# Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SERPHouse

> Parallel Search and Task scores 75 (BB) to SERPHouse's 42.4 (E) for web search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serphouse
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serphouse.md (~5,750 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SERPHouse's 42.4 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do web search.

- Parallel Search and Task APIs: grade BB, 75/100, rank #73 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json
- SERPHouse: grade E, 42.4/100, rank #1265 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serphouse.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serphouse.json
- Best web search APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.md
- All 308 search comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/search/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Parallel Search and Task APIs (BB)

Good for: Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 40
- Schema & documentation, 94 against 66
- Agent ergonomics, 87 against 64
- Security & auth, 45 against 11
- Payments & pricing, 75 against 40
- Maintenance & community, 87 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 65 against 50

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better

Watch for: Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out

### SERPHouse (E)

Good for: Low-cost Google, Bing and Yahoo result parsing for SEO and rank tracking, with many Google verticals.

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: The hosted MCP server takes the API key only in its URL path, and the REST API also accepts `api_token` in the query string


## Why the edge

### Maintenance & community: Parallel Search and Task APIs +64

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (87): parallel-web 1.3.7 for Python on 2026-10-23 and for TypeScript on 2026-10-28, and changelog entries on 19 and 26 October, the second launching the Decisions API (30). Counted from the tags and the changelog, the 90 days from 3 August hold Python SDK releases 1.3.1 to 1.3.7, TypeScript 1.3.1 to 1.3.7 and ten changelog entries from 19 August to 26 October (20). The SDK releases since 1.3.5 are dependency bumps. Closed service with a changelog and support@parallel.ai. We didn't test whether support answers (12). Current Python and TypeScript SDKs, and ai.parallel/search-mcp and ai.parallel/task-mcp in the official registry (15). The Python SDK runs lint and build in CI on push, plus a workflow that detects breaking changes (10).
- SERPHouse (23): Read for a closed service, with its repositories read as code. No changelog or dated API change was found. The newest release is MCP server 1.1.0 on 6 July 2026, 123 days before 6 November, and the last commit in its repository was on 22 July (10). No release or dated change in the 90 days from 8 August; the about page's 2026 entry (Forums, Place Details and Scraper APIs) is undated (0). No changelog; support by email. Issues weren't read, since the GitHub API refused us for its rate limit (5 of 25). Not in the official MCP registry, though the repository's server.json names io.github.SERPHouse/serphouse-mcp. Node.js SDK last changed 24 June 2026, PHP SDK 10 May 2024, and no Python SDK repository was found under the SERPHouse organisation (5 of 15). The MCP repository has an npm publish workflow and no tests (3 of 10). 10 + 0 + 5 + 5 + 3 = 23.

### Reliability: Parallel Search and Task APIs +35

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (75): incident.io page at status.parallel.ai with Search, Task, Chat, Monitor, FindAll and Entity Search components and history (20). The feed, re-read on 1 November, has nothing after 13 October, so the 90 days from 3 August hold the same four incidents, all partial or degraded. Elevated 503s on 6 August, about an hour of Task API latency on 2 September, intermittent 4xx errors on 7 September, and transient 502s from the network gateway on 13 October, degraded performance from 01:23 to 01:43 UTC. Most have no duration listed (20). Published limits, 600 a minute for Search, Image Search, Extract, Decisions and Entity Search, 2,000 for Tasks, 300 for Chat and Monitor (15). The errors page marks 429 as retryable with exponential backoff, but there's no `Retry-After` and no idempotency guidance for creating Task runs, which the SDKs retry twice by default (10). No SLA found (0). Search, Extract and Task are GA (10).
- SERPHouse (40): Read with the hosted lines. No status page is linked from the site or docs, and status.serphouse.com did not answer on 6 November 2026 (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits published, 60 requests a minute and 60 concurrent on every self-serve plan (15). 429 is documented as 'slow down', and a 200 can carry `"status": "error"` with 'Please try again', with no Retry-After or backoff guidance. Failed requests aren't charged (5 of 15). The pricing page lists a 99.99% uptime SLA on Basic and Regular and the docs a 99.95% one, but no SLA terms or credits were found in the terms (5 of 10). Generally available (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 40.

### Payments & pricing: Parallel Search and Task APIs +35

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (75): Parallel runs a separate gateway at parallelmpp.dev that takes x402 (USDC on Base) and MPP (Stripe or Tempo) for search and extract at $0.01 and an ultra task at $0.30. Our unpaid POST to /api/search on 6 October returned 402 with an x402 v2 challenge for 10000 base units on eip155:8453 and a Tempo MPP challenge. Nothing on api.parallel.ai, and the gateway sells one price per endpoint with no mode choice, so partial (25). Per-unit prices published without login (20). Up to 5,000 free requests a month, $5 monthly credit and up to $80 at signup on the pricing page, which still doesn't say whether a card is needed (10). The hosted Search MCP works with no key, and the gateway needs only a wallet (20).
- SERPHouse (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-1,000 prices for SERP, autocomplete and top-100 requests published without login (20). Free trial of 4,000 credits for 7 days, 'No Credit Card Required' (20). A person signs up in a browser and confirms an email (0). 0 + 20 + 20 + 0 = 40.

