9 Best SerpApi Alternatives in 2026: Cheaper Google SERP APIs Compared

By Rajesh Kannan, Co-Founder & CTO, Gramosoft · Last updated: October 27, 2026 · Plans and per-search costs checked on each vendor's own pricing page or docs on October 27, 2026

SerpApi is the best-known way to get search results as JSON, and one of the most expensive. Its Developer plan is $75 for 5,000 searches, or $15 per 1,000, and every plan caps how many searches you can run per hour. Here are nine cheaper alternatives, GcrawlAI first, with each vendor's price from its own page, what 10,000 and 100,000 searches a month cost on each, and when SerpApi is still the better buy.

The 9 best SerpApi alternatives in 2026

Every API here takes a query and a country and returns ranked results as JSON, with proxies and blocking handled on the vendor's side. What differs is the price per search, how much of the results page gets parsed, and what else the same key can do. GcrawlAI leads because a search and a page fetch cost one request each.

1. GcrawlAI: search and scrape on one key, one request each

Best for: rank trackers, research agents and RAG pipelines that read the pages behind the results · License: MIT core, managed Cloud API · Language: Python SDK (gcrawl-sdk 0.5.8), REST, MCP

GcrawlAI's Search API returns ranked web results for a query and a country, each with its position, title, URL and description. Most SerpApi users then fetch the top pages with a second vendor. On GcrawlAI that's the same key and the same quota: a search is one request, and scraping a result page is one more, rendering and proxies included.

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• Search API: query, page number and country, plus a uule value for city-level results. Deep Search queries several engines and merges them into one ranked list.
• Read the results: scrape any result URL into clean Markdown or HTML, with JavaScript rendering, residential IP rotation and anti-bot escalation in the one request.
• Bulk jobs: batch runs and async jobs with webhooks for nightly rank checks, plus crawl, map and screenshots on mobile, tablet and desktop.
• AI agents: an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other agents, so search and page reading are two tools on one account.
• Try it first: the Playground and docs run the same API, and the changelog lists what shipped.
• Self-host: the MIT-licensed core includes the Search API and runs on your servers with FastAPI, Celery, Redis, PostgreSQL and stealth Playwright.

A search, then the top three result pages as Markdown, with the Python SDK:

# pip install gcrawl-sdk
from gcrawl_sdk import GcrawlClient, ScrapeOptions

client = GcrawlClient(api_key="gc-YOUR_API_KEY")   # or GCRAWL_API_KEY; base_url="http://localhost:8000" when self-hosted

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # 1 request: ranked results for a query, in a country
    res = client.search(query="best project management software", pagination=1, geo="US")
    for item in res.results[:5]:
        print(item.position, item.title, item.url)

    # 1 request per page: read the top results as Markdown, on the same key and quota
    for item in res.results[:3]:
        page = client.scrape(url=item.url, options=ScrapeOptions(markdown_enabled=True, proxy_geo="US"), wait=True)
        print(item.url, len(page.markdown or ""), "chars of Markdown")

The same search over plain HTTP:

curl -X POST https://gcrawlai.com/gc/api/v1/search \
  -H "X-API-Key: gc-YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "best project management software", "pagination": 1, "geo": "US"}'

And the self-hosted core, if the data must stay on your own servers:

git clone https://github.com/GramosoftAI/GcrawlAI.git && cd GcrawlAI
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt && playwright install
cp .env.example .env                      # add your database, Redis and proxy settings
python -m api.core.db_setup
redis-server &
celery -A web_crawler.crawler.celery_config worker -l info &
uvicorn api.api:app --port 8000

Pricing (GcrawlAI pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

A search is one request, failed requests are never charged, and unused requests on paid plans roll over once. Annual billing gives two months free. Concurrency and overage rates are in the cost section below.

