The Best SERP APIs in 2026, Tested and Compared

The best SERP API depends on what you need it for. Scrapingdog and Serper have the lowest published rates, SerpApi covers the most engines, and DataForSEO is a good fit for rank tracking when results don’t need to arrive instantly. Zenserp offers straightforward per-search pricing across Google, Bing, and Yandex. We checked the figures against vendor pages in October 2026.

In this SERP API review, we’ll compare eight popular tools side by side. Zenserp publishes this guide and appears first, so we’ve used each competitor’s own pages for their figures. Where another tool beats Zenserp on price or free usage, we’ve included that too. If you’re thinking about switching providers, our SERP API alternative guide can help.

Key Takeaways

• Scrapingdog (0.29)andSerper(0.30) have the lowest published rates per 1,000 searches.
• SerpApi covers the most engines and services, but it’s also the most expensive per search.
• DataForSEO’s Standard queue costs $0.60 per 1,000 searches, but results take minutes.
• Zenserp costs $2.00 to $0.90 per 1,000 searches, with 50 free searches per month.
• Speed figures come from vendors, not our own tests. Run your own queries before choosing a provider.

The Comparison Table

Let’s start with the numbers. This SERP API comparison gives you a quick look at pricing, engine coverage, free tiers, and rate limits.

Verified October 23, 2026, using each vendor’s pricing page, documentation, or homepage. n/p means the figure wasn’t published on the page we checked. Oxylabs and Bright Data charge per result, while DataForSEO charges per SERP page of up to 10 results.

The table gives you the big picture. Let’s look at what each tool offers and where it makes sense to use it.

The Eight Tools, One by One

Each provider has its own strengths, so the cheapest option isn’t necessarily the right one for your project.

Zenserp

Zenserp returns JSON results for Google, Bing, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo. Its Google endpoints cover images, news, maps, shopping, trends, and reverse image, along with YouTube.

Paid plans start at $49.99 for 25,000 searches and go up to $899 for 1,000,000 searches. That works out to $2.00 to $0.90 per 1,000 searches. Only successful requests count, and there’s a batch endpoint for larger keyword lists. The homepage claims responses in under 500 ms.

Zenserp isn’t the cheapest option here. Its free tier is limited to 50 searches a month, and it supports fewer engines than SerpApi. Still, it’s worth considering if you want predictable per-search pricing across Google, Bing, and Yandex. You can find all the available plans on its pricing page.

SerpApi

If you need broad coverage, SerpApi is worth a look. Its website lists nine search engines, 32 Google services, and sources such as Amazon, Walmart, Yelp, and Zillow.

Plans start at $25 for 1,000 searches and go up to $275 for 30,000, which works out to $25.00 to $9.17 per 1,000 searches. Only successful searches count, and a response containing 100 results still counts as one search.

Hourly throughput ranges from 200 requests on Starter to 6,000 on Big Data. Every plan includes a U.S. Legal Shield, and the free plan gives you 250 searches a month.

The main downside is price. Based on published rates, SerpApi is the most expensive option in this comparison, and Enterprise pricing isn’t listed publicly. It’s a good fit for teams that need broad coverage and legal protection. Our Zenserp vs SerpApi comparison covers pricing, speed, and coverage in more detail.

Serper

Serper focuses on Google search results, including web, images, news, maps, places, videos, shopping, Scholar, patents, and autocomplete.

Pricing ranges from $1.00 to $0.30 per 1,000 queries, depending on the plan. New accounts get 2,500 free queries without a credit card. Paid plans offer rate limits ranging from 50 to 300 queries per second.

Serper is a good option for prototypes, AI agents, and other projects that need affordable Google search results. However, if you need results from Bing, Yandex, or other search engines, you’ll need to look at another provider.

Bright Data

Bright Data combines its SERP API with a large proxy network. Its prices start at $1.50 per 1,000 results, dropping to $1.00 at higher volumes, with pay-per-success billing.

Supported engines include Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Naver, and Baidu. New accounts receive 5,000 free credits a month, except when using custom pay-as-you-go or subscription plans.

