SerpApi Pricing vs SearchHive — Save 40% on Search API Costs

SerpApi has been the default choice for programmatic search engine results since 2016. Google, Bing, YouTube, Google Maps — they cover the major engines with a well-documented API. But at scale, SerpApi's pricing gets expensive: $150/month for 15,000 searches, $725/month for 100,000.

SearchHive's SwiftSearch API provides the same search engine data at significantly lower cost. Here's a detailed pricing comparison with real numbers.

Key Takeaways

• SerpApi charges $25-150/month for 1K-15K searches; SearchHive SwiftSearch starts at a lower per-query rate
• At 50,000 searches/month, SearchHive costs roughly 40% less than SerpApi
• Both support Google, Bing, and other engines with JSON output
• SearchHive includes features (SERP tracking, keyword data) that SerpApi charges extra for
• The code migration takes under an hour — same request/response patterns

SerpApi Pricing Breakdown

SerpApi uses a monthly subscription model with fixed search allocations:

Higher plans unlock U.S. Legal Shield and ZeroTrace Mode — compliance features not available on Starter and Developer tiers.

The per-search cost decreases at scale but never drops below $3.75/1K. For teams doing 50K+ searches monthly, this adds up to thousands per year.

SearchHive SwiftSearch Pricing

SearchHive uses per-query pricing with volume discounts:

Side-by-Side Cost Comparison

*SerpApi doesn't have an exact 50K plan — interpolated between Big Data ($275/30K) and Searcher ($725/100K).

Feature Comparison

Both APIs return structured JSON from search engine results pages. The differences are in pricing model, rate limits, and included features.

Code Examples

SerpApi

from serpapi import GoogleSearch

params = {
    "api_key": "YOUR_SERPAPI_KEY",
    "engine": "google",
    "q": "best web scraping tools 2026",
    "location": "United States",
    "hl": "en",
    "gl": "us",
    "num": 10
}

search = GoogleSearch(params)
results = search.get_dict()

for result in results.get("organic_results", []):
    print(f"{result['position']}. {result['title']}")
    print(f"   {result['link']}")
    print(f"   {result.get('snippet', '')[:100]}")

SearchHive SwiftSearch

import requests

API_KEY = "your-searchhive-key"

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.searchhive.dev/v1/search",
    params={
        "engine": "google",
        "q": "best web scraping tools 2026",
        "location": "United States",
        "hl": "en",
        "gl": "us",
        "num": 10
    },
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}
)

data = response.json()

for result in data.get("organic_results", []):
    print(f"{result['position']}. {result['title']}")
    print(f"   {result['link']}")
    print(f"   {result.get('snippet', '')[:100]}")

The migration is straightforward: same parameters, same response structure. The main change is the endpoint URL and authentication header.

When SerpApi Makes Sense

SerpApi is the right choice if:

• You need Apple Maps, Naver, or Yandex search engines (not yet on SearchHive)
• You're already deeply integrated and the migration cost outweighs savings
• You specifically need SerpApi's Google Images, Google Shopping, or Google Flights engines
• Your company requires SOC 2 Type II certification (SearchHive is working on this)

When SearchHive Wins

SearchHive SwiftSearch is the better choice if:

• Cost matters — 40-60% savings at every volume level
• You want SERP tracking and keyword data included instead of paying for separate tools
• You need Legal Shield features at lower volumes (SerpApi gates this behind $150+/month)
• You're building AI pipelines and want search + scraping from one provider
• You want predictable per-query pricing without monthly subscription lock-in

Verdict

SerpApi is a solid, established product. But for most teams, the pricing premium is hard to justify when SearchHive delivers the same core functionality at 40-60% lower cost — with SERP tracking, keyword data, and compliance features included.

If you're doing 50,000+ searches per month, switching to SearchHive saves thousands per year. The migration takes about an hour for most Python codebases.

Start with SearchHive's free tier — 100 free searches to validate output quality on your own queries before committing.

/compare/serpapi

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Last updated: April 2026. SerpApi pricing verified from serpapi.com/pricing.