### Security & auth: Parallel Search and Task APIs +34

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (45): API key in `x-api-key`. The Search MCP takes a Bearer key or OAuth at /mcp-oauth. We found no key scopes (20). Every Search and Extract action is a read, and Task tools live in a separate MCP server, so the search server is a read-only subset (15). Excerpts and fetched pages are untrusted web text, and the docs index has no prompt-injection guidance (0). No audit log found (0). The privacy policy shows a SOC 2 badge and links trust.parallel.ai, which rendered only its title to our reader on 6 October. security.txt is 404 on parallel.ai and docs.parallel.ai, and no bug bounty found (10).
- SERPHouse (11): One key per account, one account per user, no scopes or rotation found (10). The REST API documents `api_token` in the query string and the hosted MCP server takes the key only in its URL path, less 10 (0 of 30). Searches only read, with no read-only or restricted key (8 of 20). Results are third-party snippets and AI Overview text, with no prompt-injection guidance (0). An account tool shows plan and credit usage; no per-call log was found (3 of 15). No security.txt (404), disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0 of 20). 0 + 8 + 0 + 3 + 0 = 11.

### Schema & documentation: Parallel Search and Task APIs +28

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (94): Public OpenAPI at docs.parallel.ai/public-openapi.json, linked from llms.txt (25). llms.txt and Markdown pages (10). A live `tools/list` on search.parallel.ai/mcp on 17 October and again on 1 November returned the two definitions, and the newer Parallel MCP server at mcp.parallel.ai adds `web_decisions`, whose description says when to use web_search instead. `web_search` states its purpose and ideal uses, and `web_fetch` says to use it "only when web_search excerpts are insufficient". The docs add that domain filters are hard filters that can cut quality. `web_search` has no when-not-to line of its own (17). Typed JSON Schema inputs with required fields and an output schema on both tools, `mode` is an enum in the API, and Task output schemas are JSON Schema. The MCP inputs carry no enums (12). The errors page lists each code with whether to retry and what to do, and 422s carry a structured `detail` (15). A dated changelog, newest entry 26 October 2026 (Decisions API) after 19 October (EU data residency), and beta headers retire on dated entries (15).
- SERPHouse (66): No OpenAPI or similar contract for the REST API. The MCP server's tools carry typed Zod schemas, published in the source and a static server card (18 of 25). llms.txt at the site and the docs, and every docs page as Markdown (10). MCP tool descriptions say which tool to use for what, such as `serphouse_google_web` when device or `num_result` is needed, while the docs pages lead with marketing lines such as 'Unlock captivating Google video content' (12 of 20). Enums for device, SERP type, engine and video duration, defaults and 37 described parameters (11 of 15). A status code table and request examples per engine, with a generic error body (12 of 15). No changelog or API versioning; only the MCP server has tags (3 of 15). 18 + 10 + 12 + 11 + 12 + 3 = 66.

### Agent ergonomics: Parallel Search and Task APIs +23

- Parallel Search and Task APIs (87): The Search MCP has two tools, about 5,700 characters of names, descriptions and input schemas on 1 November, and the Parallel MCP server lists three without a key (about 9,700 characters) and a fourth, `web_research`, after sign-in. `web_fetch` returns excerpts unless `full_content` is set, and the docs cap excerpts at roughly 25,000 characters a call and warn full pages can run to tens of thousands of tokens (25). Result counts, excerpt settings and source policies for domains and paths (18). The errors table gives each code a retry column and a resolution, with troubleshooting for 402 and 429 and a structured `detail` on 422 (20). Both Search MCP tools carry readOnlyHint true, destructiveHint false and idempotentHint true in the live `tools/list`, and searches are safe to repeat. There's still no idempotency key for Task creation, the SDKs retry creates on 429 and 5xx, and the Task MCP needs a key, so its annotations weren't read (14). Python and TypeScript SDKs, but `mode` defaults to advanced, the $5 per 1,000 tier, when you leave it out (10).
- SERPHouse (64): 23 MCP tools with no toolsets or filtering (15 of 25). `num_result`, `max_pages`, paging, device, location, language, date and video filters (16 of 20). Status codes are tabulated, but a 200 can also mean an error and the body carries only 'Please try again' (10 of 20). Searches only read and failed requests aren't charged, but the MCP tools carry no readOnlyHint or other annotations (10 of 20). `serphouse_search` needs only `q` and defaults to the US; most other tools need `loc` or `loc_id`. Official Node.js, PHP and Python SDKs are documented (13 of 15). 15 + 16 + 10 + 10 + 13 = 64.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SERPHouse | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 40 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +35 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 66 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +28 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 64 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +23 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 11 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +34 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 75 | 40 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +35 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 23 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +64 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 50 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +15 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **75 · BB** | **42.4 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SERPHouse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Parallel Web Systems | Patoliya Infotech LLP |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search` | `https://mcp.serphouse.com/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| Price for web search | $1 per 1,000 requests | not published |
| x402 | payer tooling only | no |
| Tools exposed | 6 | 23 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `ai.parallel/search-mcp` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-10-28 | 2026-07-06 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-10-17 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-11 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 28 stars, 250k npm/wk, 994k PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | none |

