A SERP API turns Google search results into clean, structured JSON, with no CAPTCHAs, no proxy juggling, and no scraper that breaks every time Google ships a UI change. It’s what powers SEO tools, rank trackers, lead-gen pipelines, and AI agents that need live search data.
But 2026 reshuffled the deck. Google removed the num=100 parameter in September 2025, AI Overviews now show up on roughly half of all queries, and Google’s official Custom Search JSON API is being sunset by January 2027. The result: prices moved, parsing got harder, and a few providers pulled ahead.
I tested, priced, and ranked 10 SERP APIs against that reality, covering everything from premium multi-engine platforms to the cheapest pay-as-you-go options.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- The best SERP API for each use case
- What actually changed in 2026 (and why it matters)
- A deep dive on all 10 tools, with pricing, pros, cons, and features
- Real cost per 1,000 requests, side by side
The best SERP APIs at a glance
Here’s how the top 10 stack up. Click any tool to jump straight to its full breakdown below.
| Tool | Best for | Starts at | Free trial | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrape Creators | Cheap Google + social data | $1.88/1k | 100 credits | Pay-as-you-go |
| SerpApi | Widest engine coverage (80+) | $75/mo | 250/mo | Subscription |
| Serper | Fast, cheap Google for AI agents | $0.30/1k | 2,500 searches | Usage-based |
| SearchApi | Multi-engine + AI search | $40/mo | 100 searches | Subscription |
| ScraperAPI | Structured Google endpoints | $49/mo | 5,000 credits | Subscription |
| Bright Data | Enterprise multi-engine | $1.50/1k | $5 credit | PAYG + sub |
| Oxylabs | Premium proxy-backed + Fast API | ~$1/1k | 7-day trial | Subscription |
| DataForSEO | Bulk SERP at lowest base rate | $0.60/1k | $1 credit | Pay-as-you-go |
| Scrapingdog | Budget all-rounder, fast | $40/mo | 1,000 credits | Subscription |
| Decodo | Affordable Google + Bing | $19/mo | $1 / 14-day | Subscription |
What changed for SERP APIs in 2026
Before the tools, three shifts that should frame your decision:
- The
num=100parameter is gone. Google removed it on September 11, 2025. Every SERP API now paginates 10 results at a time, so deep rank tracking (top 100) costs roughly 5 to 10 times a single page. Watch the true cost, not the headline rate. - AI Overviews are everywhere. They trigger on close to half of tracked queries. A SERP API that doesn’t parse the generative block returns an incomplete page. Most premium tools now parse it; budget tools often skip it.
- The official Custom Search JSON API is dying. Google closed it to new customers and will shut it down by January 1, 2027. Thousands of teams that built on it need a real SERP API as their migration path.
The takeaway: pick a provider whose pricing model and parsing depth match how you actually query, not just the cheapest number on the pricing page.
The 10 best SERP APIs in 2026
Here’s the full breakdown. Each tool is rated on what it’s genuinely best at, with real pricing, pros, and cons.
Let's be honest up front: Scrape Creators is not a full SERP platform. Its Google Search endpoint returns organic results (url, title, and description) with optional country targeting. That's it. No Maps, no Shopping carousels, no AI Overview parsing. It was built for social media and ad-library data (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, Reddit, LinkedIn, Meta & Google Ad Libraries), and Google Search was added because the founder needed it himself. The upside is real, though: it's cheaper, pay-as-you-go, and never locks you into a monthly plan. So if you just need plain Google results plus social data from one key, it's the most cost-effective option here.
- True pay-as-you-go, no subscription, credits never expire
- Cheapest way to start: 100 free credits, no credit card
- One API for Google Search and every major social platform
- Clean JSON, fast setup, unlimited concurrency
- Basic results only: no ads, Maps, Shopping, or knowledge panels
- No AI Overview parsing
- Google only, no Bing, Yandex, or Baidu
- Not built for deep SERP-feature SEO tools
SerpApi has the broadest engine catalog in the category, with 80+ engines including Google Search, Maps, Images, Jobs, Shopping, News, Scholar, plus Bing, Baidu, Yandex, eBay, YouTube, Amazon, and Walmart. Founded in 2015, it's the most mature option, with best-in-class documentation, AI Overview parsing, and selector fixes that usually land within hours of a Google UI change. The trade-off is price: it's the most expensive at the entry tier, and bundle pricing creates friction during launch spikes.
- Widest engine catalog of any SERP API
- Documentation depth is the category gold standard
- AI Overview parsing with cited sources
- Reliable when Google ships layout changes
- Highest effective per-call rate at the entry tier
- Each batch of 10 results counts as a search, so n=100 gets pricey
- Monthly bundles, not pay-as-you-go
Serper is built around speed and simplicity. Clean single-purpose Google Search, Images, and News endpoints with sub-second to roughly 2s response times and a genuinely generous free tier. It's the go-to for AI agents, LLM web search, and lightweight rank trackers that just need fast, parseable JSON at the lowest credible entry price.
