Locus product guide · Updated September 29, 2026

What's the cheapest SERP API? 2026 price comparison

Serper is the cheapest SERP API short of a $30,000-a-month plan, at $0.30 per 1,000 Google queries on its 12.5 million credit pack. Scrapingdog's Nova Pro plan lists about $0.14 per 1,000, but only at $30,000 a month. At low volume, DataForSEO’s Standard queue costs $0.60 per 1,000 if you can wait a few minutes, and Serper and Scrapingdog start at $1.00. Prices checked September 29, 2026.

How much does each SERP API cost per 1,000 queries?

List prices run from about $0.14 to $25 per 1,000 Google searches. The spread comes from plan size and speed. Figures below come from each vendor’s pricing page on September 29, 2026. Per-1,000 prices for plans are the plan price divided by its included searches.

How much does each SERP API cost per 1,000 queries?
Provider	Pricing model	Entry price per 1,000	Lowest listed per 1,000
Serper	Prepaid credit packs, valid 6 months. 2,500 free queries.	$1.00 (50,000 credits)	$0.30 (12.5M credits)
DataForSEO	Pay as you go per SERP of 10 results. $50 minimum payment.	$0.60 Standard queue, $1.20 Priority, $2.00 Live	$0.60 (Standard queue)
Scrapingdog	Monthly plans. A Google search costs 5 credits. 100 free credits.	$1.00 (Lite, $40 for 200,000 credits)	About $0.14 (Nova Pro, $30,000 a month)
SearchAPI	Monthly plans. 100 free requests.	$4.00 (Developer, $40 for 10,000)	$1.00 (Octo 5M, $5,000 a month)
Brave Search API	Metered, with $5 of free credit each month.	$5.00	$5.00 listed. Enterprise is custom.
SerpApi	Monthly plans. 250 free searches a month. Only successful searches count.	$25.00 (Starter, $25 for 1,000)	About $1.96 (Cloud 54M, $106,050 a month)

What does a SERP query cost through Locus Pro?

Through Locus Pro, one Google search costs from $0.0024 to $0.09, depending on the provider. Your agent pays from one prepaid balance with no plan and no provider key. 1,000 credits equal $1. Fixed prices and quotes below come from the Locus catalog on September 29, 2026.

Serper and SerpApi run on a live-priced rail, so the price is set at call time. The figures shown are the charges we observed on one real call each.

What does a SERP query cost through Locus Pro?
Locus endpoint	Credits per call	Per 1,000 calls	Note
Serper Google search	2.4 (observed)	$2.40	Priced live at call time
Firecrawl search	4.7	$4.70	Fixed price
DataForSEO Google organic	5	$5.00	Live mode, 10 results
Parallel search	8	$8.00	Quote for one query, default mode
SerpApi Google search	18 (observed)	$18.00	Priced live at call time
Brave web search	35	$35.00	Fixed price
Tavily search	90	$90.00	Quote for basic depth

Is Locus Pro cheaper than buying a SERP API directly?

Usually not at steady volume. Serper direct costs $1.00 per 1,000 on its smallest pack, against $2.40 through Locus. DataForSEO Live costs $2.00 per 1,000 direct and $5.00 through Locus. If you run thousands of searches a day on one engine, buy direct.

One exception: SerpApi through Locus cost $0.018 per search on our test call. SerpApi’s $25 Starter plan works out to $0.025 per search and bills monthly.

Locus fits when volume is small or bursty, when an agent needs several engines, or when you do not want another account. You skip minimum deposits and expiring credits. You also get spending caps and a price shown before each call.

What else changes the real cost of a SERP API?

Plan fit matters more than the headline rate. A $0.30 rate needs a $3,750 pack. Unused plan searches and expired credits raise your real price per query.

Speed: DataForSEO’s Standard queue averages 5 minutes. Live mode averages up to 6 seconds and costs more than 3 times as much.
Depth: DataForSEO prices one SERP as 10 results. Asking for more results costs more.
Expiry: Serper credits are valid for 6 months.
Monthly quotas: SerpApi, SearchAPI and Scrapingdog sell monthly plans. Unused searches do not carry over by default.
Failures: SerpApi counts only successful searches. Check how other vendors bill errors.

How do I pick a SERP API for an AI agent?

Start from your volume and your latency needs. An agent that answers users in real time needs live results. A nightly rank tracker can use a queue.

Real-time, high volume, Google only: Serper or DataForSEO Live, bought direct.
Batch jobs where minutes are fine: DataForSEO Standard queue.
Many engines and rich result types: SerpApi or SearchAPI.
An independent index: Brave Search API.
Low or unpredictable volume across several engines: Locus Pro, one balance and no plan.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free SERP API?

Several have free tiers. Serper gives 2,500 free queries. SerpApi gives 250 searches a month. Brave applies $5 of credit each month. SearchAPI gives 100 requests and Scrapingdog gives 100 credits.

Why is DataForSEO’s Standard queue cheaper than Live mode?

You wait for results. Standard queue tasks average 5 minutes and cost $0.60 per 1,000. Live mode returns in seconds and costs $2.00 per 1,000.

Can my agent search Google without a SERP API account?

Yes, through Locus Pro. Your agent calls Serper, SerpApi, DataForSEO or Brave from one prepaid balance. Tell it: Install Locus Pro by following https://paywithlocus.com/SKILL.md.

Do these prices change?

Yes. Vendors change plans often. Every price here was checked on September 29, 2026. Check the vendor page and the Locus quote before you commit to volume.

Implementation references

Use these first-party references for current request contracts and account requirements. Tool availability, prices, and negotiated terms can change.

Sources

Third-party details were checked on September 29, 2026. Vendors change pricing and features often, so confirm on their site before you decide.