# Best web search APIs for AI agents

> Tavily API + MCP (BB), You.com APIs (BB) and Parallel Search and Task APIs (BB) lead the 16 ranked web search APIs. Picks by need, strengths, weaknesses and prices from the Anchor benchmark.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.md (~5,650 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.min.md (~1,530 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

The 10 highest-scoring of 16 web search APIs on the Anchor benchmark, with a pick for each need and where each one falls short. Scores come from public evidence, re-checked as vendors change.

- Ranked: 16 · agent-ready (BB or better): 3 · accept x402: 2 · hosted endpoints: 14
- Full ranked table: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/search.md
- Head-to-head comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/search/index.md (129)
- Methodology: https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/index.md

## The shortlist

| # | Tool | Grade | Score | Best for | Price | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tavily-mcp.md) | BB | 76.8 | An agent that needs search plus page text in one call and has no account yet. | $7.50 / 1k req | hosted and local |
| 2 | [You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/you-com-api.md) | BB | 76.5 | An unattended agent that needs search, page text and cited answers and wants to pay per call without an account. | $5 / 1k req | hosted and local |
| 3 | [Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md) | BB | 74 | Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill. | $1 / 1k req | hosted |
| 4 | [Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.md) | B | 68.9 | Agents that want a cited answer or schema-shaped output from one search call at a fixed price, and for European buyers who want a French vendor with zero retention on request. | $0.01 / call | hosted and local |
| 5 | [Brave Search API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/brave-search-mcp.md) | B | 68 | Agents that want an independent, non-Google index at a flat price, or that want page text in one call through LLM Context. | $5 / 1k req | hosted and local |
| 6 | [Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md) | B | 66 | Agents that search in natural language and want short highlights or page text in the same call, and for keyless or wallet-paid use. | $0.007 / call | hosted and local |
| 7 | [SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpkite.md) | B | 64.8 | Agents that want Google results and the top pages as Markdown in one call at a low per-1,000 price, with spend caps per key. | $1 / 1k req | hosted |
| 8 | [Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/valyu.md) | B | 64.6 | Research agents that need SEC filings, papers, patents, clinical trials or market data alongside the web, with a per-query price cap. | $1.50 / 1k pages | hosted |
| 9 | [Grep AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.md) | B | 64.4 | Agents that hand off a long research or due-diligence job and want a cited report or structured fields back, including business verification and sanctions screening through built-in agents. | $200 / mo | hosted |
| 10 | [TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tinyfish-search.md) | B | 63.2 | Agents that need ranked snippets and URLs at no cost and modest volume, with news and research-paper modes. | Freemium | hosted |

## Picks by need

- Highest score overall: [Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tavily-mcp.md), BB, 76.8/100 on the benchmark. Also [You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/you-com-api.md), BB, 76.5/100.
- Schema & documentation: [Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md), 94/100 on schema & documentation, against 89 for the overall leader.
- Agent ergonomics: [Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md), 96/100 on agent ergonomics, against 81 for the overall leader.
- Security & auth: [Cloudflare Web Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cloudflare-web-search.md), 71/100 on security & auth, against 52 for the overall leader.
- Maintenance & community: [Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md), 88/100 on maintenance & community, against 85 for the overall leader.
- Transparency & trust: [SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi.md), 84/100 on transparency & trust, against 60 for the overall leader.
- Lowest paid price per 1,000 requests: [Cloudflare Web Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cloudflare-web-search.md), $0.25 per 1,000 requests, the lowest of the 12 listings here with a paid price in this unit (free allowances aside). Also [Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serper.md), $0.30 per 1,000 requests.
- Paying per call with no account (x402): [Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.md), accepts x402, $0.01 a call. Also [Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md), accepts x402, $0.007 a call.
- The review panel's favourite: [You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/you-com-api.md), 3.8/5 from 8 panel reviews.

## How to choose

- Snippets, full text or an answer: Check whether results come back as snippets, full page text or a written answer, since a snippet may need a second fetch before the agent can ground a claim.
- Freshness of the index: Check how recently the index updates and whether you can filter by date, since a stale result can make an agent cite a page that has already changed.
- Cost per query and credit expiry: Work out the cost per query at your expected volume and check whether credits expire, since credits that lapse unused raise the real cost of each query.
- Retention and reuse of results: Check how long results and queries are logged and whether you may store or cache returned text, since the terms can limit what your agent is allowed to keep.

