news questions, one search per question and up to 10 results. Each API receives the same questions; the answer model and judge stay constant. Accuracy is the share answered correctly from the returned evidence. Speed is measured mean API response time. The code and public dataset sample are available, with a held-out scoring set.
What should I budget for agents and RAG beyond search requests?
Budget for LLM tokens, repeated searches, optional summaries and extra scrape calls. The supporting multiple-search tables measure model dollars per unit of task quality: model cost divided by F1 as a fraction. That metric covers model spend only; add search and scrape fees to estimate the application’s total cost.