{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "parallel-search-api",
      "name": "Parallel Search and Task APIs",
      "vendor": "Parallel Web Systems",
      "vendorUrl": "https://parallel.ai",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "search",
      "summary": "Parallel's web APIs for agents.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json",
      "transports": [
        "http",
        "streamable-http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "parallel-web"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "parallel-web"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "mixed",
      "authNotes": "API key in the `x-api-key` header. The Search MCP at search.parallel.ai/mcp works anonymously at lower limits, takes a Bearer key, and /mcp-oauth adds OAuth. An OAuth provider can issue keys on behalf of your users.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "Up to 5,000 free requests a month, with $5 of free credit monthly and up to $80 at signup. Search $1 per 1,000 requests in turbo or fast, $5 in basic or advanced, 10 results included and $1 per 1,000 extra results. Extract $1 per 1,000 URLs. Task $5 (lite) to $2,400 (ultra8x) per 1,000 successful runs. Responses $10 to $250 per 1,000 by reasoning effort. Failed runs aren't billed (https://parallel.ai/pricing).",
      "priceSummary": "$1 / 1k req",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "partial",
        "evidence": "Not on api.parallel.ai. A separate gateway at parallelmpp.dev takes x402 (USDC on Base) and MPP (Stripe or Tempo) for search and extract at $0.01 and an ultra task at $0.30. An unauthenticated POST to /api/search returned 402 with an x402 v2 challenge for 10000 base units on eip155:8453 (checked 2026-09-30) (https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/agentic-payments).",
        "endpoints": [
          {
            "url": "https://parallelmpp.dev/api/search",
            "priceUsd": 0.01,
            "network": "eip155:8453"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://parallelmpp.dev/api/extract",
            "priceUsd": 0.01,
            "network": "eip155:8453"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://parallelmpp.dev/api/task",
            "priceUsd": 0.3,
            "network": "eip155:8453"
          }
        ]
      },
      "toolCount": 6,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 28,
        "npmWeekly": 249803,
        "pypiWeekly": 994376,
        "asOf": "2026-09-30"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://docs.parallel.ai",
      "llmsTxt": "https://docs.parallel.ai/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://docs.parallel.ai/public-openapi.json",
      "registryName": "ai.parallel/search-mcp",
      "capabilities": [
        "web.search",
        "web.fetch",
        "web.extract",
        "search.answer",
        "search.research"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "freemium",
        "mcp",
        "llms-txt",
        "openapi",
        "x402",
        "python",
        "typescript",
        "async-jobs",
        "webhooks"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-29",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 74.1,
        "grade": "BB",
        "agentReady": true,
        "rank": 51,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 452,
        "categoryRank": 3,
        "methodology": "0.3",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 81,
          "maintenance": 87,
          "payments": 75,
          "reliability": 75,
          "schema": 94,
          "security": 45,
          "transparency": 66
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-01"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "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.",
        "strengths": [
          "Fast-mode search at $1 per 1,000 with 10 excerpted results, and Extract at $1 per 1,000 URLs",
          "Task runs billed only on success, and documented limits of 600 searches and 2,000 task creations a minute",
          "Keyless hosted Search MCP, with Bearer and OAuth endpoints for higher limits",
          "Public OpenAPI, llms.txt and an errors table that says which codes to retry",
          "Changelog entries most weeks and SDK releases several times a month"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out",
          "SDKs retry Task creation on 429 and 5xx with no idempotency key",
          "x402 and MPP only through parallelmpp.dev at a flat $0.01, not on api.parallel.ai",
          "No prompt-injection guidance, no security.txt and no public subprocessor list",
          "No retention period stated outside the EU endpoint"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Pass `mode: \"fast\"` on every search. Without it you pay the advanced rate",
          "Create Task runs with `max_retries=0` and check for an existing run before retrying",
          "Give an `objective` plus two or three short `search_queries`. That's what ranks the excerpts",
          "On 402, check available balance rather than total. Running tasks reserve credit",
          "Prefer natural-language source guidance to domain filters. The docs say filters can cut result quality"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 8,
        "avgRating": 3.6,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "BB",
            "methodology": "0.3",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 74.1
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 81,
          "maintenance": 87,
          "payments": 75,
          "reliability": 75,
          "schema": 94,
          "security": 45,
          "transparency": 45
        },
        "provenanceScore": 86
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search -H \"x-api-key: $PARALLEL_API_KEY\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"mode\":\"fast\",\"objective\":\"Latest Parallel Web Systems announcements\",\"search_queries\":[\"Parallel Web Systems news\"]}'",
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http parallel-search https://search.parallel.ai/mcp",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "parallel-search": {
              "headers": {
                "Authorization": "Bearer ${PARALLEL_API_KEY}"
              },
              "url": "https://search.parallel.ai/mcp"
            }
          }
        },
        "x402": "curl -i -X POST https://parallelmpp.dev/api/search -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"query\":\"test\"}'\n# 402 -\u003e pay $0.01 USDC on eip155:8453 (or MPP via Stripe/Tempo) -\u003e resend"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/web.search",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/parallel-search-api"
