Short answer
For most SEO users the best pick is ScraperAPI. One subscription covers Google results and any other site you need data from: competitor pages, stores, directories. You're charged only for successful requests, and the 7-day trial gives you 5,000 credits with no card. It isn't the cheapest per Google search (25 credits each), so check the price table below if SERPs are all you need. If you just want to track rankings, skip the API: SE Ranking checks 2,000 keywords a day for $103.20/mo billed annually.
Top picks
Prices checked November 2026
- Best for most
ScraperAPI
Best overall: Google SERPs plus any other site in one API
Starts at $49/mo (100k credits)
Start the free trial - No-code rankings
SE Ranking
No code: you just want rankings and reports
Starts at $103.20/mo billed annually
Try free for 14 days
On this page
ScraperAPI: best SERP API for most SEO users
SEO work rarely stops at the results page. You pull the SERP, then you want the ranking pages themselves: titles, headings, prices, schema, word counts. ScraperAPI does both through one API. It handles proxies, CAPTCHAs and JavaScript rendering for any URL, and its structured Google endpoint returns results as JSON.
Its docs say you're charged only for successful requests (200 and 404 responses). A normal page costs 1 credit and a Google search costs 25. So:
| Plan | Price | Credits | Google searches | Or normal pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $49/mo ($44.10 annual) | 100,000 | about 4,000 | 100,000 |
| Startup | $149/mo ($134.10 annual) | 1,000,000 | about 40,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Business | $299/mo ($269.10 annual) | 3,000,000 | about 120,000 | 3,000,000 |
Most real jobs mix the two. An illustrative example, not a test: 2,000 Google searches a month (50,000 credits) plus 50,000 competitor pages (50,000 credits) fits in Hobby.
The full credit table and plan details are in our ScraperAPI review.
Pros
- One API for Google and any other website
- Charged only for successful requests
- 7-day trial with 5,000 credits, no card
- No-code DataPipeline for scheduled jobs
- 7-day refund, cancel anytime
Cons
- 25 credits per Google search, so SERP-only volume costs more than dedicated SERP APIs
- Credits don't roll over
- Global geotargeting starts on Business ($299)
SE Ranking: best if you just want rankings
Most people pricing SERP APIs want one thing: where their pages rank. SE Ranking does that without code. Core checks 2,000 keywords a day across 10 projects for $129/mo or $103.20 billed annually, with city and ZIP-level tracking, competitors and scheduled reports. Keyword research, site audits and backlink data come in the same plan.
When you want the data in your own tools, Core includes 25,000 API credits, an API add-on costs $45/mo billed annually, and a standalone data API starts at $179/mo. Our rank tracking API guide does the build-or-buy maths at 100, 500 and 2,000 keywords a day.
Pros
- Daily rank tracking with no code
- Research, audits and backlinks in one plan
- API access when you need it
- 14-day free trial, no card
Cons
- Not raw SERP data for your own product
- Very large keyword sets need higher plans
SERP API pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's own page on November 4, 2026. "Per 1,000" is our arithmetic for 1,000 Google searches of 10 results. This is a price table, not a ranking: the cheapest per search isn't the best fit if you also need other sites or a ready-made tracker.
| API | Free start | Entry price | Per 1,000 Google searches | Credits expire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | 5,000 credits (7 days) | $49/mo | about $12.25 on Hobby, about $2.49 on Business | Monthly |
| DataForSEO | $1 trial credit | $50 top-up | $0.60 queued, $2.00 live | Never |
| Serper | 2,500 queries | $50 pack | $1.00, down to $0.30 | 6 months |
| Bright Data | 5,000 requests/mo | Pay as you go | $1.50 | Monthly plan |
| ScrapingBee | 1,000 credits | $19/mo | about $2.53 | Monthly |
| SerpApi | 250 searches/mo | $25/mo | $25, down to about $9.17 | Monthly |
| Zyte API | $5 credit | Pay as you go | Priced by site difficulty | Commitment tiers |
Two things change the real cost everywhere. Deeper results and extra pages are billed on top: since Google dropped the num=100 parameter in September 2025, a top-100 check usually means 10 billable pages. And the very lowest rate in the table is a queue, not real-time.
