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# Zenserp alternatives in 2026: answers and sources at $5 per 1,000

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/alternatives/zenserp

Zenserp sells search results by monthly plan, from $49.99 for 25,000 searches to $899.99 for 1,000,000. Only successful requests are billed, and a request for Google's AI Overview uses 3 searches.

SpecStream is the live web data engine. Its Search API returns the answer with the page it was read on and every source, at $5 per 1,000 searches from a balance that never expires. It scores 97.9 on [SimpleQA Verified](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp).

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-zenserp&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=zenserp&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fsearch%3Froute%3Dzenserp) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 2,000 searches.

## SpecStream and Zenserp side by side

| | SpecStream | Zenserp |
|---|---|---|
| What you change | One line. `https://api.specstream.ai/zenserp/api/v2/search` in place of `https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search`, and a SpecStream key in the `apikey` header. The request and the reply keep their shape | `GET /search` with a Zenserp key in the apikey header |
| What a call returns | `GET /v1/web-search` returns an `answer` with the value, the page it was read on and the time it was read, `rows` with the facts the request asks for, and `sources` in rank order with `url`, `title`, `snippet` and the `published` date when the result gives one | Google results as JSON from one `/search` endpoint at `https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search`: organic results, ads and featured snippets |
| Price per month | $5 for up to 10 results, the same rate on every plan. `num=100` costs $0.059 a call | Small $49.99 for 25,000 searches, Medium $149.99 for 100,000, Large $299.99 for 250,000, Premium $499.99 for 500,000, Enterprise $899.99 for 1,000,000 |
| An answer to the question | `answer` is in the reply of a $0.005 search: the value, the page it was read on and the time it was read | An AI Overview request uses 3 searches |
| When the searches run out | Calls spend from your balance, inside the spending limit you set on the key. A top-up never expires | Email alerts at 90% and 100% of the plan's usage |
| Volume | The fast search takes up to 8,800 searches a minute on one account. A call over that gets a `429` with `Retry-After` and is not charged | The Batch Endpoint and a Custom Queue on the higher plans |
| Failed calls | A `429` with `Retry-After` charges nothing. With an `Idempotency-Key`, a retried call is charged once | Only successful requests are billed |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card. That is 2,000 searches, or up to 200 rows at 5¢ | Free plan: 50 searches a month |
| 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 and the other engines Zenserp reads, such as Bing |
| 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 snippets of the results page |
| Data already held | Public databases read every morning at [specstream.ai/data](https://specstream.ai/data?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp): 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](https://specstream.ai/signals?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp) | 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 Zenserp to SpecStream

### One call returns the answer and its sources

A Zenserp call returns the results page, and Google's AI Overview costs 3 searches more. A SpecStream call takes the question in everyday words and returns the value with the page it was read on, the rows the question asks for, and every source in rank order, all for $0.005.

```
curl "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search?q=Who+is+the+CEO+of+Mistral+AI&num=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY"
```

When your product reads a results list, `POST https://api.specstream.ai/serper/search` returns `organic[]` with `position`, `title`, `link` and `snippet`, at the same $0.005 a search.

### 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](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp).

### $5 per 1,000 searches from a balance that does not expire

Zenserp's Small plan is $49.99 a month for 25,000 searches, and the searches belong to that month. SpecStream charges $0.005 a search on every plan, from a balance that never expires, so a quiet month costs nothing. A call stopped by a `429` charges nothing, and the most a key can spend is the limit you set on it.

### About one second a search, at up to 8,800 a minute

Every results list 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. One account takes up to 8,800 searches a minute, and a call over that 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, its answer is not reused for another call, and its log lines carry neither. The charge keeps the account, the key, the request ID, the price and the time.

```
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 Zenserp 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](https://specstream.ai/extract-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and runs [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp), 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 Zenserp alternatives

### SpecStream

The live web data engine for teams and agents. Its Search API costs $5 per 1,000 searches, returns the answer with its page and every source, 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.

### SerpApi

A results page API for Google and other engines, sold by monthly plan: Starter at $25 for 1,000 searches with 200 an hour, Developer at $75 for 5,000. Cached, errored and failed searches are not counted. On SpecStream $25 pays for 5,000 searches, and the balance never expires.

### SearchApi

A results page API for Google and other engines, sold by monthly plan. The Developer plan costs $40 a month for 10,000 searches, $4 per 1,000, and only searches with a 200 status are charged. Sign up gives 100 free requests. SpecStream costs $5 per 1,000 with no plan to buy first, and returns the answer with its page.

### Serper

Google results sold as prepaid credits with no monthly subscription, from $1.00 per 1,000 on the 50k pack. The first 2,500 queries are free, no credit card. SpecStream answers Serper's own call at `https://api.specstream.ai/serper/search`, in Serper's JSON, for $5 per 1,000 searches.

## How to switch from Zenserp

Change one line. `https://api.specstream.ai/zenserp/api/v2/search` answers the call your code sends to `https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search` today, in the same JSON, so your parser stays as it is. Send a SpecStream key in the `apikey` header. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches.

