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# Perplexity Search API vs Tavily in 2026: one key answers both calls

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/compare/perplexity-vs-tavily

On Nov 10, 2026, the Perplexity Search API costs $5.00 per 1,000 successful requests and bills a reply with no results. Tavily charges 1 credit for a basic search and 2 for an advanced one, at $0.008 a credit pay as you go.

SpecStream answers both calls with one key. Perplexity code points at `https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity`, Tavily code at `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily`, and each gets its own JSON back. Every search of up to 10 results costs $0.005, page text included.

SpecStream is the live web data engine. Its Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks, shown on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=perplexity-vs-tavily) page.

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

## SpecStream, Perplexity Search API and Tavily side by side

| | SpecStream | Perplexity Search API | Tavily |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your code | Runs as written. Perplexity calls go to `POST https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity/search` and Tavily calls to `POST https://api.specstream.ai/tavily/search`, each with the key as the Bearer token. One key answers both | `POST https://api.perplexity.ai/search` with a Perplexity key as the Bearer token | `POST https://api.tavily.com/search` with a Tavily key as the Bearer token |
| What comes back | Each API's own JSON. Perplexity: `id` and `results[]` with `title`, `url`, `snippet` and `date` when the page has one. Tavily: `query`, `answer` with `include_answer`, and `results[]` with `title`, `url`, `content`, `score` and `raw_content` when asked | Ranked results as JSON with no generated answer | `results[]` with a title, URL, content and relevance score for each result, plus an optional answer and the page's raw content |
| Price per 1,000 searches | $5 for up to 10 results on either route, with page text, `search_depth` `advanced` or `include_answer` | $5.00 per 1,000 successful requests, and Fast Search $1.00 per 1,000 | $8 basic and $16 advanced at $0.008 a credit pay as you go, or $0.0075 to $0.005 a credit on monthly plans |
| Page text | In the search price on both routes: `max_tokens_per_page` fills Perplexity's `snippet`, and `include_raw_content` fills Tavily's `raw_content`. The Extract API reads any page at $0.80 per 1,000 pages | `max_tokens` and `max_tokens_per_page` leave the price as it is | `include_raw_content` returns each result's page as markdown or text. Extract costs 1 credit for every 5 successful URLs on basic |
| Results and queries per call | 1 to 20 results on the Perplexity route and 0 to 20 on the Tavily route. One query per call | `max_results` from 1 to 20, default 10. Up to 5 queries a request | `max_results` from 0 to 20, default 10 |
| 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) | Perplexity's search, through one endpoint, `POST /search` | Tavily's search, which serves cached copies and fetches pages live as needed. `max_age_hours` sets the copy's age, from 1 to 720 hours |
| What is not charged | A busy call, which gets `429` with `Retry-After` | Invalid, rate limited and upstream failed requests. A reply with no results is billed | A failed URL extraction or map |
| Rate and balance | No limit per key and no daily limit. Credit you buy never expires | 50 query units per second on every usage tier. Prepaid credits with auto top-up, and an empty balance can return `402` | Requests stop when the monthly credits run out, until they reset on the first day of the month or you upgrade |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card: 2,000 searches | Prepaid credits, with auto top-up when the balance runs low | 1,000 free credits a month, no credit card |
| Every match as 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 a saved request reruns hourly to yearly with each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching | The Agent API has `people_search` and `finance_search` tools at $5 per 1,000 invocations each, plus the model's tokens | Research returns a cited report or one object in your schema, for 4 to 110 credits a request on mini or 15 to 250 on pro |
| MCP and API | MCP server at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, REST API, Python and TypeScript SDKs, a CLI and A2A. An agent can buy one request with no account, by card or in USDC | The Search API at `POST /search`, and the Agent API | Remote and local MCP server, API, Python and JavaScript SDKs, and the `tvly` CLI |

## Why Perplexity and Tavily users move to SpecStream

### Both calls answered on one key

You do not have to pick one API and rewrite the other. Each call keeps its path, its body and its parser. The address changes, and the key.

```
# Perplexity: before
curl -X POST https://api.perplexity.ai/search -H "Authorization: Bearer $PERPLEXITY_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "max_results": 10}'
# Perplexity: after
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity/search -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "max_results": 10}'

# Tavily: before
curl -X POST https://api.tavily.com/search -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "max_results": 10}'
# Tavily: after
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/tavily/search -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "max_results": 10}'
```

The parameter and field tables are in the [Perplexity Search API guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/perplexity?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=perplexity-vs-tavily) and the [Tavily guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/tavily?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=perplexity-vs-tavily).

### What stays the same

On the Perplexity route, `query`, `max_results`, `search_domain_filter`, `search_recency_filter`, `search_after_date_filter`, `search_before_date_filter`, `max_tokens` and `max_tokens_per_page` work as on Perplexity, and errors come back in Perplexity's `422` body. On the Tavily route, `query`, `max_results`, `include_domains`, `exclude_domains`, `time_range`, `start_date`, `end_date`, `include_raw_content` and `include_answer` work as on Tavily, and `search_depth` does not change the price.

Not returned: Perplexity's `last_updated`, which is always null, and a `query` list of two or more gets a `422` that asks for one query per call. On Tavily, `images` is always empty, `follow_up_questions` is null and results carry no `favicon`.

