{ "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, covering search, page extraction, asynchronous research tasks, closed-ended decisions answered from current web evidence and an OpenAI-compatible Responses endpoint, with hosted Search and Task MCP servers.", "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", "dns": "parallel-search-api.grade.anchorterminal.com", "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. Image Search $1 (fast) or $5 (advanced) per 1,000, up to 20 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. Decisions $1 per 1,000 requests, up to 100 questions a request. 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": "2026-10-28", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 75, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 63, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1272, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 75, "reliability": 75, "schema": 94, "security": 45, "transparency": 65 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill.", "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 MCP servers whose search, fetch and decision tools are annotated read-only, plus Bearer and OAuth sign-in", "Public OpenAPI, llms.txt and an errors table that says which codes to retry and how", "SDK releases several times a month, with CI and a breaking-change check on the Python SDK, and a dated changelog with entries on 19 and 26 October 2026" ], "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", "Customer Terms let Parallel train on inputs and outputs, and no retention period is stated outside the EU endpoint", "No prompt-injection guidance, no security.txt and no public subprocessor list" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pass `mode: \"fast\"` on every API search. Without it you pay the advanced rate. On an authenticated MCP connection, pin it with `?mode=fast`", "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", "Ask for zero data retention or use the EU endpoint before sending private queries. The default terms allow training on them", "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" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.6, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 75 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 75, "reliability": 75, "schema": 94, "security": 45, "transparency": 45 }, "provenanceScore": 85, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-01", "maintenance": "2026-11-01", "payments": "2026-11-01", "reliability": "2026-11-01", "schema": "2026-11-01", "security": "2026-11-01", "transparency": "2026-11-01" }, "last": "2026-11-01", "lastMoved": "2026-10-30", "oldest": "2026-11-01", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "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": "Decisions, up to 100 questions a request", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 1, "note": "docs pricing page, 1 November 2026" }, { "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/customer-terms", "privacy": "https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.parallel.ai", "changelog": "https://docs.parallel.ai/resources/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-01", "score": 85 }, "requirements": { "agentAlone": true, "card": "unknown", "freeTier": true, "minutes": 5, "credential": "mixed", "hosting": [ "US", "EU" ], "euResidency": "enterprise", "trainsOnData": "unknown", "zeroRetention": "enterprise", "certifications": [ "GDPR" ], "dpa": true, "selfHost": "no" }, "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": "2026-11-03T18:20:15.910170702Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 1163, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 1158, "p95ms24h": 1233, "samples24h": 250, "samples30d": 8081, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 255 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-22", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-23", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-24", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-25", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-26", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-27", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-28", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-31", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-11-01", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-11-02", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 191, "ok": 191 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.parallel.ai", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T18:12:55.413947299Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "ai.parallel/search-mcp", "version": "1.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-03T16:51:07.971176756Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "parallel-web", "version": "1.3.7", "seenAt": "2026-11-02T19:41:12.954923934Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "parallel-web", "version": "1.3.7", "released": "2026-10-23", "seenAt": "2026-11-02T19:41:13.879855489Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 426818, "pypiWeekly": 1111282, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://parallel.ai/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T15:52:15.736187406Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.parallel.ai/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T15:20:46.156594074Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "parallel.ai", "registered": "2017-12-16", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/parallel.ai", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:08:31.990227623Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.parallel.ai/resources/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T07:48:16.972540923Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-28T04:15:56.90518385Z", "fingerprint": "956aa7137c5e" }, { "url": "https://parallel.ai/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T07:55:23.994287885Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-28T04:40:03.501661453Z", "fingerprint": "2b7e7309ff07" }, { "url": "https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T07:55:25.853857726Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-28T04:40:04.940970771Z", "fingerprint": "7e5b4017b538" }, { "url": "https://parallel.ai/customer-terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T07:55:21.76158014Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-28T04:40:00.547113228Z", "fingerprint": "ea208a183ecc" }, { "url": "https://parallel.ai/terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-16T22:28:19.906253644Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-15T22:01:22.246898534Z", "fingerprint": "5d9bafee0ed2" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-03T18:20:15.910170702Z" } }, "answer": "Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SpecStream's 64.