Scale SERP alternatives in 2026
The same call at $5 per 1,000.
Scale SERP sells Google results by monthly plan: 1,000 searches for $23 a month billed annually or $29 monthly, then $0.038 per extra request, and 10,000 for $66 a month billed annually. An AI Overview takes 1 additional credit.
SpecStream is the live web data engine. It answers Scale SERP's own /search call in Scale SERP's JSON at $5 per 1,000 searches, AI Overview included, with no plan. It scores 97.9 on SimpleQA Verified.
New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 2,000 searches.
SpecStream and Scale SERP side by side
| SpecStream | Scale SERP | |
|---|---|---|
| What you change | One line. https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search in place of https://api.scaleserp.com/search, and a SpecStream key as api_key in the address. The request and the reply keep their shape | GET https://api.scaleserp.com/search with a Scale SERP key as api_key in the address |
| What a call returns | On the drop-in route, Scale SERP's request_info, search_information, organic_results[] with position, title, link, domain, displayed_link, snippet and date, and pagination. GET /v1/web-search returns the answer with the page it was read on, rows with the facts asked for, and every source in rank order | Google results as JSON from GET /search, with news_results for a news search |
| Price per 1,000 searches | $5 for up to 10 results, the same rate for every call and every account, with no plan. num=100 costs $0.059 a call | 1,000 searches for $23 a month billed annually ($23 per 1,000), $29 billed monthly. 10,000 for $66 a month billed annually ($6.60 per 1,000) |
| Past the plan | There is no plan to pass. Calls spend from your balance, inside the spending limit you set on the key, and a top-up never expires | $0.038 per extra request on the 1,000 plan, $38 per 1,000 |
| News | search_type=news returns news_results[] with each item's source, date and date_utc, and sort_by=date puts the newest first, at the price of one search | search_type=news on the same address |
| AI Overview | include_ai_overview=true returns the search's answer and its source page, at the price of one search | 1 additional credit if an AI Overview is returned |
| Failed calls | A 429 with Retry-After charges nothing. With an Idempotency-Key, a retried call is charged once | No charge for a call that does not return 200. 402 when the account is out of credits |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card. That is 2,000 searches, or up to 200 rows at 5¢ | 125 free searches a month, no credit card |
| What answers the call | The whole live web, read at the moment of the call. 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct) and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks | Google, the engine Scale SERP reads |
| The text of the pages | Add passages=true and each source carries an excerpt of its page, up to about 3,500 characters. The Extract API returns the main text of up to 20 pages or documents (PDF, Word, Excel) a call, at $0.80 per 1,000 pages | The snippet Google shows for each organic result |
| Data already held | Public databases read every morning at specstream.ai/data: every company that filed a Form D since 2023 with its filing history, nearly 2 million US nonprofits, every US bank failure since 1934, federal rules, open federal contracts and grants, and local businesses. Signals such as funding rounds, new executives and layoffs at specstream.ai/signals | Search engine results pages, fetched one query at a time |
| Every match as structured rows | Deep Search: a request in plain words returns every match on the live web as rows that meet each condition you wrote, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, plus 5¢ for an email and 15¢ for a phone. The most a run can cost is quoted before it starts, and nothing runs until you approve it | One results page per call |
| Reruns and change labels | Hourly to yearly. Each row comes back labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching. A changed or new row costs half its rate, an unchanged row 1¢ | Each call is a new search, counted against the month's plan |
| Where the data goes | Google Sheets, Excel, Airtable, Notion, monday.com, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, Slack, Teams, Zapier, Make, n8n and signed webhooks. Agents use the MCP server, the REST API, the Python and TypeScript SDKs, a CLI and A2A | A JSON response to the code that called the API |
Why teams move from Scale SERP to SpecStream
Your Scale SERP call, answered at a new address
SpecStream answers GET /search in Scale SERP's own JSON at https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp. Only the address and the key change, so the parser that reads organic_results today keeps working.
curl -G "https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search" \
-d "api_key=$SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -d num=10 -d include_ai_overview=true --data-urlencode "q=Nvidia earnings"Scale SERP's own examples are plain HTTP calls, such as requests.get in Python, so the address in that one line is the whole change. include_ai_overview=true returns the answer and its page at the price of one search.