Where it falls short: GcrawlAI returns organic results, not SerpApi's full page breakdown. There are no parsed AI Overview, People Also Ask, ads, local pack or knowledge panel fields, no language parameter, and no dedicated Maps, Shopping, Jobs or Scholar endpoints. At high volume, DataForSEO's queue and Serper's large packs cost less per raw results page. The ecosystem is younger, and self-hosting means bringing your own proxy accounts.

"Most SerpApi bills we look at are paying for capacity, not searches. A tracker that checks 10,000 keywords a month gets pushed onto a 15,000-search plan with an hourly cap. It should pay for the searches it ran, and nothing for the ones that failed."

Rajesh Kannan, Co-Founder & CTO at Gramosoft

2. Serper: the cheapest fast Google lookups

Best for: LLM tool calls and quick lookups that need Google results in a second or two · Type: Google-only SERP API

Serper does one job: Google results as JSON, sold as prepaid credit packs instead of a monthly plan. One credit buys one successful query, and it has separate endpoints for images, news, maps, places and shopping. CrewAI and LangChain ship ready-made Serper tools, so it's often already wired into agent code.

Pricing (serper.dev, checked October 27, 2026):

One credit buys one successful query, and credits expire 6 months after purchase. We couldn't load serper.dev from our test environment, so these are its published packs as several October 2026 comparisons quote them. Check the page before you buy.

Where it falls short: Google only. Its site doesn't list parsed AI Overview output or a page-reading API, so reading the result pages needs a second vendor. Credits you don't use in 6 months are lost.

3. SearchApi: closest to SerpApi on breadth

Best for: teams that want SerpApi-style coverage of many engines at a lower price · Type: multi-engine SERP API

SearchApi works like SerpApi: one endpoint, an engine parameter, parsed JSON for Google and many other engines. Moving over is mostly a change of endpoint and a check of field names. Only successful searches are billed.

Pricing (SearchApi pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

"Only successful searches with a 200 status code incur charges." From Production up, a Legal Protection Guarantee covers up to $2M.

Where it falls short: you can use only 20% of a plan's credits in any hour, so a burst job hits the cap. It's still a monthly bundle sized to your peak, and at $2.50 to $4 per 1,000 on the smaller plans it's well above Serper or DataForSEO.

4. DataForSEO: the lowest price if you can wait

Best for: scheduled rank tracking and SEO datasets where results can arrive minutes later · Type: SEO data platform with a SERP API

DataForSEO sells SERP data per task, in three speeds. You post a task to a queue and collect it later, or pay more for a live answer. It also sells keyword, backlink and on-page APIs under the same account, which is why SEO tool builders like it. We compared it with GcrawlAI in detail in our DataForSEO alternative guide.

Pricing (DataForSEO Google Organic pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

A results page holds up to 10 organic results. Each extra 10 results adds one base price, the AI Overview adds one, and a search operator such as site: multiplies the price by 5.

Where it falls short: the queue model doesn't suit real-time lookups or agents, and the price moves with depth, operators and add-ons, so budget from your real parameters. The API surface is large and takes time to learn.

5. Scrapingdog: a low monthly price with shared credits

Best for: small teams that want SERP data and general scraping on one cheap plan · Type: scraping API with Google Search and AI Mode endpoints

Scrapingdog sells one pool of credits for all its APIs. Its Google Search API page says a request costs 5 credits and that only successful requests are charged. That makes its mid-tier plans some of the cheapest monthly SERP options here.

Pricing (Scrapingdog pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

Searches per plan assume every credit goes to search. Annual billing adds two months.

Where it falls short: search and scraping draw from the same pool, and scraping costs more credits per page on protected sites, so one heavy job eats the other's budget. Check which fields your query type returns before you migrate.

6. HasData: a flat rate at mid volume

Best for: teams running tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand searches a month · Type: scraping API with Google SERP and SERP Light endpoints

HasData prices its Google SERP API at 10 credits per request and the lighter SERP Light API at 5. Its pricing page converts that into searches per plan, which makes comparison easy. Credits for failed requests are refunded automatically.

