Cheapest SERP API in 2026:
Google Search API Pricing Compared

Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day. For SEO teams, e-commerce companies, AI agents, and data researchers, programmatic access to those search results is essential infrastructure. But Google does not offer an affordable official API for organic search results. The Custom Search JSON API is limited to 100 queries/day for free and charges $5 per 1,000 queries after that, with significant result quality limitations compared to what you see in a browser.

This gap created the SERP API industry: services that scrape Google (and Bing, YouTube, and other search engines) at scale, handle CAPTCHAs and blocks, and return clean structured JSON. The problem is that pricing across these providers varies by over 25x, from $0.0006 to $0.015 per query. At 100,000 monthly queries, that is the difference between $60 and $1,500 per month. Choosing the wrong provider at scale bleeds budget that could go toward content, links, or product development.

The SERP API landscape in 2026 also has a new dimension: mobile SERP. Google serves fundamentally different results on mobile devices than on desktop. Different featured snippets, different local pack rankings, different ad placements, and now different AI Overview content. With 72% of Google searches happening on mobile, most SERP APIs are returning results that the majority of users never see, because they scrape from desktop browser environments. This matters enormously for rank tracking accuracy and competitive intelligence.

Another shift in 2026 is the rise of AI agents that need search capabilities. Traditional SERP APIs require API key provisioning, credit card subscriptions, and human account setup. The x402 protocol introduced by the Proxies.sx marketplace enables AI agents to discover, pay for, and consume SERP data autonomously using USDC stablecoin payments, with no registration required. This is a fundamental shift from the subscription model that has dominated the space.

Below is every major SERP API priced at their actual per-query rate, followed by a detailed breakdown of each provider's plan structure, strengths, and limitations.

The following table shows actual monthly cost at three volume levels: 1,000 queries, 10,000 queries, and 100,000 queries. These figures use each provider's most cost-effective plan for that volume level, including annual discount options where available. Providers are sorted from cheapest to most expensive per query.

Price per query is only one dimension. The following matrix compares features that affect data quality and integration flexibility: JavaScript rendering (critical for modern SERPs with dynamic content), AI Overview extraction, real mobile device results, geographic localization, real-time versus cached responses, structured JSON output, subscription flexibility, and AI agent compatibility.

As of 2026, approximately 72% of all Google searches happen on mobile devices. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of content for indexing and ranking. Yet nearly every SERP API on the market scrapes Google from desktop browser environments. This creates a fundamental accuracy gap.

Most SERP APIs attempt to simulate mobile by sending a mobile User-Agent string from a datacenter server. But Google's detection goes far beyond User-Agent: it checks IP type (mobile carrier vs datacenter), TLS fingerprint, screen dimensions via JavaScript, and behavioral signals. A datacenter server claiming to be a Pixel 8 on T-Mobile is trivially detectable. The result is that "mobile" results from most SERP APIs are not truly mobile results. They are desktop results with a mobile User-Agent, which Google may serve differently.

Proxies.sx solves this by running SERP queries on actual 4G/5G mobile devices with real carrier IP addresses. The query executes on a physical mobile device connected to T-Mobile, Verizon, Vodafone, or another carrier. Google sees a genuine mobile device on a genuine mobile network. The SERP returned is exactly what a real mobile user would see. No simulation, no spoofing, no detection risk.

For SEO teams doing rank tracking, this means your mobile ranking data from traditional SERP APIs may be inaccurate by 2-5 positions. For e-commerce companies monitoring competitor pricing in shopping results, the mobile local pack is completely different. For AI agents conducting research, they get the version of reality that most humans actually experience. Learn more about our mobile proxy infrastructure on the pricing page.

Below are working code examples for three different SERP API approaches: SerpApi (traditional subscription API with API key), DataForSEO (cheapest pay-as-you-go), and Proxies.sx x402 (AI-agent native, no API key). Each example performs the same task: search for "best project management software 2026" and extract the top 10 organic results.

SerpApi (Python)

Traditional approach: register account, get API key, install SDK, make request. Per-query cost: $0.015.

import serpapi
import json

# Requires: pip install google-search-results
# Requires: SerpApi account + API key ($75/mo minimum)

client = serpapi.Client(api_key="YOUR_SERPAPI_KEY")

result = client.search({
    "engine": "google",
    "q": "best project management software 2026",
    "location": "United States",
    "hl": "en",
    "gl": "us",
    "num": 10,
    "device": "mobile",  # Note: simulated, not real mobile
})

# Extract organic results
for i, item in enumerate(result.get("organic_results", []), 1):
    print(f"{i}. {item['title']}")
    print(f"   URL: {item['link']}")
    print(f"   Snippet: {item.get('snippet', 'N/A')}")
    print()

# Cost: $0.015 per search
# Monthly minimum: $75 (5,000 searches)
# Unused searches expire at month end

DataForSEO (Python)

Pay-as-you-go approach: register account, use HTTP basic auth, POST task, retrieve results. Per-query cost: $0.0006 (normal) to $0.002 (live).

import requests
import json
from base64 import b64encode

# Requires: DataForSEO account (no monthly minimum)
# Auth: HTTP Basic with login:password

credentials = b64encode(b"YOUR_LOGIN:YOUR_PASSWORD").decode()
headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Basic {credentials}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}