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. SpecStream leads on security \u0026 auth and payments \u0026 pricing.", "b": { "slug": "specstream", "name": "SpecStream", "vendor": "SpecStream SAS", "vendorUrl": "https://specstream.ai", "kind": "platform", "category": "search", "summary": "SpecStream is a hosted web data service that turns a plain-language request into rows with a source page for each value, enriches and rechecks lists, and is reached through a web app, REST API, SDKs and remote MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/specstream", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/specstream.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/specstream.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/specstream.json", "dns": "specstream.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/specstream/specstream-tools", "license": "Proprietary hosted service under SpecStream SAS's terms of use (updated 3 November 2026, French law). The client code in specstream/specstream-tools (SDKs, the stdio bridge, framework packages, plugins, skills and integrations) is MIT, copyright SpecStream SAS", "transports": [ "streamable-http", "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "specstream-client" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@specstream/sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "specstream-mcp-stdio" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Two credentials, both sent as `Authorization: Bearer`. API keys (`ss_live_...`) are made under Agents \u0026 API in the workspace or with the `create_api_key` tool, shown once, limited to any of eight scopes (`specs:read`, `specs:write`, `finds:read`, `finds:write`, `finds:spend`, `projects:read`, `projects:manage`, `account:read`), to named projects, to an expiry of 1 to 365 days (90 by default) and to a spending ceiling, and revoked singly so that the next request fails; the docs group them as read, prepare or execute access and only execute starts paid work. OAuth 2.1 sign-in for MCP clients uses HTTPS client ID metadata documents or dynamic client registration, with read, prepare or execute access shown on a consent screen, and registered clients are listed and revoked in account settings. Delegated access can let an agent start named operations within a per-run limit, a monthly limit and an expiry. No secret in a query string is documented. The authorisation server metadata on api.specstream.ai was not read (see openQuestions).", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Prices are per matching result and the same on every plan, Standard $0.05 (up to 5 facts), Expanded $0.15 (up to 15 facts and one related list with 10 related records, then 10 cents per further 10), Deep $1, plus 5 cents for a named person's email and 15 cents for a phone. Rechecks cost half the rate for a changed or new row and 1 cent for an unchanged one; checking an imported row costs 5 cents or its match rate. A run that finds nothing, rows left out and reading or pricing a request cost nothing. Free is $10 of work once for the first 30 days with no card; pay as you go tops up from $10 with no expiry; Pro $19 a month with $19 of work, Scale $99, Team $499, Enterprise from $2,500; yearly adds 20 per cent more work, and plan balance rolls over one month. Agents without an account can pay per purchase by x402 (USDC) or MPP (card, at least $1) (https://specstream.ai/pricing and https://specstream.ai/docs/agent-payments, checked 2026-11-03).", "priceSummary": "$19 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "yes", "evidence": "The agent payments page documents `POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/agent/lists` as the one paid route for agents without an account. It answers 402 with a `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header for x402 v2 (USDC on Base, Arbitrum or Polygon, a Permit2 authorisation for the quoted maximum under the `upto` scheme, settled for the results cost only) and a `WWW-Authenticate: Payment` challenge for MPP by card through Stripe's Link agent wallet; the offer lasts 15 minutes and a purchase is 1 to 500 results for $1.00 to $500.00. Pricing and the changelog (15 October 2026) say the same. Not exercised, because api.specstream.ai's robots.txt could not be read, so nothing on that host was requested (https://specstream.ai/docs/agent-payments, checked 2026-11-03).", "endpoints": [ { "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/agent/lists", "priceUsd": null, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/agent/lists", "priceUsd": null, "network": "eip155:42161" }, { "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/agent/lists", "priceUsd": null, "network": "eip155:137" } ] }, "toolCount": 128, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-03" }, "docsUrl": "https://specstream.ai/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://specstream.ai/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://specstream.ai/openapi.json", "registryName": "ai.specstream/specstream", "capabilities": [ "search.research", "web.search", "web.extract", "lead.enrichment", "data.company", "email.finder" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "official", "closed-source", "openapi", "llms-txt", "mcp", "remote-mcp", "oauth", "api-key", "x402", "mpp", "a2a", "python", "typescript", "cli", "webhooks", "async-jobs", "agent-skills", "enrichment", "desktop-app", "windows", "eu-hosting", "usage-based", "free-tier", "no-card", "no-status-page", "new" ], "lastRelease": "2026-11-03", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 64.4, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 399, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1272, "categoryRank": 11, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 85, "reliability": 23, "schema": 80, "security": 73, "transparency": 66 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-03" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Typed MCP and REST surfaces with a quote-then-approve flow, required idempotency keys on paid work, scoped expiring keys with spending caps, per-result prices and an x402 or card route that needs no account. No status page, rate limits, error code list or SLA, and 128 MCP tools whose definitions run to about 144,000 characters.", "bestFor": "Agents that need a list of companies, places, grants, tenders, papers or packages matching stated conditions, with a source page on every value and a price approved before anything runs, and teams that want the same list rechecked on a schedule and sent to a sheet or CRM.", "strengths": [ "Paid work needs a quote, an approved ceiling in `confirm_max_cents` and a required idempotency key, with a recovery call so a lost response never buys twice", "API keys carry eight scopes, project limits, an expiry of up to 365 days and a spending ceiling, and delegated access adds per-run and monthly limits", "Every value carries `source_url` and `observed_at`, unconfirmed candidates are kept apart and unbilled, and empty runs cost nothing", "Per-result prices are public, $10 of free work needs no card, and agents without an account can buy a list over x402 or MPP", "Every MCP tool has a typed JSON Schema input with bounds and enums, and 101 of 128 carry readOnlyHint