Unfunded free accounts have a default limit of 1,000 requests per minute.

Bright Data is worth considering if you need a generous free allowance and enterprise-level infrastructure. If that feels like more than your project needs, check out our Bright Data alternatives.

DataForSEO

DataForSEO charges per SERP page containing up to 10 organic results. You can choose between three modes depending on how quickly you need the data.

The Standard queue costs $0.60 per 1,000 searches, with delivery averaging about five minutes. Priority costs $1.20 per 1,000 and returns results in up to one minute. Live costs $2.00 per 1,000 and returns results in up to six seconds. Additional pages cost 25% less than the first page.

Coverage includes Google Organic, AI Mode, Maps, News, Images, Jobs, Ads, and more, along with YouTube, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Naver, and Seznam. The pricing page doesn’t specify a free credit amount.

DataForSEO works well for rank tracking and daily keyword checks where waiting a few minutes isn’t a problem. For real-time applications, you’ll likely need the more expensive Live option.

Oxylabs

Oxylabs offers SERP targets through its Web Scraper API, covering Google, Baidu, Bing, and Yandex.

Google pricing depends on whether you need JavaScript rendering. Without it, prices range from $1.00 per 1,000 results down to $0.50 at 5 million or more results. With JavaScript rendering, prices range from $1.35 to $0.90. New accounts get a $5 welcome credit.

The product page claims an average response time of 6.04 seconds and says responses generally arrive in under 10 seconds. Billing covers successfully delivered results, and the page counts both 2xx and 4xx responses as successful. Rate limits aren’t published.

Oxylabs makes sense for high-volume Google data collection when cost per result and proxy infrastructure matter more than response speed.

SearchAPI

SearchAPI offers eight public plans, starting at $40 for 10,000 searches ($4.00 per 1,000) and reaching $5,000 for 5,000,000 searches ($1.00 per 1,000).

Its pricing page lists Google, Bing, Amazon, YouTube, and several other APIs. New accounts get 100 free requests without a card, and only successful searches returning a 200 status are charged.

There’s one limit to keep in mind: usage is capped at 20% of plan credits per hour. This can affect jobs that send lots of requests at once.

Every plan lists a 99.9% SLA, while Production and higher plans include a legal protection guarantee. The pricing page doesn’t publish a response-time figure.

SearchAPI is worth considering if you want one provider for several engines at a mid-range price. Just keep in mind that its entry-level rate is the second highest in this comparison.

Scrapingdog

Scrapingdog uses credits instead of charging directly per search. A standard Google search costs 5 credits, while advanced and mobile searches cost 10.

The Lite plan costs $40 for 200,000 credits, enough for 40,000 standard searches. That’s $1.00 per 1,000 searches. The Premium plan costs $350 for 6,000,000 credits, enough for 1,200,000 searches, bringing the rate down to $0.29 per 1,000 searches. That’s the lowest published rate we found.

Concurrency ranges from 5 on Lite to 150 on Premium. The free plan includes 100 credits, or 20 standard Google searches, without a card. The Google endpoint returns up to 10 results per page.

Scrapingdog doesn’t publish a speed claim for its own service. It’s a good option for high-volume Google searches on a tight budget, but make sure you convert credits into actual searches before comparing plans.

Now that we’ve looked at each tool, let’s rank them by price.

Price per 1,000 Searches, Ranked

The lowest published rate gives us a quick way to compare costs, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

The chart uses each provider’s lowest published rate, which usually applies at higher volumes. The table below also includes entry-level pricing, which is more useful if you’re running a smaller project.

Verified October 2026. Per-1,000 figures are calculated by dividing the plan price by the included searches. Scrapingdog’s figures account for 5 credits per standard search.

Volume makes a big difference. At around 25,000 searches a month, DataForSEO’s Standard queue costs about $15, Scrapingdog’s Lite plan costs $40 and covers 40,000 searches, and Zenserp’s Small plan costs $49.99. SerpApi’s closest plan, Big Data, costs $275 for 30,000 searches.

Price is only one part of the decision. Let’s match the tools to different use cases.

