6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

Why SerpApi gets expensive at small and medium volume

SerpApi's plan steps are narrow at the bottom. Developer, $75/month billed monthly, holds 5,000 searches, so a tracker that checks a few hundred keywords a day lands on Production at $150/mo. Those prices are for the Best Effort speed, and the faster speed modes cost more on top.

When to stay. If you need the Legal Shield, or your volume sits inside the Free or Starter allowance, SerpApi's price is easy to live with. The gap opens once you need more than Developer holds and less than its high volume plans.

The tools side by side

Each row is the cheapest plan I found that holds the month, with DataForSEO's per-result rate in place of a plan, to set against SerpApi Production.

cloro: I priced Lite. Lite counts credits. At 3 credits per Google Search its balance covers the month's searches. Hobby is the next step up.

10,000 Google searches a month: plan priced, monthly and annual cost, Price per 1,000, Monthly allowance, Free start

Tool and plan	Cost per month	Price per 1,000	Monthly allowance	Free start
SearchApiDeveloper	Not sold annually $40 monthly	$4 per 1,000 searches	10,000	Trial not published
DataForSEOPay as you go	Pay as you go. Billed per result. Queued Google results cost $0.6 per 1K SERPs, live ones $2 per 1K SERPs, from a first top-up of $50.	See the note	See the note	Trial not published
cloroLite	Not sold annually $30 monthly Next step up, Hobby: $100/mo monthly, 250,000 API requests or credits	$0.80 per 1k credits	37,500	Free plan
HasDataStartup	$49annual $59 monthly	$2.46 per 1,000 requests	200,000	Free plan
ZenserpSmall	$39.99annual $49.99 monthly	Not published	25,000	Free plan
ValueSERP25,000 Credits	$50annual $56 monthly	$1.60 per 1,000 credits	25,000	Trial not published

Six picks, in the order I'd consider them

Each one says who it is for, what it costs for 10,000 Google searches a month, and what you give up.

1

SearchApi

Best overall SerpApi alternative

Hands-on

Choose it if

You like how SerpApi works, one request per search and a plan sized in searches, and only want the bill to shrink.

Consider DataForSEO instead if

You can wait for queued results and want to pay even less per search.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

SearchApi counts a successful search as one search, the same rule SerpApi uses, so moving a tracker over changes the price and little else. Developer holds 10,000 searches, the vendor states its rate as $4 per 1,000 searches, and Production drops it to $3 per 1,000 searches. I pull Google, Bing and AI answer results through it for my own reports.

The plan I priced

Developer: $40/month billed monthly for 10,000 searches. Production holds 35,000 for $100/month billed monthly, still less than SerpApi Production.

Closest alternative

Zenserp becomes the better choice when you want a yearly discount and a free plan to fall back on.

See SearchApi plans

10,000 Google searches a month: Developer

Billed monthly

$40/mo

Above 10,000 API requests or credits: Production (+$60/mo billed monthly).

The trade-off

There is no free plan, only 100 free requests once at sign-up, so SerpApi's standing free tier goes. SearchApi also lets you spend only a fifth of the plan in any hour.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user who wants the same per-search model on a much cheaper plan.

Skip it if SerpApi's U.S. Legal Shield is a requirement for you.

Strengths

• Only successful searches count, as on SerpApi.
• The rate per thousand falls on every bigger plan.

Limits

• No standing free plan, unlike SerpApi.
• An hourly cap of a fifth of the plan.

See SearchApi plansMy SearchApi reviewAffiliate link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

2

DataForSEO

Lowest price per Google result

Hands-on

Choose it if

Your tracker can wait a while for results and the price of each search matters more than speed.

Consider SearchApi instead if

You want results back immediately on a flat monthly plan.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

SerpApi charges for a plan size whether or not you fill it. DataForSEO bills each queued Google results page at $0.0006 per SERP (10 results), so the cost follows the searches you run, and even live results at $2 per 1K SERPs come in well under SerpApi's plans. The same balance pays for keyword and backlink data if your reports grow.

The plan I priced

Pay as you go: no plan to price. You fund the account from $50, and priority queue results cost $1.2 per 1K SERPs.

Closest alternative

cloro becomes the better choice when you want a fixed monthly price and a free tier.

See DataForSEO plans

10,000 Google searches a month: billed by usage

Pay as you go. Billed per result. Queued Google results cost $0.6 per 1K SERPs, live ones $2 per 1K SERPs, from a first top-up of $50.

The trade-off

Queued results come back within a target window, not instantly, and optional parameters multiply the cost of a task, so the cheapest rate only holds for plain requests.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user who mainly wants the lowest cost for each Google result.

Skip it if your tool needs every result back in seconds.

Strengths

• The cheapest Google result on this page when queued.
• Keyword and backlink data on the same balance.

Limits

• Queued results take time to arrive.
• Parameters change the price of each task.

See DataForSEO plansMy DataForSEO reviewAffiliate link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

3

cloro

Cheapest plan that holds the month

Desk research

Choose it if

You want a fixed monthly bill at the lowest level on this page and don't mind counting in credits.

Consider Zenserp instead if

You'd rather count plain searches than credits.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Lite holds 37,500 credits and a Google Search costs 3, so it covers the whole month for about what SerpApi charges for Starter, which holds 1,000 searches. Failed requests use no credits, and the same balance answers ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity queries if you add them later.

The plan I priced

Lite: $30/month billed monthly. The Free plan holds 500 credits a month for tests.

Closest alternative

HasData becomes the better choice when you would commit to a year for a lower rate.

See cloro plans

10,000 Google searches a month: Lite

Billed monthly

$30/mo

Next step up, Hobby: $100/mo monthly, 250,000 API requests or credits

the step up when AI answers start eating into the Google credits.

