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# Google official search API in 2026: none for the whole web

Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/google-official-search-api

Not for the whole web. Google's one official web search API, the Custom Search JSON API, is closed to new customers and ends on January 1, 2027. Its official successors search up to 50 domains, or return a Gemini answer in place of results.

SpecStream answers Google's own call. Change `https://www.googleapis.com` to `https://api.specstream.ai`, put a SpecStream key in `key=`, and `GET /customsearch/v1` returns Google's JSON from the whole live web, at $1 per 1,000 searches.

97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks, the top published scores of a search API, on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api) page.

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

## Google's official search APIs in 2026, next to SpecStream

| | SpecStream | Custom Search JSON API | Vertex AI Search (Agent Search) | Grounding with Google Search |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open to a new customer | Yes. A key takes a minute and starts with $10 of credit, no card | No. Closed to new customers. Existing customers have until January 1, 2027 | Yes, in a Google Cloud project | Yes, in the Gemini API |
| What it searches | The whole live web, read at the moment of the call | The Programmable Search Engine you configured under `cx` | Up to 50 domains. For full web search, Google asks you to contact it | Google Search, through the queries a Gemini model decides to run |
| The call | Google's `GET /customsearch/v1` at `https://api.specstream.ai`, `GET /v1/web-search`, or the `search_web` tool on the MCP server | `GET /customsearch/v1` with `q`, an API key and `cx`, the ID of your Programmable Search Engine | A `POST` to a serving config of an engine in your Google Cloud project | A tool inside a Gemini model request |
| What comes back | On Google's route, Google's JSON: `items[]` with `title`, `link`, `snippet` and `displayLink`, and `queries.nextPage` | `items[]` with the URL, title and text snippets of each result | Semantic retrieval on Standard. Enterprise adds generative answers | A model answer grounded in the search results, with search suggestions as HTML to render |
| Price per 1,000 | $1 for searches of up to 10 results on Google's route | $5 per 1,000 queries after 100 free a day, for existing customers | $1.50 per 1,000 queries on Standard, $4.00 on Enterprise | $14 per 1,000 search requests on Gemini 3 and newer, after 5,000 free a month |
| What one unit is | One call of up to 10 results, $0.001 | One query | Any API call to Enterprise Search, direct, through an integration or in the console | Each search query the model decides to run, so one prompt can be several |
| Free use | $10 of credit on a new account, no card. It covers 10,000 searches | 100 queries a day | A free trial of 10,000 queries per account a month | 5,000 search requests a month on Gemini 3 and newer |
| Limit | No limit per key and no daily limit. A busy call gets a `429` and is not charged | 10,000 queries a day | 50 domains | 1,500 requests a day per project by default on the paid tier |

## Why teams call Google's API on SpecStream

### The official call, at a new address

```
# Before: Google, closed to new customers, ends January 1, 2027
curl "https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1?key=$GOOGLE_KEY&cx=$CX&q=who+founded+anthropic"

# After: SpecStream, the whole live web
curl "https://api.specstream.ai/customsearch/v1?key=$SPECSTREAM_KEY&cx=$CX&q=who+founded+anthropic"
```

The reply has Google's shape, field for field: `kind`, `queries` with `request` and `nextPage`, `searchInformation` and `items`. `q`, `num` and `start` work as on Google, and `exactTerms`, `orTerms`, `siteSearch` and `hq` shape the search as they do there. `cx` is accepted and not used. The key goes in `key=`, in the `X-Goog-Api-Key` header or as a Bearer token.

### The whole web, which Google's successors leave out

Google names Vertex AI Search as the alternative for up to 50 domains, and for full web search its page asks you to contact Google. Grounding with Google Search searches the whole web but hands back a Gemini answer, billed for each query the model runs. SpecStream gives your code the results themselves, from the whole live web, on the call it already sends.

### $1 per 1,000, with no cap of 10,000 a day

Google charges existing customers $5 per 1,000 queries after 100 free a day and stops at 10,000 a day. On SpecStream a search of up to 10 results costs $0.001: 10,000 searches cost $10, and search 10,001 is answered like the first. Each started block of 10 more results adds $0.0012. A call stopped by a `429` costs nothing, and credit you buy never expires.

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

On SimpleQA Verified the SpecStream Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official questions, 978 of them correct. On WideSearch it scores 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official 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=google-official-search-api) page.