## Each one in detail

### 1. Tavily API + MCP, BB 76.8/100

Tavily's REST API for web search, URL extraction, site mapping, crawling and cited research reports, with the official MCP server hosted at mcp.tavily.com or run locally from npm.

- Verdict: Keyless search and extract, plus a free 1,000 credits a month with no card. x402 covers advanced search only, not extract, map, crawl or research.
- Choose it for: An agent that needs search plus page text in one call and has no account yet.
- Strength: Keyless search and extract, plus a free 1,000 credits a month with no card
- Strength: x402 endpoint for advanced search at $0.01 in USDC on Base
- Strength: Public OpenAPI, llms.txt and an error table that tells plan limits (432) from pay-as-you-go limits (433)
- Weakness: x402 covers advanced search only, not extract, map, crawl or research
- Weakness: Hosted MCP docs lead with `?tavilyApiKey=` in the URL query string
- Weakness: No readOnlyHint or destructiveHint on the MCP tools, and the npm server (0.2.22, 5 August 2026) trails the GitHub source
- Price: $7.50 / 1k req · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: partial · Where: hosted and local
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tavily-mcp.md

### 2. You.com APIs, BB 76.5/100

Web Search, Contents, Answer, Research and Finance Research APIs, plus a hosted MCP server with six tools.

- Verdict: x402 and MPP on Web Search and Finance Research, with no account needed. Two API hosts. Answer and Research return 'Missing Authentication Token' on ydc-index.io.
- Choose it for: An unattended agent that needs search, page text and cited answers and wants to pay per call without an account.
- Strength: x402 and MPP on Web Search and Finance Research, with no account needed
- Strength: $100 free credit with no card, plus a keyless MCP profile for search (100 queries a day)
- Strength: Public OpenAPI, llms.txt and an error reference with guidance per code
- Weakness: Two API hosts. Answer and Research return 'Missing Authentication Token' on ydc-index.io
- Weakness: No public changelog or deprecation notices
- Weakness: Zero Data Retention only for Web Search and Answer, and only on enterprise agreements
- Price: $5 / 1k req · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: partial · Where: hosted and local
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/you-com-api.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tavily-mcp-vs-you-com-api.md

### 3. Parallel Search and Task APIs, BB 74/100

Parallel's web APIs for agents.

- Verdict: Fast-mode search at $1 per 1,000 with 10 excerpted results, and Extract at $1 per 1,000 URLs. Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out.
- Choose it for: Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill.
- Strength: Fast-mode search at $1 per 1,000 with 10 excerpted results, and Extract at $1 per 1,000 URLs
- Strength: Task runs billed only on success, and documented limits of 600 searches and 2,000 task creations a minute
- Strength: Keyless hosted Search MCP, with Bearer and OAuth endpoints for higher limits
- Weakness: Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out
- Weakness: SDKs retry Task creation on 429 and 5xx with no idempotency key
- Weakness: x402 and MPP only through parallelmpp.dev at a flat $0.01, not on api.parallel.ai
- Price: $1 / 1k req · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: partial · Where: hosted
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 4. Linkup, B 68.9/100

Web search API for agents with four depths (flash, fast, standard, deep) and three output types (ranked sources, a cited answer, or JSON matching your schema).

- Verdict: Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results. 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`.
- Choose it for: Agents that want a cited answer or schema-shaped output from one search call at a fixed price, and for European buyers who want a French vendor with zero retention on request.
- Strength: Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results
- Strength: x402 on /v1/search and /v1/fetch at $0.01 with no account
- Strength: Sources, a sourced answer or structured JSON from the same search call
- Weakness: 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`
- Weakness: MCP configs document `?apiKey=` in the URL and an `apiKey=` argument for stdio
- Weakness: 10 queries a second per organisation by default
- Price: $0.01 / call · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: yes · Where: hosted and local
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 5. Brave Search API + MCP, B 68/100

REST API over Brave's independent index with web, news, image, video and local search, an LLM Context endpoint with pre-extracted page content and an Answers endpoint with citations.