## How the scores have moved

### Parallel Search and Task APIs

- -0.1 on 30 October 2026: checklist
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist
- +1.0 on 17 October 2026: new evidence

### SERPHouse

No score change since it was listed.

## Verdicts

**Parallel Search and Task APIs.** Fast-mode search at $1 per 1,000 with 10 excerpted results, and a keyless two-tool Search MCP annotated read-only. Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out, and the Customer Terms allow training on inputs and outputs.

**SERPHouse.** SERPHouse returns parsed Google, Bing and Yahoo results at published prices from $0.62 per 1,000 requests, with a 23-tool MCP server and a 4,000-credit trial without a card. The hosted MCP puts the key in its URL, there is no status page, changelog or security contact, and the terms keep search history indefinitely.

## Before you call either

### Parallel Search and Task APIs

1. Pass `mode: "fast"` on every API search. Without it you pay the advanced rate. On an authenticated MCP connection, pin it with `?mode=fast`
2. Create Task runs with `max_retries=0` and check for an existing run before retrying
3. Give an `objective` plus two or three short `search_queries`. That's what ranks the excerpts
4. On 402, check available balance rather than total. Running tasks reserve credit
5. Ask for zero data retention or use the EU endpoint before sending private queries. The default terms allow training on them
6. On Decisions, check each answer's `type` before reading it. A refusal is a 200, not an error, and a predicate is a probability you threshold yourself

### SERPHouse

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer`, not as `api_token` in the URL
2. Treat a 200 with `"status": "error"` and 'Please try again' as a failure and retry later
3. Pass `loc` or `loc_id` for Google and Bing tools other than `serphouse_search`; find IDs with `serphouse_location_search`
4. Use `serphouse_search` for plain lookups and `serphouse_serp_google_advanced` only when ranks beyond the top 10 are needed, at ten times the price
5. Keep under 60 requests a minute on self-serve plans

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Parallel Search and Task APIs or SERPHouse?

Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SERPHouse's 42.4 (E), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Parallel Search and Task APIs and SERPHouse need an API key?

Parallel Search and Task APIs takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. SERPHouse needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Parallel Search and Task APIs and SERPHouse without installing anything?

Yes. Parallel Search and Task APIs has a hosted endpoint at https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search and SERPHouse at https://mcp.serphouse.com/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serphouse.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serphouse.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "parallel-search-api", "b": "serphouse"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare parallel-search-api serphouse`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serphouse.json

## Other comparisons with Parallel Search and Task APIs or SERPHouse

- [Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Grounding with Bing Search vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bing-grounding-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Grounding with Bing Search vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bing-grounding-vs-serphouse.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 SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-serphouse.md)
- [DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Firecrawl MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Kagi Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Kagi Search API vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Linkup vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Mojeek Web Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mojeek-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Mojeek Web Search API vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mojeek-vs-serphouse.md)
- [NewsCatcher vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/newscatcher-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Perplexity Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-perplexity-search-api.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-searchapi-io.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpapi.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serper.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpkite.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tinyfish-search.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-valyu.md)
- [Parallel Search and Task APIs vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Perplexity Search API vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/perplexity-search-api-vs-serphouse.md)
- [SearchAPI.io vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/searchapi-io-vs-serphouse.md)
- [SerpApi vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Serper vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serper-vs-serphouse.md)
- [SERPHouse vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-specstream.md)
- [SERPHouse vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-tavily-mcp.md)
- [SERPHouse vs TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-tinyfish-search.md)
- [SERPHouse vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-valyu.md)
- [SERPHouse vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-you-com-api.md)
- [Arcmira vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Grep AI vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-parallel-search-api.md)
- [Fetch (MCP reference server) vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-serphouse.md)
- [NewsCatcher vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/newscatcher-vs-serphouse.md)
- [SERPHouse vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serphouse-vs-serpkite.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp