<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/free-web-search-api-no-key -->
# Free web search API with no API key: what works in 2026

Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/free-web-search-api-no-key

Four ways to search the web with no API key work today, and each has a cap. Parallel's MCP server is free at lower rate limits, You.com's MCP server allows 100 searches a day, Firecrawl Keyless is capped per IP address each day, and a SearXNG you host runs on your own server.

SpecStream asks for a key, and the key is free: a new account gets $10 of credit with no card, which covers 10,000 searches at $1 per 1,000. In an MCP client that signs in with OAuth, you sign in once in the browser and there is no key to copy.

It is the most accurate web search API in the world: 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=free-web-search-api-no-key) page.

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

## Web search with no API key, from each company's own page

| | SpecStream | Parallel MCP | You.com MCP | Firecrawl Keyless | Self-hosted SearXNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| API key | A free key, or a browser sign-in in an MCP client | None | None | None, no Authorization header | None |
| Account | Yes, with no card | None | None | None | None, you run the server |
| What is free | $10 of credit that does not expire: 10,000 searches | `web_search`, `web_fetch` and `web_decisions` | 100 Web Search API queries a day | Search and scrape | Every query, on your own server |
| The limit | The spending limit you set on each key | Lower rate limits than a signed in account; `web_research` needs sign-in or a key | 100 queries a day | Capped per IP address each day | JSON output turned on in `settings.yml`, or the API answers 403 |
| How you call it | REST API, MCP server, SDKs, and the addresses of the search APIs your code already calls | MCP server | MCP server | MCP, CLI and REST | REST on your own instance |
| Price after the free step, per 1,000 searches | $1 on the fast search, $5 with the answer and typed rows | From $1 per 1,000 requests, with an account | $5 per 1,000 calls | Sign up and bring your own key | The cost of your server |

## Why take the free SpecStream key

### A free key in a minute, with no card

Sign up, open Agents & API in the workspace, and create a key with a spending limit. The account starts with $10 of credit that does not expire: 10,000 fast searches of up to 10 results, or 2,000 searches that also return the answer with the page it was read from. A key without a limit is never needed, and a search over the key's limit is refused, not billed.

### No key to copy in an MCP client

Add `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` to an MCP client that signs in with OAuth, such as Claude Code or Cline, and sign in to SpecStream in the browser window it opens. The client holds the sign-in, so no key sits in a config file. `search_web` searches the live web, `read_pages` reads up to 20 pages a call with the Extract API, and Deep Search returns every match as rows. The [MCP docs](https://specstream.ai/docs/mcp) list each tool.

### No account at all for a dataset

An agent can buy one list with a machine payment, with no account and no key: it sends the request, gets `402 Payment Required` with the most it can cost, and pays with MPP through Stripe's Link agent wallet or with x402 in USDC. Only what the results found is taken. The [agent payments guide](https://specstream.ai/docs/agent-payments) has the calls.

### The top score on the free credit

A free search is the same search a paying account gets: 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks. Every score and its method is on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=free-web-search-api-no-key) page.

### Your SearXNG setting works as it is

A tool built for SearXNG runs on SpecStream when you change one address: set the instance address to `https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/<key>`, and SpecStream answers in SearXNG's JSON with `results[]`, `title`, `url` and `content`. The same holds for the Tavily, Exa, Brave, Serper, Google Custom Search and Firecrawl addresses. See [moving off SearXNG](https://specstream.ai/migrate/searxng).

## Other ways to search with no key

### Parallel MCP

Parallel's hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.parallel.ai/mcp` needs no account and no API key, and `web_search`, `web_fetch` and `web_decisions` are free at lower rate limits. `web_research` needs sign-in or a key. Its pricing page describes the free plan as variable limits, enough for personal use, and API search starts at $1 per 1,000 requests with an account. SpecStream gives a REST API on the same free credit as its MCP server, so a script and an agent use one key.

### You.com free MCP tier

You.com's MCP server answers up to 100 Web Search API queries a day with no API key, no account and no card. Its Web Search API costs $5 per 1,000 calls after that. SpecStream's free credit covers 10,000 searches with no daily cap, and its fast search is $1 per 1,000 after.

### Firecrawl Keyless

Firecrawl Keyless searches and scrapes with no account, no signup and no API key, capped per IP address each day. For more, or for crawl and map, Firecrawl asks you to sign up and bring your own key. SpecStream reads pages too, with the Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages on the same free credit.

### Self-hosted SearXNG

SearXNG costs nothing per query, and you run the server. JSON output has to be turned on in `settings.yml`: SearXNG's docs say an unset format returns 403 Forbidden and that many public instances have these formats disabled. SpecStream answers SearXNG's own address, so the tool you pointed at SearXNG keeps working with no server to run.

### Libraries that read DuckDuckGo's results page

Plugins and libraries that read DuckDuckGo's HTML need no key and no account. They stop when DuckDuckGo answers with an anti-bot check: the dsh-free-search plugin's own engine test reports DuckDuckGo as rate-limited by an anti-bot challenge. A SpecStream search runs from SpecStream's servers, so no results page from your address is in the way.

## How to start with the free key

1. Sign up at specstream.ai. The account starts with $10 of credit, no card.

2. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace, and give it a spending limit.

3. Make your first search on the fast tier, at $0.001 for up to 10 results.

```
import os
import requests

reply = requests.get(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search",
    params={"q": "latest PostgreSQL release", "speed": "fast"},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SPECSTREAM_API_KEY']}"},
).json()["data"]

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

4. Or skip the key in Claude Code: add the MCP server and sign in when the browser opens.

```
claude mcp add --transport http specstream https://api.specstream.ai/mcp
```

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a web search API with no API key?

Yes, with caps: Parallel's MCP server is free at lower rate limits, You.com's MCP server allows 100 queries a day, Firecrawl Keyless is capped per IP address each day, and SearXNG runs on your own server. SpecStream's key is free, with $10 of credit and no card, which covers 10,000 searches.

### Does SpecStream need an API key?

For the REST API, yes, and it costs nothing to create. In an MCP client that signs in with OAuth, you sign in in the browser and no key is copied. For one dataset, an agent can pay per request with no account and no key.

### How many free searches does SpecStream give?

10,000 fast searches of up to 10 results on the $10 of credit a new account gets, or 2,000 searches that also return the answer. The credit does not expire.

### Is DuckDuckGo search free with no key?

Libraries that read DuckDuckGo's results page need no key, and they stop when DuckDuckGo answers with an anti-bot check. A SpecStream search runs from SpecStream's servers, at $1 per 1,000 after the free credit.

### What does a search cost after the free credit?

$1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results on the fast search, and $5 per 1,000 for the search that returns the answer and typed rows. A search that returns nothing costs nothing, and there is no plan to buy.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each free tier comes from that company's own page, read on Nov 12, 2026.

- [Parallel MCP](https://parallel.ai/mcp), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Parallel pricing](https://parallel.ai/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [You.com pricing](https://you.com/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Firecrawl Keyless launch](https://www.firecrawl.dev/blog/firecrawl-keyless-launch), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Firecrawl: zero config web search API](https://www.firecrawl.dev/glossary/web-search-apis/zero-config-web-search-api), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SearXNG search API](https://docs.searxng.org/dev/search_api.html), read Nov 12, 2026
- [dsh-free-search README](https://github.com/DDDMUC/dsh-free-search), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 12, 2026