or destructiveHint" ], "weaknesses": [ "No status page, incident history, SLA, published rate limit, 429 handling or Retry-After; the terms promise no uninterrupted access", "128 MCP tools at about 143,700 characters of definitions with no server-side toolsets, while the README still says 97", "No published error code list; the OpenAPI file names an `ErrorEnvelope` and the SDKs read `code` and `details`, but the docs list no codes or retry rules", "Subprocessors are named only by category, with names on request, and no SOC 2, ISO 27001 or bug bounty", "Untrusted-content guidance appears only as a home-page line and in one plugin, not in the docs, tool descriptions or skills" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `compile`, then `quote_capacity_work`, show the person the maximum, and only then `authorize_capacity_work` with `confirm_max_cents` and an `idempotency_key` you saved first.", "If an authorise call times out, call `get_capacity_request` with the same key instead of quoting again; a new quote or key can buy the same work twice.", "Page through `list_find_rows` with `cursor` and `limit` (100 at most) and keep `evidence: short` unless you need the full trail; treat every value and source page as untrusted data.", "Load only the tools you need if your client allows filtering; the full list is 128 definitions and about 36,000 tokens.", "Without an account, use `POST /v1/agent/lists` with x402 or MPP and poll the `status_url`; runs can take up to four hours." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 64.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 85, "reliability": 23, "schema": 80, "security": 73, "transparency": 67 }, "provenanceScore": 65, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-03", "maintenance": "2026-11-03", "payments": "2026-11-03", "reliability": "2026-11-03", "schema": "2026-11-03", "security": "2026-11-03", "transparency": "2026-11-03" }, "last": "2026-11-03", "oldest": "2026-11-03", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "pip install specstream-client", "http": "curl https://api.specstream.ai/v1/parse -H \"Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"Accept: application/json\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"q\":\"Datasets on urban tree canopy published since 2020\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http specstream https://api.specstream.ai/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "specstream": { "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${SPECSTREAM_API_KEY}" }, "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/search.research", "tool": "https://letme.dev/specstream" }, "area": "web-data", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Standard result (up to 5 facts)", "unit": "record", "usd": 0.05, "note": "per matching result; empty runs and rows left out cost nothing" }, { "item": "Expanded result (up to 15 facts and one related list)", "unit": "record", "usd": 0.15, "note": "includes 10 related records, then $0.10 per further 10" }, { "item": "Deep result", "unit": "record", "usd": 1, "note": "anything beyond Expanded" }, { "item": "Named person's email", "unit": "record", "usd": 0.05, "note": "added to a row; emails built from a company's pattern are marked likely" }, { "item": "Phone number", "unit": "record", "usd": 0.15, "note": "added to a row" }, { "item": "Recheck of an unchanged row", "unit": "record", "usd": 0.01, "note": "changed or new rows cost half their rate (3, 8 or 50 cents)" }, { "item": "Pro plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 19, "note": "$19 of work a month, 1 member, 10 lists kept current" }, { "item": "Scale plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 99, "note": "$99 of work a month, 10 members, 50 lists" }, { "item": "Team plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 499, "note": "$499 of work a month, 50 members, 250 lists" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "SpecStream SAS", "domain": "specstream.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://specstream.ai/terms", "privacy": "https://specstream.ai/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://specstream.ai/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-11-03", "notes": [ "The legal notice in English and French (both updated 3 November 2026) names SpecStream SAS, a French société par actions simplifiée with share capital of 10 euros, RCS Narbonne 131 125 841, VAT FR49131125841, registered at 20 quai de Lorraine, 11100 Narbonne, with Tarek Etman as president and publication director and Nataliia Stepanenko as director general, hosted by Compagnie IBM France SAS on IBM Cloud in Madrid. The terms and privacy policy (both 3 November 2026) name the same company under French law.", "The company number was not confirmed against the register. annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr and recherche-entreprises.api.gouv.fr were refused by our fetcher and a web search found no register page. The SIREN 131125841 passes its Luhn check digit and the VAT key 49 matches it; SIREN numbers starting with 1 or 2 are normally given to public bodies, which a private SAS would not be. No first-hand page contradicts the notice, so nothing is deducted.", "https://specstream.ai/.well-known/security.txt is valid (Contact support@specstream.ai, Expires 2027-10-08, languages en and fr). The repository's SECURITY.md adds GitHub private vulnerability reporting.", "firstReleased is 2026-09-30, the first entry in the dated changelog (the Windows workspace app); the npm SDK and n8n node were first published on 12 October and the stdio bridge on 12 October 2026. lastRelease is 2026-11-03, specstream-mcp-stdio 1.2.3 on PyPI.", "robots.txt on specstream.ai allows / and disallows /workspace (except /workspace/shared/ and /workspace/assets/), /app/, /account, /login, /signup, /join, /v1/, /oauth/, /mcp, /share/, /export/, /internal/, /cdn-cgi/ and the paths under /integrations/*/, with no rule for named AI crawlers. api.specstream.ai/robots.txt could not be read, so nothing on that host was fetched, including the OAuth well-known documents, the A2A agent card and the MCP server card.", "Not read: RDAP for specstream.ai, the Wayback Machine, the live MCP registry entry, PyPI project pages (a client challenge; the release feed was read instead) and the GitHub API for stars and issues." ], "score": 65 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/specstream.json", "live": { "slug": "specstream", "probe": { "target": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-03T18:20:23.661096193Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 228, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 198, "p95ms24h": 292, "samples24h": 44, "samples30d": 44, "days": [ { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 44, "ok": 44 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "ai.specstream/specstream", "version": "1.3.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-03T16:51:07.971176756Z" } ], "securityTxt": { "url": "https://specstream.ai/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2027-10-08T00:00:00.