$5 per 1,000 searches, AI Overview included
On Scale SERP's smallest plan $23 a month buys 1,000 searches, the next 1,000 cost $38, and an AI Overview takes another credit. On SpecStream $23 pays for 4,600 searches that never expire, each with its AI Overview if you ask for it. A call stopped by a 429 charges nothing.
The most accurate web search API in the world
The SpecStream Search API scores a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, with 978 correct. On WideSearch it scores 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official tasks, and the Extract API scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The scores and the method are at specstream.ai/benchmarks.
About one second a search, with no limit per key
Every drop-in route runs the fast search unless the call asks for page text or results past the first ten. On November 9, 2026 production took 1 to 20 fast searches a second and answered 718 of 720: the median was 0.82 s at 1 search a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second, and the 95th percentile stayed between 1.09 and 1.73 s. There is no limit per key and no daily limit; a busy call gets a 429 with Retry-After and is not charged.
Zero retention on any key
Set zero_retention when you create a key, or later. A search made with that key keeps no request text and no answer after the reply: it is not in the history, and its answer is not reused for another call. spend_cap_cents is the most the key can spend.
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/account/keys \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "production", "scopes": ["account:read", "finds:spend"], "spend_cap_cents": 500000, "zero_retention": true}'Search, pages and rows on one key
A product that calls Scale SERP still has to read the pages and build its own records. On SpecStream the same key reads up to 20 pages or documents a call with the Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and runs Deep Search, which returns every match on the live web as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. 10,000 rows with 5 facts each cost $500, and the most a run can cost is approved before it starts. Save a request and it reruns hourly to yearly, with each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching.
Other Scale SERP alternatives
SpecStream
The live web data engine for teams and agents. It answers Scale SERP's own call at https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search at $5 per 1,000 searches, and scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions. The Extract API costs $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and Deep Search returns every match as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row.
SerpWow
Traject Data's multi engine API: Starter is $125 a month billed annually, $155 billed monthly, for 10,000 credits, then $.024 per extra credit. SpecStream answers SerpWow's /live/search call at /serpwow/live/search, at $0.005 a search.
Scrapingdog
A scraping API whose Google search costs 5 credits a request: Lite is $40 a month for 200,000 credits, 40,000 searches at $1 per 1,000, and searches return up to 10 results a page. SpecStream answers Scrapingdog's /google call at /scrapingdog/google, with up to 100 results and no plan.
SerpApi
A results page API for Google and other engines on monthly plans: Starter is $25 for 1,000 searches with 200 an hour, Developer $75 for 5,000. On SpecStream $25 pays for 5,000 searches with no hourly cap, and the balance never expires.
Serper
Google results in prepaid credit packs from $1.00 per 1,000 on the 50k pack, valid for 6 months, with 2,500 free queries. SpecStream answers Serper's own call at https://api.specstream.ai/serper, in Serper's JSON, and its credit never expires.
How SpecStream scores
The same numbers as the benchmarks page, from the official tasks and scorers.
| SpecStream |  Parallel |  Exa |  Tavily |  Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web researchWideSearch, GPT-5.6 Luna | 60.9 | 45.5 | 53.0 | 47.9 | 47.0 |
| Factual accuracySimpleQA Verified, GPT-5.6 Luna | 96 | 94 | 91 | 94 | 94 |
| Factual accuracySimpleQA Verified, GPT-5.6 Sol | 99 | 97 | 91 | 92 | 95 |
How to switch from Scale SERP
Change one line. https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search answers the call your code sends to https://api.scaleserp.com/search today, in the same JSON, so your parser stays as it is. Send a SpecStream key as api_key. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches.