# Option 1: Live endpoint (real-time, $0.002/task)
response = requests.post(
    "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/serp/google/organic/live/advanced",
    headers=headers,
    json=[{
        "keyword": "best project management software 2026",
        "location_code": 2840,  # United States
        "language_code": "en",
        "device": "mobile",
        "os": "android",
        "depth": 10,
    }],
)

data = response.json()
results = data["tasks"][0]["result"][0]["items"]

for i, item in enumerate(results, 1):
    if item["type"] == "organic":
        print(f"{i}. {item['title']}")
        print(f"   URL: {item['url']}")
        print(f"   Snippet: {item.get('description', 'N/A')}")
        print()

# Cost: $0.002/task (live), $0.0006/task (queued)
# No monthly minimum. Pay only for usage.
# 60+ endpoint types available

Proxies.sx x402 (Python)

AI-agent native approach: no API key, no account, no subscription. Agent discovers service, pays per query with USDC, receives real mobile SERP. Per-query cost: $0.003.

import requests
import json
from web3 import Web3

# No API key needed. No account registration.
# Agent pays per query with USDC on Base network.

MARKETPLACE_URL = "https://agents.proxies.sx/marketplace/"
QUERY = "best project management software 2026"

# Step 1: Request SERP query - receive 402 with price
response = requests.post(
    f"{MARKETPLACE_URL}google-serp/",
    json={
        "query": QUERY,
        "location": "us",
        "device": "mobile",  # Real 4G/5G mobile device
        "num_results": 10,
    },
)

# Step 2: Parse 402 response for payment details
if response.status_code == 402:
    payment_info = response.json()
    price_usdc = payment_info["price"]       # 0.003
    pay_to = payment_info["pay_to"]          # USDC address
    payment_id = payment_info["payment_id"]  # Unique ID

    # Step 3: Send USDC payment on Base network
    w3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider("https://mainnet.base.org"))
    # ... sign and send USDC transfer ...

    # Step 4: Retry with payment proof
    result = requests.post(
        f"{MARKETPLACE_URL}google-serp/",
        json={
            "query": QUERY,
            "location": "us",
            "device": "mobile",
            "num_results": 10,
            "payment_id": payment_id,
            "tx_hash": "0x...",  # Your USDC tx hash
        },
    )

    serp_data = result.json()
    for i, item in enumerate(serp_data["organic_results"], 1):
        print(f"{i}. {item['title']}")
        print(f"   URL: {item['url']}")
        print()

# Cost: $0.003 USDC per query (flat, any volume)
# Results from REAL 4G/5G mobile device
# No API key, no subscription, no account needed

The advertised per-query price is rarely what you actually pay. Subscription models with monthly allocations punish low utilization. Overage charges punish unpredictable demand. Minimum commitments lock you into spending even when your needs change. Here is a transparent breakdown of every provider's hidden costs.

No single SERP API is best for every use case. Your choice depends on volume, budget, whether you need real mobile results, whether AI agents are your consumers, and how much integration complexity you can tolerate. Here is a decision framework.

For most teams in 2026, the optimal strategy is to use DataForSEO for bulk/queued queries where cost matters most, and Proxies.sx x402 for real-time mobile SERP where accuracy matters most. This hybrid approach gives you the cheapest per-query rate for volume work and the most accurate mobile results for ranking and competitive analysis. Read our full mobile proxy bypass guide for more on how mobile infrastructure outperforms datacenter scraping.

AI agents in 2026 need to search the web autonomously. Traditional SERP APIs create friction: a human must register an account, provision an API key, set up billing, and embed credentials into the agent. This breaks the autonomy model. If an agent needs a new capability, it should be able to discover and pay for it without human intervention.

The x402 protocol solves this by making payment native to HTTP. When an AI agent sends a request to the Proxies.sx marketplace, it receives a standard HTTP 402 (Payment Required) response with machine-readable pricing. The agent evaluates whether the price is acceptable, sends a USDC micropayment on the Base network, and retries the request with payment proof. The entire flow is programmatic, requires no pre-registration, and works with any agent framework.

  x402 SERP Query Flow
  =====================

  AI Agent                    Proxies.sx Marketplace          Base Network
  --------                    ----------------------          ------------
      |                                |                           |
      |  POST /google-serp/            |                           |
      |  { query: "..." }              |                           |
      |------------------------------->|                           |
      |                                |                           |
      |  HTTP 402 Payment Required     |                           |
      |  { price: 0.003, pay_to: 0x.., |                           |
      |    payment_id: "abc123" }      |                           |
      |<-------------------------------|                           |
      |                                |                           |
      |  Send 0.003 USDC              |                           |
      |------------------------------------------------------->  |
      |                                |    tx confirmed           |
      |  POST /google-serp/            |<--------------------------|
      |  { ..., payment_id, tx_hash }  |                           |
      |------------------------------->|                           |
      |                                |  Execute on real          |
      |                                |  4G/5G mobile device      |
      |                                |                           |
      |  HTTP 200 OK                   |                           |
      |  { organic_results: [...] }    |                           |
      |<-------------------------------|                           |
      |                                |                           |

Explore the full service catalog at agents.proxies.sx/marketplace/. The marketplace includes proxy access, browser automation, Google Maps lead generation, and SERP queries, all payable via x402.