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T15:52:31.491866186Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://specstream.ai/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-03T15:21:10.521972292Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-03T18:20:23.661096193Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 52, "category": "reliability", "leads": "parallel-search-api", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "Hosted reading, for the MCP server and REST API on api.specstream.ai. No public status page was found. None is linked from the site, llms.txt or the docs, llms-full.txt mentions none, and https://specstream.ai/status returned an error (0). No readable incident history, so the floor (5). No rate limit with numbers is published in the docs, llms.txt, llms-full.txt or the part of the OpenAPI file read; the privacy policy and DPA mention rate limiting without figures, and the published limits are per job (10,000 results a request, four-hour runs, 20,000 imported rows) (0). Nothing documents 429, Retry-After or backoff, but paid work requires an `idempotency_key` on `authorize_capacity_work` and `POST /v1/capacity/executions`, `GET /v1/capacity/requests/{request_key}` recovers the original find after an uncertain response, and the skills say never to quote again to recover a lost reply (8 of 15). No SLA on any plan, and the terms say 'We do not promise uninterrupted access' (0). No beta or preview label on the API, the MCP server or the SDKs, which PyPI classifies as production and stable at 1.2 (10). 0+5+0+8+0+10 = 23." }, "scores": { "a": 75, "b": 23 } }, { "by": 28, "category": "security", "leads": "specstream", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "API keys `ss_live_...` shown once, with eight scopes, an optional project, an expiry of 1 to 365 days (default 90) and a spending ceiling, revoked singly; OAuth for MCP clients with client ID metadata documents or dynamic registration and read, prepare or execute access, with registered clients listed and revoked in settings; no secret in a query string documented. The authorisation server metadata on api.specstream.ai was not read and rotation is not described beyond expiry (28 of 30). Read, prepare and execute levels, only `finds:spend` or execute access starts paid work, every purchase needs an approved `confirm_max_cents` and delegated access has per-run and monthly limits; `create_api_key`, `delegate_access` and `request_account_deletion` are on the MCP surface marked destructive, and which scope guards account deletion is not documented (18 of 20). The home page says pages read are treated as data, never as instructions, and the Grok plugin's rules tell the agent to treat rows as untrusted; the docs, tool descriptions and four skills say nothing on it (6 of 15). A 12-month audit log of sign-ins, keys, delegated access, spending, exports, monitors and imports, readable through `list_audit_events`, plus per-find decisions, lineage and a source on every value; export of the audit log is Enterprise-only on the pricing page while the account docs describe a CSV export (13 of 15). security.txt is valid until October 2027 with support@specstream.ai, and SECURITY.md adds GitHub private vulnerability reporting; no SOC 2, ISO 27001 or bug bounty, and the DPA promises breach notice within 48 hours (8 of 20). 28+18+6+13+8 = 73." }, "scores": { "a": 45, "b": 73 } }, { "by": 22, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "parallel-search-api", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "MCP reading. 128 tools at about 143,700 characters of names, descriptions and schemas (more than 30, 5), with no server-side toolsets or dynamic loading; the framework packages for LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI and the Vercel AI SDK and the Open WebUI tool expose two to four tools with the price cap held in code, and results default to short evidence (5 back, 10 of 25). Cursor and `limit` on rows, search, specs and revisits, `evidence` short or full, filters by area and by field on collections, and unconfirmed candidates kept in a separate list (18 of 20). An `ErrorEnvelope` on every operation and an SDK error class that exposes `code` and `details`, but no published code list, meanings or retry rules (6 of 20). Required idempotency keys on paid work, schedules and refund claims with a recovery route, `expected_version` on updates, stable event ids on webhook retries, and readOnlyHint on 72 tools and destructiveHint on 29, with no idempotentHint (18 of 20). `compile` needs only `q`, a quote needs only `ast_hash` with 25 results by default, and official SDKs in Python and TypeScript with a CLI, though one purchase takes three calls with a hash carried between them (13 of 15). 10+18+6+18+13 = 65." }, "scores": { "a": 87, "b": 65 } }, { "by": 14, "category": "schema", "leads": "parallel-search-api", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "MCP reading, with the REST API described. The tool list shipped in specstream-mcp-stdio 1.2.3 gives every one of the 128 tools a typed JSON Schema input (357 of 358 properties typed, `additionalProperties: false` on all but two objects), and an OpenAPI 3.1 file at https://specstream.ai/openapi.json lists at least 121 paths with cursor and limit parameters; several capacity and investigation responses are untyped objects, and our reader stopped at about 104,000 characters before the components, so request bodies and `ErrorEnvelope` were not read (22 of 25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every page, also served for `Accept: text/markdown` (10). Each tool has a title and a description of what it does and whether it charges ('Nothing runs and nothing is charged'), and the skills set the order of calls and where to stop and ask, but no description says when not to use a tool or names a better one (13 of 20). 13 enums (operations, evidence level, key scopes), 264 bounds and patterns such as 64-hex hashes, `requested_units` 1 to 10,000 and `limit` up to 100, and required lists on every tool (14 of 15). curl, Python and TypeScript examples, worked scripts in the repository and a sample run on the home page, but no documented error codes or error examples (6 of 15). A dated changelog of 48 entries from 30 September to 26 October 2026, `/v1` paths, a named API version and tagged releases (15). 22+10+13+14+6+15 = 80." }, "scores": { "a": 94, "b": 80 } }, { "by": 10, "category": "payments", "leads": "specstream", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "x402 v2 (USDC on Base, Arbitrum or Polygon, Permit2 `upto` for the quoted maximum, settled for the results cost) and MPP by card on SpecStream's own `POST /v1/agent/lists`, the route for buying a list of 1 to 500 results without an account; enrichment of imported lists, refreshes, monitors and investigations need an account, and the route was read in the docs and not exercised because api.specstream.ai's robots.txt could not be read, so partial (25). Per-result prices published without a login, 5, 15 or 100 cents a result, 5 cents an email, 15 cents a phone, rechecks at half rate or 1 cent (20). $10 of work for 30 days with no card (20). An agent can buy a list over x402 or MPP with no account, and the A2A endpoint prices a request without a key (20). 