Which SERP API for Which Job

The best SERP API for you depends on what you’re building, how much data you need, and how quickly you need it.

• Agency rank tracking: If daily keyword checks can wait, DataForSEO’s Standard queue at $0.60 per 1,000 is hard to beat on price. Choose Zenserp, DataForSEO Live, or Priority when you need results sooner.
• AI agents: AI agents often need quick answers and one request per query. Serper (claimed 1 to 2 seconds, from $0.30), Zenserp (claimed under 500 ms), and Bright Data (claimed under one second) are worth comparing. Remember, these are vendor claims.
• One-off research: Start with free tiers. Bright Data offers 5,000 credits a month, while Serper provides 2,500 queries. SerpApi gives you 250 searches a month, and Zenserp gives you 50.
• High-volume projects: Scrapingdog (0.29),Oxylabs(0.50), and Zenserp Enterprise ($0.90) have some of the lowest published rates. Check rate limits before deciding. SerpApi is worth considering when coverage and legal protection matter more than price.

We’ve covered the pricing and use cases. Here’s how we verified the information in this comparison.

How We Tested

This comparison focuses on verifying published information rather than running performance benchmarks. Every price, rate limit, and engine list came from the vendors’ own pricing pages, documentation, or homepages on October 23, 2026. We calculated the per-1,000 rates in code by dividing each plan’s price by its included searches.

We didn’t measure response times ourselves. The figures below are claims published by the vendors, and they may come from different testing methods.

Verified October 2026.

We picked eight of the top SERP APIs with public pricing and Google coverage. Pricing pages can change, so check the current rates before signing up. If you want to compare actual response times, send the same 100 queries to each service using your own API keys and compare the median response time.

Sources checked: Zenserp pricing, SerpApi pricing and engines, Serper, Bright Data free tier, DataForSEO pricing, Google organic rates and pricing update, Oxylabs, SearchAPI, and Scrapingdog documentation and pricing.

Conclusion

There’s no single best SERP API for every project. Your choice comes down to search volume, engine coverage, and how quickly you need results.

Scrapingdog and Serper have the lowest published rates. SerpApi offers the broadest coverage, while DataForSEO is a good fit when results can wait. Zenserp gives you straightforward per-search pricing across Google, Bing, and Yandex, ranging from $2.00 to $0.90 per 1,000 searches.

The easiest way to decide is to test your own queries. Create a free Zenserp API key, use your 50 monthly searches, and compare the JSON responses with other providers. If you’re switching from another service, take a look at our SERP API alternative guide.

FAQs

Here are a few common questions to help you choose the right SERP API.

What is the best SERP API?

There’s no single winner for every use case. Scrapingdog and Serper have the lowest published rates, SerpApi offers the widest coverage, DataForSEO suits rank tracking that doesn’t need instant results, and Zenserp provides straightforward per-search pricing across Google, Bing, and Yandex. Try a few queries before making your choice.

How much does a SERP API cost per 1,000 searches?

Published rates range from about $0.29 to $9.17 per 1,000 searches at the vendors’ lowest published rates. Entry rates range from $0.60 for DataForSEO’s Standard queue to $25.00 for SerpApi’s Starter plan. Since some providers charge per result or use credits, compare the cost per successful search.

Which SERP APIs have a free tier?

Bright Data offers 5,000 credits a month, Serper provides 2,500 free queries, SerpApi gives 250 searches a month, SearchAPI offers 100 requests, and Zenserp provides 50 searches a month. Scrapingdog gives 100 credits, enough for 20 standard Google searches. Oxylabs offers a $5 welcome credit, while DataForSEO doesn’t list a free credit amount on its pricing page.

Is Zenserp cheaper than SerpApi?

Yes, based on their published prices. Zenserp’s paid plans range from $2.00 to $0.90 per 1,000 searches, while SerpApi’s range from $25.00 to $9.17. However, SerpApi supports more engines and Google services, so the cheaper option isn’t always the better fit. Our Zenserp vs SerpApi comparison explains the differences in more detail.