      },
      "area": "web-data",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "Search, turbo or fast",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 1,
          "note": "10 results included"
        },
        {
          "item": "Search, basic or advanced",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 5,
          "note": "advanced is the default mode"
        },
        {
          "item": "Extract",
          "unit": "1k-pages",
          "usd": 1
        },
        {
          "item": "Task, lite processor",
          "unit": "1k-calls",
          "usd": 5
        },
        {
          "item": "Task, pro processor",
          "unit": "1k-calls",
          "usd": 100
        },
        {
          "item": "Responses, medium effort",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 50
        },
        {
          "item": "x402 search via gateway",
          "unit": "call",
          "usd": 0.01,
          "note": "parallelmpp.dev"
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Parallel Web Systems Inc.",
        "domain": "parallel.ai",
        "domainRegistered": "2017-12-16",
        "domainNote": "Registered in 2017 and transferred on 2024-07-01, so the registration date predates the company's use of it.",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://parallel.ai/terms-of-service",
        "privacy": "https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy",
        "statusPage": "https://status.parallel.ai",
        "changelog": "https://docs.parallel.ai/resources/changelog",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-09-30",
        "score": 86
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "parallel-search-api",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-05T02:30:00.081947891Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 401,
          "lastMs": 1121,
          "lastNote": "asks for credentials",
          "authRequired": true,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 1127,
          "p95ms24h": 1182,
          "samples24h": 273,
          "samples30d": 1131,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-09-30",
              "probes": 35,
              "ok": 35
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-01",
              "probes": 276,
              "ok": 276
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-02",
              "probes": 248,
              "ok": 248
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-03",
              "probes": 271,
              "ok": 271
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-04",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-05",
              "probes": 29,
              "ok": 29
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.parallel.ai",
          "indicator": "none",
          "summary": "All Systems Operational",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-05T02:29:09.58345551Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "mcp-registry",
            "name": "ai.parallel/search-mcp",
            "version": "1.0.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T23:42:40.113054682Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "parallel-web",
            "version": "1.3.5",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:36:18.02907643Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "parallel-web",
            "version": "1.3.5",
            "released": "2026-09-29",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:36:19.001388565Z"
          }
        ],
        "npmWeekly": 272076,
        "pypiWeekly": 1010177,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://parallel.ai/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:15:43.015248132Z"
        },
        "llmsTxt": {
          "url": "https://docs.parallel.ai/llms.txt",
          "ok": true,
          "status": 200,
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:18:06.065239984Z"
        },
        "domain": {
          "domain": "parallel.ai",
          "registered": "2017-12-16",
          "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/parallel.ai",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:04:29.88893781Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://docs.parallel.ai/resources/changelog",
            "kind": "changelog",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:43:52.752451731Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-10-03T15:31:59.173094113Z",
            "fingerprint": "e871cdd4ace7"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://parallel.ai/pricing",
            "kind": "pricing",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:46:33.40854292Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "b610ae5a0e03"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:46:35.561147321Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "43a351e6a658"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://parallel.ai/terms-of-service",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:46:37.553637339Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "533f03cba7ff"
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-05T02:30:00.081947891Z"
      }
    },
    "b": {
      "slug": "serpapi",
      "name": "SerpApi",
      "vendor": "SerpApi",
      "vendorUrl": "https://serpapi.com",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "search",
      "summary": "Scrapes live results pages from Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Amazon, YouTube and about 20 other engines and returns them as parsed JSON or markdown.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serpapi.json",
      "transports": [
        "http",
        "streamable-http",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://serpapi.com/search",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "serpapi"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "serpapi"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "API key as the `api_key` query parameter on every request. The hosted MCP takes `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e` or the key in the URL path (`/\u003ckey\u003e/mcp`) for clients that can't set headers.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "Free plan 250 searches a month (50 an hour). Starter $25 a month for 1,000 searches, Developer $75 for 5,000, Production $150 for 15,000, Big Data $275 for 30,000, Searcher $725 for 100,000, then Cloud tiers from $3,750 for 1M. Only successful searches count, cached and failed ones are free, and a response with 100 results is still one search. Ludicrous Speed doubles the price, Ludicrous Speed Max quadruples it (https://serpapi.com/pricing).",