25+20+20+20 = 85." }, "scores": { "a": 75, "b": 85 } }, { "by": 6, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "parallel-search-api", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "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).", "b": "specstream-mcp-stdio 1.2.3 on PyPI on 3 November 2026, the Python SDK 1.2.0 committed the same day and `@specstream/sdk` 1.2.0 on npm on 31 October (30). Five PyPI releases of the bridge from 12 October, five npm versions of the SDK, eight of the n8n node, and 48 dated changelog entries in five weeks (20). A closed service with a dated changelog, support@specstream.ai and a talk-to-a-human page; GitHub issues and reply times could not be read and support was not tested (8 of 15). server.json under the reverse-DNS namespace `ai.specstream/specstream` 1.3.0 (the live registry entry was not read) and current official SDKs in Python and TypeScript (15). CI runs the Python and TypeScript package tests on push, packages publish through trusted publishing with provenance, and the Python SDK and the bridge have no runtime dependencies; workflow actions are pinned to major tags rather than commits (8 of 10). 30+20+8+15+8 = 81." }, "scores": { "a": 87, "b": 81 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "Platform", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Parallel Web Systems", "b": "SpecStream SAS", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search", "b": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "Streamable HTTP, HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$1 per 1,000 requests", "b": "not published", "name": "Price for web search" }, { "a": "payer tooling only", "b": "yes", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "Proprietary hosted service under SpecStream SAS's terms of use (updated 3 November 2026, French law). The client code in specstream/specstream-tools (SDKs, the stdio bridge, framework packages, plugins, skills and integrations) is MIT, copyright SpecStream SAS", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "6", "b": "128", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "ai.parallel/search-mcp", "b": "ai.specstream/specstream", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-10-28", "b": "2026-11-03", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-10-17", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-08-11", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not read yet", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "28 stars, 250k npm/wk, 994k PyPI/wk", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.6/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SpecStream's 64.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. SpecStream leads on security \u0026 auth and payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Parallel Search and Task APIs or SpecStream?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Parallel Search and Task APIs has a hosted endpoint at https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search and SpecStream at https://api.specstream.ai/mcp.", "question": "Can an agent call Parallel Search and Task APIs and SpecStream without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 23", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 94 against 80", "Agent ergonomics, 87 against 65", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 81" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better" ], "goodFor": "Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill.", "slug": "parallel-search-api", "watchFor": "Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Security \u0026 auth, 73 against 45", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 85 against 75" ], "also": [ "An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Agents that need a list of companies, places, grants, tenders, papers or packages matching stated conditions, with a source page on every value and a price approved before anything runs, and teams that want the same list rechecked on a schedule and sent to a sheet or CRM.", "slug": "specstream", "watchFor": "No status page, incident history, SLA, published rate limit, 429 handling or Retry-After; the terms promise no uninterrupted access" } ], "history": { "parallel-search-api": [ { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-30", "delta": -0.1, "from": 75.1, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 75, "toGrade": "BB" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-27", "delta": 0.1, "from": 75, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 75.1, "toGrade": "BB" }, { "causes": [ "evidence" ], "date": "2026-10-17", "delta": 1, "from": 74, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 75, "toGrade": "BB" } ], "specstream": null }, "job": { "capability": "web.search", "name": "Web search" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Cloudflare Web Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Cloudflare Web Search API vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-specstream.json", "title": "DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Exa API + MCP vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Firecrawl MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Firecrawl MCP vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Linkup vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-searchapi-io.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SearchAPI.io", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-searchapi-io" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpapi.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SerpApi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpapi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serper.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Serper", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serper" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpkite.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs SerpKite", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpkite" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Tavily API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tavily-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tinyfish-search.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs TinyFish Search", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tinyfish-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-valyu.