Above 37,500 API requests or credits: Hobby (+$70/mo billed monthly).

The trade-off

A credit is not a search, so you work out your own price per search, and unused credits expire at the end of each month. There is no yearly rate.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user who wants the smallest fixed monthly bill that still covers a month of rank checks.

Skip it if you want your bill counted in searches, the way SerpApi counts it.

Strengths

• The lowest monthly plan price on this page for the workload.
• Failed requests are free, and AI answers share the balance.

Limits

• Credits per request change by engine.
• Credits expire monthly, and no yearly price.

See cloro plansMy cloro reviewAffiliate link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

4

HasData

Lower rate for paying yearly

Hands-on

Choose it if

Your search volume is steady and a yearly commitment is fine if it brings the rate down.

Consider Zenserp instead if

You want a yearly price counted in searches, not credits.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

SerpApi has no annual price at all. HasData's Startup credits cover 20,000 Google results requests a month, which works out at $2.46 per 1,000 requests on annual billing. The free plan stays available for tests, and the same credits cover web scraping if your project needs pages as well as results.

The plan I priced

Startup: $59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually. Basic is the next step for heavier months.

Closest alternative

ValueSERP becomes the better choice when you only need Google and want an annual plan priced in plain credits.

See HasData plans

10,000 Google searches a month: Startup

Billed annually

$49/mo

Billed monthly

$59/mo

Above 200,000 API requests or credits: Basic (+$50/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

Each API uses credits at its own rate, so check the table before mixing in AI Mode or other scrapers. The pricing page also doesn't say whether failed requests are billed, a rule SerpApi spells out.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user ready to pay yearly for a much lower price per search.

Skip it if you won't commit to a year and want month-to-month freedom like SerpApi's.

Strengths

• Annual billing cuts the price, which SerpApi never does.
• Startup holds double the month's Google requests.

Limits

• Credit costs differ from one API to the next.
• No stated rule on billing failed requests.

See HasData plansMy HasData reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

5

Zenserp

Most searches per dollar on a small plan

Desk research

Choose it if

Your volume is growing and you'd like headroom on the first paid plan instead of another upgrade next quarter.

Consider SearchApi instead if

You need ChatGPT or Gemini answers on the first plan.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Small holds 25,000 searches a month, more than SerpApi Production's 15,000, for $49.99/month billed monthly. Only successful requests count, as on SerpApi, and the plan covers Bing, Yandex and DuckDuckGo as well as Google.

The plan I priced

Small: $49.99/month billed monthly, or $39.99/month billed annually. Email alerts warn you as the allowance runs low.

Closest alternative

cloro becomes the better choice when you want a lower monthly figure and only need this month's volume.

See Zenserp plans

10,000 Google searches a month: Small

Billed annually

$39.99/mo

Billed monthly

$49.99/mo

Above 25,000 API requests or credits: Medium (+$80/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The Free plan holds just 50 Google searches, far fewer than SerpApi's, and an AI Overview request counts as 3 searches.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user whose volume is climbing and who wants room to grow on a small plan.

Skip it if you rely on SerpApi's free searches for side projects.

Strengths

• More searches on Small than SerpApi Production holds.
• Successful requests only, and cheaper on yearly billing.

Limits

• A much smaller free plan than SerpApi's.
• AI Overviews use several searches each.

See Zenserp plansMy Zenserp reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

6

ValueSERP

Plain Google credits, cheaper yearly

Desk research

Choose it if

Google is the only engine your tracker checks and you want a simple credit plan you can pay yearly.

Consider HasData instead if

You want a free plan and a lower yearly rate.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

The smallest plan holds 25,000 credits at a stated $1.60 per 1,000 credits, and it includes batch searches, so scheduled checks can run as one job. The annual price is lower than the monthly one, and the whole plan still costs less than SerpApi Developer.

The plan I priced

25,000 Credits: $56/month billed monthly, or $50/month billed annually. Its rate limit reads "250/min rate limit for real-time requests".

Closest alternative

Zenserp becomes the better choice when you want the same headroom plus Bing and a free plan.

See ValueSERP plans

10,000 Google searches a month: 25,000 Credits

Billed annually

$50/mo

Billed monthly

$56/mo

Above 25,000 API requests or credits: 200,000 Credits (+$166/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

It covers Google only, offers a free trial instead of a free plan, and doesn't say how many credits one search uses.

What my review says

Best for: A SerpApi user who checks Google only and wants a simple yearly credit plan.

Skip it if you use SerpApi for engines other than Google.

Strengths

• The whole plan costs less than SerpApi Developer.
• Batch searches included on the smallest plan.

Limits

• Google results only.
• No free plan, and no stated credit cost per search.

See ValueSERP plansMy ValueSERP reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

6 best SerpApi alternatives that cost less per search

What 10,000 Google searches a month really costs

Each bar is the plan that holds the month, at the yearly rate where the vendor sells one. DataForSEO bills per result and has no bar.

cloro: priced on Lite. Lite counts credits. At 3 credits per Google Search its balance covers the month's searches.

Other options, and why they missed the list

I kept to SERP APIs with a published price that hold a month of Google searches for less than SerpApi charges for the same month, and that a solo builder can sign up for today.

• Se

  Serper

  Comes up in most SerpApi threads as the budget choice, with prepaid credits, but it returns Google results only and publishes no monthly plan to set against SerpApi's on the same terms.

• 

  Bright Data

  Has a SERP API, but it is sold inside a large proxy platform with enterprise-style billing that doesn't make a small tracker cheaper.

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Questions people ask