      "priceSummary": "$25 / 1k req",
      "where": "both",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402 in llms.txt, pricing or integrations pages (checked 2026-09-30).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": 3,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 175,
        "npmWeekly": 168618,
        "pypiWeekly": 104227,
        "asOf": "2026-09-30"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://serpapi.com/search-api",
      "llmsTxt": "https://serpapi.com/llms.txt",
      "registryName": "io.github.serpapi/serpapi-mcp",
      "capabilities": [
        "web.search",
        "search.serp",
        "search.news",
        "search.images"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "freemium",
        "mcp",
        "llms-txt",
        "python",
        "typescript",
        "closed-source"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-22",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 62.6,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 216,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 452,
        "categoryRank": 8,
        "methodology": "0.3",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 88,
          "maintenance": 82,
          "payments": 30,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 67,
          "security": 40,
          "transparency": 85
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-01"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "Over 100 engines behind one GET URL, with `json_restrictor` field selection and `output=md`. 25 incidents on the status feed from July to 1 October 2026, including an outage across all APIs on 10 September.",
        "strengths": [
          "Over 100 engines behind one GET URL, with `json_restrictor` field selection and `output=md`",
          "Failed, errored and cached searches aren't billed, and the cache lasts 1 hour",
          "Terms promise a 99.95% SLA on all plans",
          "SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 listed on the security page, 31-day data retention stated twice",
          "Hosted MCP server in the official registry, with read-only tool annotations"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "25 incidents on the status feed from July to 1 October 2026, including an outage across all APIs on 10 September",
          "REST auth is the `api_key` query parameter, with no header option documented",
          "No OpenAPI spec, and the MCP `search` tool takes a free-form `params` object",
          "Monthly plans only, from $25 for 1,000 searches, with no pay-per-call or machine payment",
          "No prompt-injection guidance for the snippets it returns"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Use the MCP with `Authorization: Bearer`, not the key-in-path URL the README leads with",
          "Read `serpapi://engines/\u003cengine\u003e` before calling a new engine, since `params` isn't typed",
          "Add `json_restrictor` or `output=md` to cut tokens, and `mode: compact` on the MCP",
          "A 429 means either the hourly limit or an empty balance. Check the account before retrying",
          "Repeat a search within the hour and the cached copy is free. Set `no_cache=true` only when freshness matters"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 2,
        "avgRating": 3.5,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.3",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 62.6
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 88,
          "maintenance": 82,
          "payments": 30,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 67,
          "security": 40,
          "transparency": 70
        },
        "provenanceScore": 100
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl -G https://serpapi.com/search --data-urlencode \"q=coffee\" -d engine=google -d api_key=$SERPAPI_API_KEY",
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http serpapi https://mcp.serpapi.com/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer $SERPAPI_API_KEY\"",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "serpapi": {
              "headers": {
                "Authorization": "Bearer ${SERPAPI_API_KEY}"
              },
              "type": "http",
              "url": "https://mcp.serpapi.com/mcp"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/web.search",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/serpapi"
      },
      "area": "web-data",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "Starter plan, per 1,000 searches",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 25,
          "note": "1,000 searches for $25 a month"
        },
        {
          "item": "Starter plan",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 25,
          "note": "1,000 searches"
        },
        {
          "item": "Developer plan",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 75,
          "note": "5,000 searches"
        },
        {
          "item": "Production plan",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 150,
          "note": "15,000 searches, includes Legal Shield"
        },
        {
          "item": "Big Data plan",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 275,
          "note": "30,000 searches"
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "SerpApi, LLC",
        "domain": "serpapi.com",
        "domainRegistered": "2016-07-27",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://serpapi.com/legal",
        "privacy": "https://serpapi.com/legal",
        "statusPage": "https://status.serpapi.com",
        "changelog": "https://serpapi.com/release-notes",
        "securityTxt": "valid",
        "checked": "2026-09-30",
        "notes": [
          "Terms and privacy policy share one page. The entity is a Texas LLC at 1632 S 1st St, Austin"
        ],
        "score": 100
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "serpapi",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://serpapi.com/search",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-05T02:30:02.476478947Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 401,
          "lastMs": 115,
          "lastNote": "asks for credentials",
          "authRequired": true,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 122,
          "p95ms24h": 161,
          "samples24h": 273,