Pricing (HasData pricing, credit costs, checked October 27, 2026):

Credits for failed requests are refunded automatically. Annual billing gives two months free.

Where it falls short: the Startup plan is expensive per search, and the good rates start at Basic. The pricing page states rollover only for Enterprise.

7. Bright Data: many engines, pay only for success

Best for: enterprise teams that need several search engines and a large proxy network · Type: SERP API on a proxy network

Bright Data's SERP API covers Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Baidu, Yahoo, Naver and others, returning JSON, HTML or Markdown. You pay only for successful requests, and in async mode only the send call counts. We covered its wider product range in our Bright Data alternatives guide.

Pricing (Bright Data SERP pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

Only successful requests are billed. New sign-ups currently get their first deposit matched up to $500.

Where it falls short: there's no plan between pay as you go and $499 a month, and the account setup and product menu are built for larger buyers.

8. Oxylabs: proxy-backed search at volume

Best for: teams already buying Oxylabs proxies, or large monthly volumes · Type: Scraper API with search engine targets

Oxylabs sells Google results through its Scraper API, priced per 1,000 results, with cheaper rates for pages that don't need JavaScript. It handles proxy rotation, CAPTCHAs and city-level geotargeting on its side.

Pricing (Oxylabs pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

The pricing page lists the rate tiers by volume without naming each plan; we matched them to plans by price, so confirm your tier on the page.

Where it falls short: the unit is a "result", so confirm how a deeper or paginated query is counted before you compare it with per-search prices. We left it out of the cost table for that reason.

9. ScraperAPI: Google endpoints inside a scraping plan

Best for: teams already on ScraperAPI who want structured Google data without a new vendor · Type: scraping API with structured Google Search, Shopping, News and Jobs endpoints

ScraperAPI's structured endpoints turn a Google results page into JSON, and its DataPipeline can schedule recurring query jobs. It recently announced it acquired Traject Data. The catch for search is the credit cost.

Pricing (ScraperAPI pricing, checked October 27, 2026):

Its FAQ says Google and Bing requests cost 25 credits. Annual billing takes 10% off.

Where it falls short: at 25 credits a search, it's the second most expensive option here for search-only work, after SerpApi itself.

Why teams leave SerpApi

Teams leave SerpApi for three reasons: price per search, hourly caps and vendor risk. SerpApi's results are well parsed and its docs are excellent. But at $15 per 1,000 on Developer and $9.17 on Big Data, a growing rank tracker or agent spends many times what the same searches cost elsewhere.

Source: SerpApi pricing, checked October 27, 2026. SerpApi counts only successful searches, and cached, errored and failed searches are free. Plans are month to month, and the U.S. Legal Shield starts at Production.

• Price: the plans step up in big jumps. At 10,000 searches a month you need Production ($150), since Developer stops at 5,000.
• Hourly caps: Developer allows 1,000 searches an hour. A nightly job of 10,000 keywords takes at least 10 hours on that plan.
• AI Overviews can take two calls: when the overview isn't in the first response, SerpApi returns a page_token that "expires within 1 minute", and you fetch it from its AI Overview API.
• Vendor risk: Google sued SerpApi in December 2025 under the DMCA. On July 20, 2026 the court granted SerpApi's motion to dismiss, partly without leave to amend. Google filed an amended complaint on August 10, 2026, and the latest coverage we found reports it as pending. Whatever the outcome, a tested second provider is cheap insurance.

What 10,000 and 100,000 searches a month cost

At list price, SerpApi is the most expensive option at both volumes, and GcrawlAI is not the cheapest. DataForSEO's queue and Serper's packs cost less per raw results page. The table shows the cheapest published plan that covers each workload, worked out from each vendor's own pricing page.