- Lowest entry price among reliably-built SERP APIs
- Very fast response times, even at peak load
- Generous 2,500-search free tier
- Clean, easy-to-parse JSON, ideal for agents
- Narrow vertical coverage, no Jobs, Shopping, or Maps depth
- Limited AI Overview parsing
- More than 10 results per query costs 2 credits
- Credits expire after 6 months; email-only support
SearchApi (SearchAPI.io) sits between Serper and SerpApi on both price and breadth. One API covers Google, Bing, YouTube, ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity, with AI Overview parsing built in, making it one of the few mid-tier tools to track the new AI surfaces. Its Production plan ($100/mo for 35k searches, ~$2.86/1k) is competitive for teams that want more than Google without SerpApi's premium.
- Multi-engine + ChatGPT/Perplexity coverage at mid pricing
- AI Overview parsing included
- Cleaner API than DataForSEO, less ergonomic friction
- Narrower engine catalog than SerpApi (no Baidu, Yandex, Naver)
- Newer, less established procurement profile
- Bundle pricing, the same launch-spike friction as SerpApi
ScraperAPI pairs a 40M+ IP proxy pool and a 99.9% success rate with structured JSON endpoints for Google Search, News, Shopping, and Jobs, all included on every plan with no extra fees. Add JS rendering, geotargeting, a DataPipeline scheduler, and an async scraper for millions of requests, and it's one of the most affordable and scalable all-in-one options for teams that live mostly in Google.
- Structured Google endpoints on every plan, no extra fees
- Huge proxy pool with a 99.9% success rate
- DataPipeline scheduler + async scraper for scale
- Geotargeting and JS rendering included
- Structured endpoints are Google-only (no other engines)
- Credits-per-request math can get confusing (1 to 75 credits)
- Premium proxies and JS rendering raise effective cost
Bright Data is the enterprise heavyweight. Its SERP API runs on an "Ultra Fast" infrastructure that keeps success rates near 100% even at massive scale, returns structured JSON or HTML, and supports global geotargeting plus AI Overview parsing. A SERP API Playground lets you preview results before integrating. It's powerful, but priced for businesses, not hobbyists.
- Ultra-fast infrastructure, near-100% success at scale
- Structured SERP data in JSON or HTML
- Excellent Playground for testing
- Massive global geotargeting
- High-tier plans are aimed at enterprise budgets
- Pricier than budget options
- Overkill for small projects
Oxylabs runs one of the largest, best-performing proxy networks, and its Web Scraper API is among the most feature-complete tools available, with city and coordinate-level targeting, CSV output, batch delivery via webhook, and the OxyCopilot AI assistant. Its separate Fast API returns 95% of requests in under 1.11 seconds. The catch is premium pricing and a "results"-based model that can confuse newcomers.
- One of the best proxy networks, near-perfect Google success
- Fast API: 95% of requests under 1.11s
- City and coordinate-level geotargeting, CSV output
- Playground, strong docs, OxyCopilot AI assistant
- Premium pricing, not ideal for small projects
- Vague "results" definition in pricing
- More to learn than a simple JSON API
DataForSEO is a horizontal SEO data platform with 60+ endpoints spanning SERP, Keywords, Backlinks, On-Page, and Domain Analytics. After a ~80% price cut in September 2025, its Standard queue ($0.60/1k) is the lowest base rate in the category; at 1M searches/month it runs roughly $600 vs SerpApi's ~$7,000. The trade-off is queued (non-real-time) latency and the integration overhead of a 60-endpoint platform.
- Lowest base SERP rate after the 2025 price cut
- One vendor for SERP + backlinks + keywords + on-page
- Async task model scales for big keyword batches
- True pay-as-you-go, no monthly minimum
- Standard queue can take ~5 minutes, so it's not real-time
- Complex docs and 60+ endpoints to integrate
- AI Overview enrichment doubles first-page cost
- $50 minimum deposit to start
Scrapingdog's Google SERP API delivers raw and parsed results with the fastest response time in its own benchmarks (~1.83s) and the lowest effective price at scale (down to ~$0.00029/request). It's been around 5+ years, ships docs in every major language (curl to Java), and recently added a Universal Search API across multiple engines. A dependable, budget-friendly all-rounder.
- Fastest response time in its own tests (~1.83s)
- Very low effective price at high volume
- Docs in every major language; 1,000 free credits
- 5+ years in market, so it's stable and reliable
- Less SERP-feature and AI Overview depth than SerpApi
- Benchmarks are self-published
- Fewer specialized verticals
Decodo's Web Scraping API now includes a SERP Scraper for Google and Bing, running on its excellent global proxy network. You get scraping templates (Search with AI Overview, AI Mode, Lens, Ads), optional JS rendering, and outputs in HTML, JSON, Markdown, or PNG, all at one of the lowest entry prices in the category. The one catch is there's no pay-as-you-go option.
- One of the lowest entry prices in the category
- Excellent global proxy infrastructure
- Templates for AI Overview, AI Mode, Lens, and Ads
- Outputs in HTML, JSON, Markdown, or PNG
- No pay-as-you-go option
- Primarily a proxy provider, so SERP is secondary
- Higher latency than the fastest tools in some tests
Other SERP APIs worth knowing
A few more solid options didn’t make the top 10 but deserve a mention: Apify (a marketplace of pre-built Google scraper “Actors”), Zyte API (advanced proxy management with a built-in parser), ScrapingBee (developer-friendly Google API with transparent credit pricing), HasData (clean, LLM-friendly JSON), NetNut (enterprise SERP scraper), and cloro plus SE Ranking for teams that need cross-surface AI search tracking (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) alongside classic SERP data.
SERP API pricing compared
Headline prices are misleading after the num=100 change. The real number is cost per 1,000 requests at the depth you actually query, plus whether you’re locked into a monthly plan. Here’s how they stack up:
| Provider | Entry price | Effective cost / 1k | Free to try | No monthly lock-in? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serper | $50/mo or PAYG | $0.30 → $1 | 2,500 searches | ✅ Usage-based |
| DataForSEO | $50 deposit | $0.60 → $2 | $1 credit | ✅ Pay-as-you-go |
| Decodo | $19/mo | ~$0.50 → $0.95 | $1 / 14-day | ❌ Subscription |
| Scrapingdog | $40/mo | ~$1 → $0.29 | 1,000 credits | ❌ Subscription |
| Scrape Creators | Pay-as-you-go | $1.88 → $0.99 | 100 credits | ✅ Pay-as-you-go |
| Oxylabs | $49/mo | ~$1 | 7-day trial | ❌ Subscription |
| Bright Data | $1.50/1k PAYG | $1.50 → $1.00 | $5 credit | ✅ PAYG option |
| SearchApi | $40/mo | $4 → $2.86 | 100 searches | ❌ Subscription |
| ScraperAPI | $49/mo | varies (1 to 75 credits) | 5,000 credits | ❌ Subscription |
| SerpApi | $75/mo | $15 → $9 | 250/mo | ❌ Subscription |
A note on comparing prices: some tools charge per search, others per result or per credit, and AI Overview parsing or deep pagination (n=100) can multiply the headline rate. If your usage is spiky or seasonal, a pay-as-you-go model (Scrape Creators, DataForSEO, Serper) almost always beats a subscription you don’t fully use.
How to choose the right SERP API
There’s no single “best”, just the best for your workload. Match the use case to the pick:
| If you need… | Go with |
|---|---|
| The cheapest results with no subscription | Scrape Creators or DataForSEO |
| Google results + social data from one API | Scrape Creators |
| 80+ engines and the deepest SERP parsing | SerpApi |
| Fast, cheap Google for an AI agent | Serper |
| Multi-engine + ChatGPT/Perplexity tracking | SearchApi |
| Structured Google Search/News/Shopping/Jobs | ScraperAPI |
| Enterprise reliability at massive scale | Bright Data or Oxylabs |
| Bulk rank tracking at the lowest base rate | DataForSEO |
If you need a full-featured SERP product (ads, Maps, Shopping, knowledge panels, AI Overviews), go with SerpApi, SearchApi, or DataForSEO. But if you just need plain Google organic results (url, title, description) and you also want social and ad-library data, Scrape Creators gives you both from one key, pay-as-you-go, with no monthly commitment and 100 free credits to start.
Why use a SERP API instead of building your own
You could write your own Google scraper. Maintaining it is the problem. Google blocks scrapers after roughly 100 requests from one IP, the SERP layout changes constantly, and the JavaScript-heavy page hides AI Overviews, People Also Ask, and ad sitelinks behind rendering. A SERP API hands you:
- Anonymity. Every request rotates through a fresh IP, so you don’t get blocked.
- Parsed data. Clean JSON (or raw HTML when you want it), with no brittle selectors to maintain.
- Localization. Country, city, even coordinate-level results on demand.
- Production reliability. The provider absorbs CAPTCHAs, proxy rotation, and layout changes.
For anything beyond a weekend script, that’s hours of maintenance you never have to do.
Final thoughts
The SERP API market in 2026 rewards matching the tool to the job. SerpApi still wins on breadth and parsing depth. Serper is the fast, cheap pick for AI agents. DataForSEO is unbeatable on base rate for bulk SEO. Bright Data and Oxylabs own the enterprise tier.
And if your project just needs plain Google results without the subscription, especially alongside TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, or ad-library data, Scrape Creators is the cheapest, most flexible way in. It’s not the most detailed SERP API, and it’s not trying to be. It’s the one you reach for when you want clean data, pay-as-you-go pricing, and credits that never expire.
Start with 100 free credits (no credit card required) and pull your first Google results in under a minute.
