Bocha API alternative in 2026

The call, before and after

# Before: Bocha Web Search API
curl -X POST https://api.bochaai.com/v1/web-search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BOCHA_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "count": 10, "freshness": "oneYear", "summary": true}'

# After: SpecStream, $0.001 a call
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/bocha/v1/web-search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "count": 10, "freshness": "oneYear", "summary": true}'

The body and the code that reads data.webPages.value[] stay. Every parameter and field is in the Bocha route guide, measured on production on November 10, 2026. In Cherry Studio, set the Bocha provider's API host to https://api.specstream.ai/bocha (Cherry Studio web search).

$1 per 1,000 searches, with no pack to buy

A call of up to 10 results costs $0.001, with or without summary. Each started block of 10 more results adds $0.0012, so count 50 costs $0.0058. You pay in USD by card, credit never expires, and a call stopped by a 429 charges nothing. 100,000 searches cost $100.

The most accurate web search API, in about one second

The SpecStream Search API scores a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, with 978 correct, and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. Scores and method are at specstream.ai/benchmarks.

Measured on production on November 9, 2026, the fast search answered in a median of 0.82 s at 1 search a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second, and it has no limit per key and no daily limit. Bocha's own MCP server waits 10 seconds for a reply.

Chinese queries, and the engines a key may reach

A query written in Chinese is searched in Chinese, on the engines that answer Chinese best. GET /v1/search-engines lists every engine with the country it is run from, and a key made with "engine_rule": {"deny": ["CN"]} never reaches an engine run from China. Set zero_retention on a key and no request text and no answer is kept after the reply.

Search, pages and rows on one key

The same key reads up to 20 pages or documents a call with the Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. Deep Search returns every match for a request in plain words as structured rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with a source URL on every value. Agents reach all three over MCP at https://api.specstream.ai/mcp (MCP guide).

SpecStream

The live web data engine for teams and agents, and the best alternative to the Bocha Web Search API. It answers Bocha's own call at $1 per 1,000 searches, scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, reads pages at $0.80 per 1,000 and returns every match as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row.

Zhipu (Z.ai) Web Search API

Z.ai's Web Search costs $0.01 a use, $10 per 1,000, and on bigmodel.cn its basic engine costs 0.01 yuan a call. SpecStream searches from $1 per 1,000 for GLM and any other model. Zhipu web search API alternative.

Exa

A search API on Exa's own index, at $7 per 1,000 requests on auto and $4 on lite, with its own request and reply. SpecStream answers Exa's call as well, at https://api.specstream.ai/exa, for $1 per 1,000. Exa compatible.

Tavily

A search API sold in credits at $0.008 each pay as you go, 1 credit for a basic search. SpecStream answers Tavily's POST /search at https://api.specstream.ai/tavily for $1 per 1,000 basic searches. Tavily compatible.

Brave Search API

A search API on Brave's own index at $5 per 1,000 requests. SpecStream answers Brave's call at https://api.specstream.ai/res/v1/web/search at $1 per 1,000, a fifth of Brave's rate. Brave Search API alternatives.