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs Valyu", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-valyu" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-you-com-api.json", "title": "Parallel Search and Task APIs vs You.com APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-you-com-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/searchapi-io-vs-specstream.json", "title": "SearchAPI.io vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/searchapi-io-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-specstream.json", "title": "SerpApi vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serper-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Serper vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serper-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpkite-vs-specstream.json", "title": "SerpKite vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpkite-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Arcmira vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Arcmira vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Grep AI vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-specstream.json", "title": "Grep AI vs SpecStream", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-specstream" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tavily-mcp.json", "title": "SpecStream vs Tavily API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tavily-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tinyfish-search.json", "title": "SpecStream vs TinyFish Search", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tinyfish-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-valyu.json", "title": "SpecStream vs Valyu", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-valyu" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-you-com-api.json", "title": "SpecStream vs You.com APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-you-com-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-parallel-search-api" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 52, "edge": "parallel-search-api", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "parallel-search-api": 75, "specstream": 23, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "parallel-search-api", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "parallel-search-api": 94, "specstream": 80, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 22, "edge": "parallel-search-api", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "parallel-search-api": 87, "specstream": 65, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 28, "edge": "specstream", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "parallel-search-api": 45, "specstream": 73, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 10, "edge": "specstream", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "parallel-search-api": 75, "specstream": 85, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "parallel-search-api", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "parallel-search-api": 87, "specstream": 81, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 1, "edge": "specstream", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "parallel-search-api": 65, "specstream": 66, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SpecStream's 64.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. SpecStream leads on security \u0026 auth and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do web search. SpecStream accepts x402. Parallel Search and Task APIs doesn't.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "parallel-search-api": "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.", "specstream": "Typed MCP and REST surfaces with a quote-then-approve flow, required idempotency keys on paid work, scoped expiring keys with spending caps, per-result prices and an x402 or card route that needs no account. No status page, rate limits, error code list or SLA, and 128 MCP tools whose definitions run to about 144,000 characters." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.min.md" }, "markdown": "Parallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SpecStream's 64.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. SpecStream leads on security \u0026 auth and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do web search. SpecStream accepts x402. Parallel Search and Task APIs doesn't.\n\n- Parallel Search and Task APIs: grade BB, 75/100, rank #63 of 1272. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/parallel-search-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json\n- SpecStream: grade B, 64.4/100, rank #399 of 1272. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/specstream.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/specstream.json\n- Best web search APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.md\n- All 201 search comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/search/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Parallel Search and Task APIs (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents that mix quick search with long research or enrichment jobs and want one vendor and one bill.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 23\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 94 against 80\n- Agent ergonomics, 87 against 65\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 81\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n\nWatch for: Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when `mode` is left out\n\n### SpecStream (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that need a list of companies, places, grants, tenders, papers or packages matching stated conditions, with a source page on every value and a price approved before anything runs, and teams that want the same list rechecked on a schedule and sent to a sheet or CRM.\n\nAhead on:\n- Security \u0026 auth, 73 against 45\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 85 against 75\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: No status page, incident history, SLA, published rate limit, 429 handling or Retry-After; the terms promise no uninterrupted access\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Reliability: Parallel Search and Task APIs +52\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (23): Hosted reading, for the MCP server and REST API on api.specstream.ai. No public status page was found. None is linked from the site, llms.txt or the docs, llms-full.txt mentions none, and https://specstream.ai/status returned an error (0). No readable incident history, so the floor (5). No rate limit with numbers is published in the docs, llms.txt, llms-full.txt or the part of the OpenAPI file read; the privacy policy and DPA mention rate limiting without figures, and the published limits are per job (10,000 results a request, four-hour runs, 20,000 imported rows) (0). Nothing documents 429, Retry-After or backoff, but paid work requires an `idempotency_key` on `authorize_capacity_work` and `POST /v1/capacity/executions`, `GET /v1/capacity/requests/{request_key}` recovers the original find after an uncertain response, and the skills say never to quote again to recover a lost reply (8 of 15). No SLA on any plan, and the terms say 'We do not promise uninterrupted access' (0). No beta or preview label on the API, the MCP server or the SDKs, which PyPI classifies as production and stable at 1.2 (10). 0+5+0+8+0+10 = 23.\n\n### Security \u0026 auth: SpecStream +28\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (73): API keys `ss_live_...