### One price per search, page text included

Tavily doubles the credits for an advanced search, and Perplexity bills a reply with no results. SpecStream charges $0.005 for a search of up to 10 results on both routes, with the page text, the answer and the advanced depth in that price. There is no monthly reset, credit you buy never expires, and a call stopped by a `429` charges nothing.

### The most accurate web search API in the world

The SpecStream Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, 978 of them correct, and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. The Extract API scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. Every score and its method is on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=perplexity-vs-tavily) page.

### 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, its answer is not reused for another call, and its log lines carry neither.

```
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 search API returns links and snippets, and your product still has to read the pages and build its 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=perplexity-vs-tavily) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, maps and crawls a site at the page price, and runs [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=perplexity-vs-tavily), which returns every match on the live web as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. The most a run can cost is approved before it starts. Saved requests rerun hourly to yearly, with each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching, and new rows arrive in Slack, a sheet, a CRM or a signed webhook.

## Other Perplexity Search API and Tavily alternatives

### Exa

Search on Exa's own index, at $7 per 1,000 requests on `auto` and $4 on `lite`. SpecStream answers Exa's `POST /search` at `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` for $5 per 1,000, whatever `type` you send.

### Brave Search API

Search on Brave's own index at $5 per 1,000 requests, with $5 in free credits every month and 50 queries per second. SpecStream answers Brave's call at `https://api.specstream.ai/res/v1/web/search` with no limit per key.

### Serper

Google results sold as prepaid packs, from $1.00 per 1,000 on the 50k pack, with credits valid for 6 months. SpecStream answers Serper's call at `https://api.specstream.ai/serper`, and its credit never expires.

### Parallel

Search, Extract and Task APIs priced by their own units. Web search starts at $1 per 1,000 requests, and the Developer plan allows 600 Search requests a minute. SpecStream answers Parallel's search call at `https://api.specstream.ai/parallel` with no limit per key.

## How to move Perplexity and Tavily code to SpecStream

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. Point Perplexity code at `https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity` and send the SpecStream key as the Bearer token. In the `perplexityai` Python SDK 0.46.1, pass `base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity"`. Send one query per call.

```
import requests

reply = requests.post(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity/search",  # was https://api.perplexity.ai/search
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {SPECSTREAM_KEY}"},
    json={"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "max_results": 10},
    timeout=30,
).json()

for result in reply["results"]:
    print(result["title"], result["url"], result["date"])
```

3. Point Tavily code at `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` and send the SpecStream key as the Bearer token. In the Tavily Python SDK, pass `api_base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/tavily"` to `TavilyClient`.

```
const res = await fetch("https://api.specstream.ai/tavily/search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SPECSTREAM_KEY}`, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query: "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", max_results: 10, include_answer: true }),
});
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data.answer);
for (const result of data.results) console.log(result.title, result.url, result.score);
```

4. On a `429`, wait the seconds in `Retry-After` and send the call again; nothing was charged. Both routes spend from one balance, inside the spending limit you set on the key.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Perplexity Search API better than Tavily?

They differ in how they bill: Perplexity charges $5.00 per 1,000 successful requests and bills empty replies, Tavily 1 or 2 credits a search with a monthly reset. SpecStream charges $0.005 a search on both of their calls, reads the live web at the moment of the call and scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions.

### Perplexity Search API vs Tavily pricing: what does each cost?

Perplexity costs $5.00 per 1,000 successful requests, and Fast Search $1.00. Tavily costs $8 per 1,000 basic searches and $16 per 1,000 advanced at $0.008 a credit pay as you go. SpecStream costs $5 per 1,000 searches on both routes, page text and advanced depth included.

### Can I use both Perplexity and Tavily code?

Yes, on one SpecStream key. Perplexity calls go to `https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity`/search and Tavily calls to `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily`/search, each answered in its own JSON and billed from one balance at $0.005 a search.

### Do the Perplexity and Tavily SDKs work with SpecStream?

Yes. The `perplexityai` Python SDK 0.46.1 works with `base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/perplexity"`, as measured on production on November 10, 2026, and `TavilyClient` works with `api_base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/tavily"`.

### Which fields does SpecStream not return?

On the Perplexity route, `last_updated` is always null, and a call takes one query. On the Tavily route, `images` is always empty, `follow_up_questions` is null and results carry no `favicon`.

### Does Tavily cache results?

Yes: Tavily serves cached copies and fetches pages live as needed, with `max_age_hours` from 1 to 720. SpecStream reads every search from the live web at the moment of the call; `max_age_hours` is accepted and not needed.

### How many searches a second can I send?

SpecStream has no limit per key and no daily limit; on November 9, 2026 production answered 718 of 720 searches at up to 20 a second, with a median of 1.07 s. Perplexity allows 50 query units per second on every usage tier.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each rival figure comes from that company's own page.

- [Perplexity Search API overview](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/search/overview.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Perplexity Search API quickstart](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/search/quickstart.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Perplexity pricing](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/getting-started/pricing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Perplexity FAQ](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/resources/faq.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Perplexity rate limits and usage tiers](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/admin/rate-limits-usage-tiers.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily pricing](https://tavily.com/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily search reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily MCP](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/mcp.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Serper](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Parallel pricing](https://parallel.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 10, 2026