```
# Before
curl "https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search?q=$QUERY" -H "apikey: $VENDOR_API_KEY"

# After
curl "https://api.specstream.ai/zenserp/api/v2/search?q=$QUERY" -H "apikey: $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY"
```

`q`, `num`, `start`, `timeframe`, `tbs`, `ai_overview` and `search_engine` work as before, and the reply keeps `organic[]` with `position`, `title`, `url`, `destination` and `description`. A call of up to 10 results is one search at $0.005. Every parameter and reply field is in the [Zenserp migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/zenserp?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp).

Your code can also call SpecStream's own Search API, at the same price. The steps:

1. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches.

2. Send the question to `GET https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search` with the key as a Bearer token, where your code calls `https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search` with `apikey` today. `num` sets the results from 1 to 100.

```
import requests

reply = requests.get(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search",
    params={"q": "Who is the CEO of Mistral AI", "num": 10},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {SPECSTREAM_KEY}"},
).json()["data"]

print(reply["answer"])
for source in reply["sources"]:
    print(source["url"], source["title"], source["snippet"])
```

3. Where your code reads the organic results, read `sources` (each with `url`, `title` and `snippet`), or call `POST https://api.specstream.ai/serper/search` and read `organic[]`, whose items carry `position`, `title`, `link` and `snippet`.

```
import requests

reply = requests.post(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/serper/search",
    headers={"X-API-KEY": SPECSTREAM_KEY},
    json={"q": "Who is the CEO of Mistral AI", "num": 10, "page": 1},
).json()

for result in reply["organic"]:
    print(result["position"], result["title"], result["link"], result["snippet"])
```

4. Set a spending limit on the key. A call of up to 10 results costs $0.005, and `num=100` costs $0.059.

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

### How much does Zenserp cost?

Zenserp starts at $49.99 a month for 25,000 searches on the Small plan. Medium is $149.99 for 100,000, Large $299.99 for 250,000, Premium $499.99 for 500,000 and Enterprise $899.99 for 1,000,000. The Free plan has 50 searches a month.

### How do I migrate from Zenserp to SpecStream?

Change one line: send the call to `https://api.specstream.ai/zenserp/api/v2/search` in place of `https://app.zenserp.com/api/v2/search`, with a SpecStream key in the `apikey` header. The request and the reply keep their shape, and each call of up to 10 results costs $0.005.

### What is the best Zenserp alternative?

SpecStream, at $5 per 1,000 searches. One call returns the answer with the page it was read on and every source, and it scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, shown on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=zenserp) page. New accounts get $10 of credit, no card.

### What does a Zenserp AI Overview request cost?

3 searches. On SpecStream every call returns an `answer` with the page it was read on, at $0.005 for up to 10 results.

### Is there a free Zenserp alternative?

SpecStream gives $10 of credit on sign up, no card, which covers 2,000 searches. Zenserp's Free plan has 50 searches a month.

### Does Zenserp charge for failed requests?

No: Zenserp bills only successful requests. On SpecStream a call stopped by a `429` charges nothing, and an `Idempotency-Key` makes a retried call count once.

### Does SpecStream have an API?

Yes, three. The Search API is `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?

Yes, at `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 pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SpecStream data](https://specstream.ai/data), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SpecStream signals](https://specstream.ai/signals), read Nov 9, 2026
- [Zenserp pricing](https://www.zenserp.com/pricing), read Nov 9, 2026
- [Zenserp pricing plans](https://zenserp.com/pricing-plans/), read Nov 9, 2026
- [Zenserp migration guide](https://zenserp.com/migration-guide/), read Nov 9, 2026
- [Zenserp documentation](https://zenserp.com/documentation/), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SerpApi pricing](https://serpapi.com/pricing), read Nov 9, 2026
- [SearchApi pricing](https://www.searchapi.io/pricing), read Nov 9, 2026
- [Serper homepage and pricing](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 9, 2026