These are list prices checked on October 27, 2026, not a benchmark. One search means one results page of about 10 organic results. Free tiers are left out, including Bright Data's 5,000 free requests a month. Serper sells 6-month prepaid packs, so its rows show the monthly share of a pack. Oxylabs is left out because it bills per result. The calculation script is in the code download if you want to run your own volume.

Read the table with the billing rules beside it. Serper's packs are paid up front and expire in 6 months. DataForSEO's $6 needs the queue, so results arrive minutes later. Scrapingdog's credits are shared with its scraping APIs. HasData refunds failed requests, and SearchApi caps each hour at 20% of the plan.

Where GcrawlAI comes out ahead is the next step most teams take: reading the pages behind the results. A rank tracker that checks 10,000 keywords and scrapes the top 3 results for each needs 40,000 requests. On GcrawlAI that's one Growth plan. With a search-only API, it's a second vendor for the 30,000 page fetches, with its own bill and its own credit rules for rendered or protected pages.

GcrawlAI's plans, for the cost section above:

Annual billing charges 10 months for 12, unused requests on paid plans roll over once, and Indian customers are billed in INR with a GST invoice. Every plan, Free included, has every endpoint. Full details are on the pricing page.

"We're not the cheapest way to buy a raw results page, and the table says so. Where we win is the step after it. Reading the pages behind the results is the same request, on the same key, and a page we can't fetch costs nothing."

Rajesh Kannan, Co-Founder & CTO at Gramosoft

Which SerpApi alternative should you choose?

Start from what you do with the results. If you read the pages behind them, use GcrawlAI. If you only need raw positions as cheaply as possible, use DataForSEO's queue or Serper. If you need SerpApi's breadth of engines at a lower price, use SearchApi. The table maps the common cases.

When SerpApi is still the right choice, and when GcrawlAI is

SerpApi still makes sense for one narrow job: queries that need its parsed extras, such as AI Overviews, People Also Ask or its vertical endpoints. For everything else, from rank checks and research agents to reading the pages behind the results, GcrawlAI does the work on one key, at one request per call.

Keep SerpApi only for:

• Parsed AI Overview, People Also Ask and ad blocks.
• Its vertical endpoints, such as Maps, Flights, Hotels and Scholar.

Use GcrawlAI for the rest. Here's what one account gives you:

• Search API: ranked results with position, title, URL and description, by country and page, with uule for city-level results.
• Deep Search: several engines queried and merged into one ranked list, for research tools and agents that need wider coverage.
• Scrape the results: any result URL as clean Markdown, HTML or JSON, with JavaScript rendering, residential IP rotation and stealth escalation in the same single request.
• Crawl and map: follow a ranking site with depth control and duplicate filtering, or list its URLs without rendering every page.
• Batch and async jobs: run a whole keyword list overnight and get the results by webhook.
• Screenshots and offline bundles: capture a page on mobile, tablet and desktop, or save it as an offline HTML bundle for audits.
• Extractors: ready-made structured data for common targets, and custom extractors for your own sites through a custom request.
• Built for AI agents: an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other agents, plus the Python SDK and REST API.
• Try before you build: the Playground, and a Chrome extension that turns data you pick on a page into an API call.
• Your own servers: the MIT-licensed core runs self-hosted, Search API included, for teams whose data can't leave their network.
• Billing that doesn't punish growth: one request per call, failed requests never charged, unused requests rolled over once, plan limits set as concurrent requests rather than searches per hour, and INR invoices with GST for Indian teams.

If you're on SerpApi today, start with the free plan's 50 requests: run a sample of your keyword list, read the top pages on the same key, and compare the bill.

Using search data responsibly

Every API on this list collects publicly visible results, but how you use the data still matters. Respect the terms that apply to you, don't collect personal data you don't need, and keep request rates reasonable. The Google and SerpApi case shows the legal questions are still open. See What Is Web Scraping? for the basics.

If you'd rather run your own scraper, our guide on scraping search results with Python shows the code and where it breaks, and the 429 guide covers rate limits.