` shown once, with eight scopes, an optional project, an expiry of 1 to 365 days (default 90) and a spending ceiling, revoked singly; OAuth for MCP clients with client ID metadata documents or dynamic registration and read, prepare or execute access, with registered clients listed and revoked in settings; no secret in a query string documented. The authorisation server metadata on api.specstream.ai was not read and rotation is not described beyond expiry (28 of 30). Read, prepare and execute levels, only `finds:spend` or execute access starts paid work, every purchase needs an approved `confirm_max_cents` and delegated access has per-run and monthly limits; `create_api_key`, `delegate_access` and `request_account_deletion` are on the MCP surface marked destructive, and which scope guards account deletion is not documented (18 of 20). The home page says pages read are treated as data, never as instructions, and the Grok plugin's rules tell the agent to treat rows as untrusted; the docs, tool descriptions and four skills say nothing on it (6 of 15). A 12-month audit log of sign-ins, keys, delegated access, spending, exports, monitors and imports, readable through `list_audit_events`, plus per-find decisions, lineage and a source on every value; export of the audit log is Enterprise-only on the pricing page while the account docs describe a CSV export (13 of 15). security.txt is valid until October 2027 with support@specstream.ai, and SECURITY.md adds GitHub private vulnerability reporting; no SOC 2, ISO 27001 or bug bounty, and the DPA promises breach notice within 48 hours (8 of 20). 28+18+6+13+8 = 73.\n\n### Agent ergonomics: Parallel Search and Task APIs +22\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (65): MCP reading. 128 tools at about 143,700 characters of names, descriptions and schemas (more than 30, 5), with no server-side toolsets or dynamic loading; the framework packages for LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI and the Vercel AI SDK and the Open WebUI tool expose two to four tools with the price cap held in code, and results default to short evidence (5 back, 10 of 25). Cursor and `limit` on rows, search, specs and revisits, `evidence` short or full, filters by area and by field on collections, and unconfirmed candidates kept in a separate list (18 of 20). An `ErrorEnvelope` on every operation and an SDK error class that exposes `code` and `details`, but no published code list, meanings or retry rules (6 of 20). Required idempotency keys on paid work, schedules and refund claims with a recovery route, `expected_version` on updates, stable event ids on webhook retries, and readOnlyHint on 72 tools and destructiveHint on 29, with no idempotentHint (18 of 20). `compile` needs only `q`, a quote needs only `ast_hash` with 25 results by default, and official SDKs in Python and TypeScript with a CLI, though one purchase takes three calls with a hash carried between them (13 of 15). 10+18+6+18+13 = 65.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Parallel Search and Task APIs +14\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (80): MCP reading, with the REST API described. The tool list shipped in specstream-mcp-stdio 1.2.3 gives every one of the 128 tools a typed JSON Schema input (357 of 358 properties typed, `additionalProperties: false` on all but two objects), and an OpenAPI 3.1 file at https://specstream.ai/openapi.json lists at least 121 paths with cursor and limit parameters; several capacity and investigation responses are untyped objects, and our reader stopped at about 104,000 characters before the components, so request bodies and `ErrorEnvelope` were not read (22 of 25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every page, also served for `Accept: text/markdown` (10). Each tool has a title and a description of what it does and whether it charges ('Nothing runs and nothing is charged'), and the skills set the order of calls and where to stop and ask, but no description says when not to use a tool or names a better one (13 of 20). 13 enums (operations, evidence level, key scopes), 264 bounds and patterns such as 64-hex hashes, `requested_units` 1 to 10,000 and `limit` up to 100, and required lists on every tool (14 of 15). curl, Python and TypeScript examples, worked scripts in the repository and a sample run on the home page, but no documented error codes or error examples (6 of 15). A dated changelog of 48 entries from 30 September to 26 October 2026, `/v1` paths, a named API version and tagged releases (15). 22+10+13+14+6+15 = 80.\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: SpecStream +10\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (85): x402 v2 (USDC on Base, Arbitrum or Polygon, Permit2 `upto` for the quoted maximum, settled for the results cost) and MPP by card on SpecStream's own `POST /v1/agent/lists`, the route for buying a list of 1 to 500 results without an account; enrichment of imported lists, refreshes, monitors and investigations need an account, and the route was read in the docs and not exercised because api.specstream.ai's robots.txt could not be read, so partial (25). Per-result prices published without a login, 5, 15 or 100 cents a result, 5 cents an email, 15 cents a phone, rechecks at half rate or 1 cent (20). $10 of work for 30 days with no card (20). An agent can buy a list over x402 or MPP with no account, and the A2A endpoint prices a request without a key (20). 25+20+20+20 = 85.\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: Parallel Search and Task APIs +6\n\n- 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).\n- SpecStream (81): specstream-mcp-stdio 1.2.3 on PyPI on 3 November 2026, the Python SDK 1.2.0 committed the same day and `@specstream/sdk` 1.2.0 on npm on 31 October (30). Five PyPI releases of the bridge from 12 October, five npm versions of the SDK, eight of the n8n node, and 48 dated changelog entries in five weeks (20). A closed service with a dated changelog, support@specstream.ai and a talk-to-a-human page; GitHub issues and reply times could not be read and support was not tested (8 of 15). server.json under the reverse-DNS namespace `ai.specstream/specstream` 1.3.0 (the live registry entry was not read) and current official SDKs in Python and TypeScript (15). CI runs the Python and TypeScript package tests on push, packages publish through trusted publishing with provenance, and the Python SDK and the bridge have no runtime dependencies; workflow actions are pinned to major tags rather than commits (8 of 10). 30+20+8+15+8 = 81.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SpecStream | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 23 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +52 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 80 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +14 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 65 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +22 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 73 | SpecStream +28 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 75 | 85 | SpecStream +10 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 81 | Parallel Search and Task APIs +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 66 | SpecStream +1 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **75 · BB** | **64.