Other SERP APIs we priced
Short notes on the rest of the table. We don't have partner links with these vendors.
DataForSEO
The lowest per-SERP price we found: $0.0006 in its queued mode (about 5 minutes per task), $0.002 live. Pay as you go from a $50 top-up that doesn't expire. Task-based setup takes longer to wire up, and it's Google and search engines only, not general scraping.
Serper
Real-time Google results from $1.00 per 1,000 on a $50 pack, with 2,500 free queries. Google only, and credits expire after 6 months.
SerpApi
Polished parsers for many engines and a legal shield, at the highest price here: $25/mo for 1,000 searches up to $275 for 30,000.
Bright Data
Pay as you go at $1.50 per 1,000 requests, or $499/mo for 380,000. Built for large teams; the product range takes time to learn.
ScrapingBee
A general scraper with a Google endpoint at 10 to 15 credits per search, from $19/mo for 75,000 credits. Credits reset monthly.
Zyte API
Prices each site by difficulty tier, from $0.06 to $16.08 per 1,000 responses. Check Google's tier on its pricing page before comparing.
How to choose a SERP API
- You need Google results and data from other sites: ScraperAPI.
- You only want rankings, charts and reports: SE Ranking.
- You need only raw Google SERPs at very high volume: compare per-search prices in the table above.
Whatever you pick, start with the free trial and check three things: whether results match what you see in your target location, how failed requests are billed, and what deeper results cost.
How we compared
On November 4, 2026 we read the pricing pages of ScraperAPI, SE Ranking, DataForSEO, Serper, SerpApi, Bright Data, ScrapingBee and Zyte, and ScraperAPI's documentation on billing. Every price is quoted from those pages; the per-1,000 numbers are our arithmetic. We didn't run a speed or accuracy test, so we don't rank by measured success rate. Prices change often; check the vendor page before you buy.
We earn a commission from ScraperAPI and SE Ranking links. See our affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best SERP API for SEO?
For most SEO users we pick ScraperAPI: one subscription covers Google results and any other site you need to scrape, you're charged only for successful requests, and the 7-day trial gives 5,000 credits with no card. If you only want rankings, SE Ranking does it without code.
What is the cheapest SERP API?
On list prices checked in November 2026, the lowest per-search price was DataForSEO's queued mode at $0.60 per 1,000 Google SERPs, with Serper at $1.00 per 1,000 for real-time results. ScraperAPI costs more per Google search (25 credits), but also covers non-Google scraping.
Is there a free SERP API?
Several have free tiers: Serper gives 2,500 free queries, SerpApi 250 searches a month, Bright Data 5,000 requests a month, ScrapingBee 1,000 credits and ScraperAPI a 7-day trial with 5,000 credits. None is enough for steady production use.
What are the best SerpApi alternatives?
ScraperAPI if you also scrape sites other than Google, SE Ranking if you only need rankings, and on raw price per search DataForSEO or Serper. SerpApi still has the widest set of parsed engines.
How is SERP API pricing calculated?
Usually per successful search or per page of 10 results. Some APIs use credits, and a Google search can cost several credits: 10 to 15 on ScrapingBee, 25 on ScraperAPI. Deeper results, extra pages and some SERP features cost more.
Do I need a SERP API for rank tracking?
Only if you're building your own tracker. For tracking a few thousand keywords with charts and reports, a tool like SE Ranking is simpler and often cheaper once you count development time.
The bottom line
For most SEO work, ScraperAPI is the SERP API we'd start with: Google results and every other site in one subscription, success-only billing and a free 5,000-credit trial. If all you want is rankings, SE Ranking gives you them without writing code. Use the price table if raw Google volume is your only need.
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