# Before
curl -G "https://api.scaleserp.com/search" -d "api_key=$VENDOR_API_KEY" --data-urlencode "q=$QUERY"
# After
curl -G "https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search" -d "api_key=$SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" --data-urlencode "q=$QUERY"q, num from 1 to 100, page, time_period, tbs, gl, hl, search_type=news and include_ai_overview work as before, and each result keeps position, title, link, domain, displayed_link, snippet and date. A call of up to 10 results is one search at $0.005. Every parameter and reply field is in the Scale SERP migration guide. The steps:
1. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace, and set a spending limit on it.
2. Point the address at https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search. In Python:
import requests
reply = requests.get(
"https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search", # was https://api.scaleserp.com/search
params={"api_key": SPECSTREAM_KEY, "q": "Nvidia earnings", "num": 10},
timeout=30,
)
reply.raise_for_status()
for result in reply.json()["organic_results"]:
print(result["position"], result["title"], result["link"])3. In JavaScript, a news search:
const url = new URL("https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search");
url.search = new URLSearchParams({ api_key: process.env.SPECSTREAM_KEY, q: "Nvidia earnings", search_type: "news", sort_by: "date" });
const data = await (await fetch(url)).json();
for (const item of data.news_results) console.log(item.date_utc, item.source, item.title, item.link);4. Follow pagination.api_pagination.next for the next page, and read 429 as a call to send again after Retry-After. It is not charged.
When your product needs the whole dataset in place of a results page, write the request in plain words. SpecStream reads it back as the conditions every row must meet and the facts to bring back, quotes the most it can cost, and delivers the rows after you approve.
Frequently asked questions
Something we didn't answer? Talk to a human
How much does Scale SERP cost?
What is the best Scale SERP alternative?
/search call in the same JSON, AI Overview included, and scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, shown on the benchmarks page. New accounts get $10 of credit, no card.How do I switch from Scale SERP to SpecStream?
https://api.scaleserp.com/search becomes https://api.specstream.ai/scaleserp/search, and a SpecStream key goes in api_key. q, num, page, time_period, search_type=news and include_ai_overview keep their meaning, and a search of up to 10 results costs $0.005.Does Scale SERP charge extra for AI Overview?
include_ai_overview=true returns the answer and its page at the price of one search, $0.005.Is there a free Scale SERP alternative?
Does SpecStream have an API?
GET /v1/web-search at $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results. The Extract API is POST /v1/extract at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. Deep Search takes a request in plain words and returns structured rows. Python and TypeScript SDKs, a CLI and A2A cover the same calls.Does SpecStream have an MCP server?
https://api.specstream.ai/mcp over Streamable HTTP, with OAuth or an API key. The search_web tool runs a search for $0.005, and the agent spends from the same balance as your team, inside the limits you set on its key.Sources
SpecStream wrote this page. Each rival figure comes from that company's own page.
- SpecStream pricingspecstream.ai/pricing, read Nov 10, 2026
- SpecStream for agentsspecstream.ai/agents.md, read Nov 10, 2026
- SpecStream benchmarksspecstream.ai/benchmarks, read Nov 10, 2026
- SpecStream dataspecstream.ai/data, read Nov 10, 2026
- SpecStream signalsspecstream.ai/signals, read Nov 10, 2026
- Scale SERP pricingtrajectdata.com/pricing/scaleserp-api, read Nov 10, 2026
- Scale SERP Google search docsdocs.trajectdata.com/scaleserp/search-api/searches/google/search, read Nov 10, 2026
- Scale SERP error handlingdocs.trajectdata.com/scaleserp/search-api/fundamentals/error-handling, read Nov 10, 2026
- SerpWow pricingtrajectdata.com/pricing/serpwow-api, read Nov 10, 2026
- Scrapingdog pricingscrapingdog.com/pricing, read Nov 10, 2026
- SerpApi pricingserpapi.com/pricing, read Nov 10, 2026
- Serper homepage and pricingserper.dev/, read Nov 10, 2026