- Verdict: x402 proxy sells web, LLM Context, news, video, image and local search at $0.005 a call, and a failed search isn't charged. The status page marks the Search API "not monitored" and shows no incident history.
- Choose it for: Agents that want an independent, non-Google index at a flat price, or that want page text in one call through LLM Context.
- Strength: x402 proxy sells web, LLM Context, news, video, image and local search at $0.005 a call, and a failed search isn't charged
- Strength: $5 per 1,000 searches at 50 QPS on the self-serve Search plan
- Strength: SOC 2 Type II, a HackerOne bounty and a valid security.txt
- Weakness: The status page marks the Search API "not monitored" and shows no incident history
- Weakness: A card is required even for the $5 monthly credit
- Weakness: No public OpenAPI for the keyed API and no API changelog
- Price: $5 / 1k req · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: partial · Where: hosted and local
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/brave-search-mcp.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 6. Exa API + MCP, B 66/100

Exa's REST API over its own web index, with the official MCP server in front of it.

- Verdict: x402 on /search and /contents in USDC on Base or Solana, so an agent can pay per call with no account. The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits.
- Choose it for: Agents that search in natural language and want short highlights or page text in the same call, and for keyless or wallet-paid use.
- Strength: x402 on /search and /contents in USDC on Base or Solana, so an agent can pay per call with no account
- Strength: Two default MCP tools with about 1,250 characters of descriptions, and every tool marked read-only and idempotent
- Strength: Keys can be minted by API with their own rate limit and budget
- Weakness: The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits
- Weakness: Agnost usage analytics in the MCP server with no disclosure or opt-out
- Weakness: The privacy policy says query data trains Exa's models and gives no retention period
- Price: $0.007 / call · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: yes · Where: hosted and local
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 7. SerpKite, B 64.8/100

Google SERP API for AI agents from SerpKite, a sole trader in Ontario. It returns live Google results and 10 other Google verticals as JSON or Markdown, fetches pages as Markdown, and runs a remote MCP server with 14 tools.

- Verdict: Google SERP API with an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, Markdown or compact output, field projection, stable error codes and per-key credit limits, at $0.60 to $1.00 per 1,000 on packs that don't expire. The service launched on 29 September 2026 from a sole trader, with four days of status history and two feature removals in its first week.
- Choose it for: Agents that want Google results and the top pages as Markdown in one call at a low per-1,000 price, with spend caps per key.
- Strength: OpenAPI 3.1 spec, llms.txt, llms-full.txt and Markdown twins of every docs page
- Strength: `format=markdown` or `compact`, `fields` projection and an `X-Tokens-Estimate` header size responses for a model
- Strength: Many revocable keys per account, each with an optional monthly credit limit, plus an account spend cap
- Weakness: Launched 29 September 2026 by a sole trader, with status monitoring only since 2 October
- Weakness: AI Overview, AI Mode and Lens were removed within four days of v1.0.0, each without advance notice
- Weakness: GET requests accept the key as a `?api_key=` query parameter, and keys have no scopes
- Price: $1 / 1k req · Auth: API key · x402: no · Where: hosted
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpkite.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpkite-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 8. Valyu, B 64.6/100

Search API that covers the web plus specialised sources (arXiv, PubMed, SEC filings, market data, patents, clinical trials, genomics).

- Verdict: Web plus academic, financial, patent and life-science sources behind one search call. No published rate limits and no Retry-After or backoff guidance.
- Choose it for: Research agents that need SEC filings, papers, patents, clinical trials or market data alongside the web, with a per-query price cap.
- Strength: Web plus academic, financial, patent and life-science sources behind one search call
- Strength: Public OpenAPI 3.0.3 with 26 paths, tight parameter constraints and a 206 partial-success code
- Strength: Spend-capped, rotatable keys from the CLI, and scoped management keys
- Weakness: No published rate limits and no Retry-After or backoff guidance
- Weakness: Web results cost $1.50 per 1,000 results retrieved, so a 10-result search is $0.015
- Weakness: MCP docs lead with `?valyuApiKey=` in the URL query string
- Price: $1.50 / 1k pages · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: no · Where: hosted
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/valyu.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tavily-mcp-vs-valyu.md

### 9. Grep AI, B 64.4/100

Grep is a hosted platform from Parcha Labs for building and running research agents that return cited reports and structured output. Outside agents reach it through a REST API, a remote MCP server, an A2A endpoint and two SDKs.