          "samples30d": 1131,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-09-30",
              "probes": 35,
              "ok": 35
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-01",
              "probes": 276,
              "ok": 276
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-02",
              "probes": 248,
              "ok": 248
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-03",
              "probes": 271,
              "ok": 271
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-04",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-05",
              "probes": 29,
              "ok": 29
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.serpapi.com",
          "indicator": "minor",
          "summary": "Partially Degraded Service",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-05T02:29:12.850360063Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "mcp-registry",
            "name": "io.github.serpapi/serpapi-mcp",
            "version": "2.0.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T23:42:40.113054682Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "serpapi",
            "version": "2.2.1",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:39:46.767306834Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "serpapi",
            "version": "1.1.2",
            "released": "2026-09-22",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:39:47.563060356Z"
          }
        ],
        "npmWeekly": 179483,
        "pypiWeekly": 98760,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://serpapi.com/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "valid",
          "expires": "2027-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:16:05.776295986Z"
        },
        "llmsTxt": {
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  "markdown": "Parallel Search and Task APIs has a score of 74.1 (BB) against SerpApi's 62.6 (B). Both do web search. The largest gap is payments \u0026 pricing, 45 points.\n\n- Parallel Search and Task APIs: grade BB, 74.1/100, rank #51 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json\n- SerpApi: grade B, 62.6/100, rank #216 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serpapi.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serpapi.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\nPick Parallel Search and Task APIs for reliability (+15), schema \u0026 documentation (+27), security \u0026 auth (+5), payments \u0026 pricing (+45), maintenance \u0026 community (+5).\n\nPick SerpApi for agent ergonomics (+7), transparency \u0026 trust (+19).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SerpApi | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 60 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +15 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 67 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +27 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 88 | SerpApi +7 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 40 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +5 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 75 | 30 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +45 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 82 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +5 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 66 | 85 | SerpApi +19 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **74.1 · BB** | **62.6 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SerpApi |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Parallel Web Systems | SerpApi |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search` | `https://serpapi.com/search` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| x402 | payer tooling only | no |\n| Licence | none | none |\n| Tools exposed | 6 | 3 |\n| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |\n| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `ai.parallel/search-mcp` | `io.github.serpapi/serpapi-mcp` |\n| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-22 |\n| Popularity | 28 stars, 250k npm/wk, 994k PyPI/wk | 175 stars, 169k npm/wk, 104k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | 3.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Parallel Search and Task APIs.** 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.\n\n**SerpApi.** Over 100 engines behind one GET URL, with `json_restrictor` field selection and `output=md`. 25 incidents on the status feed from July to 1 October 2026, including an outage across all APIs on 10 September.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Parallel Search and Task APIs\n\n1. Pass `mode: \"fast\"` on every search. Without it you pay the advanced rate\n2. Create Task runs with `max_retries=0` and check for an existing run before retrying\n3. Give an `objective` plus two or three short `search_queries`. That's what ranks the excerpts\n4. On 402, check available balance rather than total. Running tasks reserve credit\n5. Prefer natural-language source guidance to domain filters. The docs say filters can cut result quality\n\n### SerpApi\n\n1. Use the MCP with `Authorization: Bearer`, not the key-in-path URL the README leads with\n2. Read `serpapi://engines/\u003cengine\u003e` before calling a new engine, since `params` isn't typed\n3. Add `json_restrictor` or `output=md` to cut tokens, and `mode: compact` on the MCP\n4. A 429 means either the hourly limit or an empty balance. Check the account before retrying\n5. Repeat a search within the hour and the cached copy is free. Set `no_cache=true` only when freshness matters\n\n## Other comparisons with Parallel Search and Task APIs or SerpApi\n\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Firecrawl MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Firecrawl MCP vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Linkup vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-searchapi-io.md)\n- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serper.md)\n- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-valyu.md)\n- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [SearchAPI.io vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/searchapi-io-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [SerpApi vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-serper.md)\n- [SerpApi vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [SerpApi vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-valyu.md)\n- [SerpApi vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n",
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