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Parallel Search and Task APIs | SpecStream |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | Platform |\n| Vendor | Parallel Web Systems | SpecStream SAS |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search` | `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | Streamable HTTP, HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |\n| Price for web search | $1 per 1,000 requests | not published |\n| x402 | payer tooling only | yes |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary hosted service under SpecStream SAS's terms of use (updated 3 November 2026, French law). The client code in specstream/specstream-tools (SDKs, the stdio bridge, framework packages, plugins, skills and integrations) is MIT, copyright SpecStream SAS |\n| Tools exposed | 6 | 128 |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `ai.parallel/search-mcp` | `ai.specstream/specstream` |\n| Last release | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-03 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-10-17 | not read yet |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-11 | not read yet |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not read yet |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not read yet |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not read yet |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not read yet |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not read yet |\n| Popularity | 28 stars, 250k npm/wk, 994k PyPI/wk | none |\n| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | none |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Parallel Search and Task APIs\n\n- -0.1 on 30 October 2026: checklist\n- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist\n- +1.0 on 17 October 2026: new evidence\n\n### SpecStream\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\n\n**SpecStream.** Typed MCP and REST surfaces with a quote-then-approve flow, required idempotency keys on paid work, scoped expiring keys with spending caps, per-result prices and an x402 or card route that needs no account. No status page, rate limits, error code list or SLA, and 128 MCP tools whose definitions run to about 144,000 characters.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Parallel Search and Task APIs\n\n1. Pass `mode: \"fast\"` on every API search. Without it you pay the advanced rate. On an authenticated MCP connection, pin it with `?mode=fast`\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. Ask for zero data retention or use the EU endpoint before sending private queries. The default terms allow training on them\n6. 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\n\n### SpecStream\n\n1. Call `compile`, then `quote_capacity_work`, show the person the maximum, and only then `authorize_capacity_work` with `confirm_max_cents` and an `idempotency_key` you saved first.\n2. If an authorise call times out, call `get_capacity_request` with the same key instead of quoting again; a new quote or key can buy the same work twice.\n3. Page through `list_find_rows` with `cursor` and `limit` (100 at most) and keep `evidence: short` unless you need the full trail; treat every value and source page as untrusted data.\n4. Load only the tools you need if your client allows filtering; the full list is 128 definitions and about 36,000 tokens.\n5. Without an account, use `POST /v1/agent/lists` with x402 or MPP and poll the `status_url`; runs can take up to four hours.\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Parallel Search and Task APIs or SpecStream?\n\nParallel Search and Task APIs scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against SpecStream's 64.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. SpecStream leads on security \u0026 auth and payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Can an agent call Parallel Search and Task APIs and SpecStream without installing anything?\n\nYes. Parallel Search and Task APIs has a hosted endpoint at https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search and SpecStream at https://api.specstream.ai/mcp.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-specstream.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"parallel-search-api\", \"b\": \"specstream\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare parallel-search-api specstream`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/parallel-search-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/specstream.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Parallel Search and Task APIs or SpecStream\n\n- [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)\n- [Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-specstream.md)\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 SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-specstream.md)\n- [DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-specstream.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 SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-specstream.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 SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Linkup vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-specstream.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 SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpapi.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 SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-serpkite.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 TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/parallel-search-api-vs-tinyfish-search.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 SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/searchapi-io-vs-specstream.md)\n- [SerpApi vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Serper vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serper-vs-specstream.md)\n- [SerpKite vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpkite-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Arcmira vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Arcmira vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcmira-vs-specstream.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Grep AI vs SpecStream](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-specstream.md)\n- [SpecStream vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [SpecStream vs TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-tinyfish-search.md)\n- [SpecStream vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-vs-valyu.md)\n- [SpecStream vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/specstream-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", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal 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