- Verdict: The public API has a 126-operation OpenAPI document, scoped OAuth and API keys, idempotency keys with documented replay rules and a per-run cost cap. No rate limit is published, the MCP server lists 82 tools, and the pricing page limits API access to the $200 a month Pro plan and above.
- Choose it for: Agents that hand off a long research or due-diligence job and want a cited report or structured fields back, including business verification and sanctions screening through built-in agents.
- Strength: Public OpenAPI document with 126 operations, llms.txt and a Markdown twin of every developer page
- Strength: OAuth with five scopes, plus API keys that can be minted, scoped and revoked through the API
- Strength: `Idempotency-Key` on run creation, with body-hash matching, a 24-hour replay window and named 409 codes
- Weakness: No rate limit numbers in the reviewed documentation, and no published SLA
- Weakness: The MCP server card lists 82 tools, 31 of them deprecated aliases, with one-line descriptions and no annotations
- Weakness: The pricing table marks API access as Pro and Ultra only, from $200 a month
- Price: $200 / mo · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: no · Where: hosted
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-tavily-mcp.md

### 10. TinyFish Search, B 63.2/100

Web search API from TinyFish that returns ranked titles, snippets and URLs as JSON for web, news or research-paper queries. It is called with an API key at `api.search.tinyfish.ai`, through Python and TypeScript SDKs, or through the vendor's MCP server.

- Verdict: Search costs $0.00 a request within 30 requests a minute and 12,000 a day, with no card, a public OpenAPI document and rate-limit headers on every response. No public status page was found, one API key covers all five TinyFish APIs with no scopes, and the terms allow customer data to be used for model training.
- Choose it for: Agents that need ranked snippets and URLs at no cost and modest volume, with news and research-paper modes.
- Strength: $0.00 a request within 30 requests a minute and 12,000 a day, with no card needed to sign up
- Strength: Public OpenAPI 3.0 document for Search, plus `llms.txt`, `llms-full.txt` and a Markdown twin of every docs page
- Strength: 429 responses carry `Retry-After` and `X-RateLimit-*` headers, and every response carries `X-Request-ID`
- Weakness: No public status page was found on the site or in the docs
- Weakness: One API key covers Search, Fetch, Agent, Research and Browser, and no scopes were found
- Weakness: The Terms of Service allow customer data to be used to train and improve TinyFish's AI models
- Price: Freemium · Auth: OAuth or key · x402: no · Where: hosted
- Full assessment: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tinyfish-search.md
- Against #1: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tavily-mcp-vs-tinyfish-search.md

6 more are ranked in the full table: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/search.md

## Head to head

- [Tavily API + MCP vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tavily-mcp-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp.md)
- [Linkup vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tavily-mcp.md)
- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Linkup vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Brave Search API + MCP vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-linkup.md)

## Questions

### What are the highest-rated web search APIs for AI agents?

Tavily API + MCP has the highest benchmark score of the 16 ranked web search APIs, 76.8 (BB). You.com APIs is second with 76.5 (BB).

### How many web search APIs are agent-ready?

3 of the 16 ranked here grade BB or better, the bar for agent-ready on the Anchor benchmark.

### Which web search APIs accept x402 payments?

Linkup and Exa API + MCP. An agent can pay these per call in USDC with no account.

### Which of these web search APIs is cheapest?

By published paid prices, Cloudflare Web Search API, at $0.25 per 1,000 requests, the lowest of the 12 listings here with a paid price in this unit (free allowances aside). Plans, volume tiers and free allowances change the sum, so check the listing's price table.

### How is this list ranked?

By the Anchor benchmark score out of 100, a weighted mean of the scored categories minus deductions for negative events, from public evidence re-checked as vendors change. Listings cannot pay for a place. The latest assessment behind this page is from 9 October 2026.

## How this list is made

The order is the Anchor benchmark score, the same number as on each listing. Each listing is graded from public evidence against the benchmark checklist, and the picks are worked out from those grades, prices and facts. No listing pays for its place, and paid audits or listing help never change a score.