### About one second a search, measured under load

Google's route runs on the fast search. On November 9, 2026 production took 1, 5, 10 and 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.

### Pages and full datasets on the same key

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=google-official-search-api) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text is not charged. [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api) returns every match on the live web as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with the most a run can cost approved before it starts. Agents connect to `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, as the [MCP docs](https://specstream.ai/docs/mcp?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api) show.

## Every official Google search API, and the unofficial ones

### Custom Search JSON API

Google's one API for web results, from a Programmable Search Engine you configure, at $5 per 1,000 queries after 100 free a day and up to 10,000 a day. It is closed to new customers, and Google's blog post of January 20, 2026 says existing customers must move by January 1, 2027. SpecStream answers the same call at its own address, on the whole live web, at $1 per 1,000.

### Vertex AI Search (Agent Search)

Google's named successor for searching up to 50 domains, at $1.50 per 1,000 queries on Standard and $4.00 on Enterprise, with a free trial of 10,000 queries a month. Its pricing page counts any API call to Enterprise Search as a query, console use included. SpecStream searches the whole live web from the first call at $1 per 1,000.

### Grounding with Google Search

A tool of the Gemini API: the model runs Google searches and returns a grounded answer with search suggestions as HTML. Gemini 3 and newer bill each query the model runs, at $14 per 1,000 after 5,000 free a month. SpecStream works with any model, through the API or the `search_web` tool on its MCP server, at $1 per 1,000 on Google's route.

### Search Console API

An official API that reports how often your own property appears in Google results, with the queries and devices behind it. It needs owner, full or read access to the Search Console account, so it does not search the web. To search the web on Google's call, SpecStream answers `GET /customsearch/v1`.

### Programmable Search Element

The search box Google keeps for your own website: a free feature for site search over at most 50 domains. It is a widget for your pages, with no JSON for your server. SpecStream returns JSON to your server from the whole web.

### SerpApi and Serper, which are not Google's

Separate companies sell Google results through their own APIs, keys and JSON. SerpApi costs $25 a month for 1,000 searches on Starter, and Serper sells a 50k pack at $1.00 per 1,000, with credits valid for 6 months. SpecStream answers both calls too, at `https://api.specstream.ai/serpapi` and `https://api.specstream.ai/serper`, at $1 per 1,000 ([SerpApi move](https://specstream.ai/migrate/serpapi?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api), [Serper move](https://specstream.ai/migrate/serper?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api)).

## How to move Google's call to SpecStream

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

2. Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai` where your code has `https://www.googleapis.com` or `https://customsearch.googleapis.com`, and send the SpecStream key in `key=`.

```
import requests

BASE = "https://api.specstream.ai"  # was https://www.googleapis.com

reply = requests.get(
    f"{BASE}/customsearch/v1",
    params={"key": SPECSTREAM_KEY, "cx": CX, "q": "who founded anthropic", "num": 10},
).json()

for item in reply["items"]:
    print(item["title"], item["link"], item["snippet"])
```

3. Leave the rest. `q`, `num` and `start` work as before, `queries.nextPage` gives the next `start`, and `cx` is accepted and not used. The full guide, with JavaScript, Go and PHP, is [Migrate from Google Custom Search](https://specstream.ai/migrate/google-custom-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=google-official-search-api).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Google have an official search API?

Not for the whole web, for a new customer. Google's one web search API, the Custom Search JSON API, is closed to new customers and ends on January 1, 2027. Vertex AI Search covers up to 50 domains, and Grounding with Google Search returns a Gemini answer in place of results.

### Is the Google Custom Search API free?

100 queries a day are free, for existing customers only. After that it costs $5 per 1,000 queries, up to 10,000 a day, until the service ends on January 1, 2027.

### What replaces the Custom Search JSON API?

Google names Vertex AI Search for up to 50 domains, at $1.50 per 1,000 queries on Standard, and asks you to contact it for full web search. SpecStream answers the same `GET /customsearch/v1` call on the whole live web at $1 per 1,000, so the code keeps its parser.

### Can I still get a Google search API key in 2026?

Not for the Custom Search JSON API: it is closed to new customers. A SpecStream key works in its place in `key=`, takes a minute and starts with $10 of credit, no card, which covers 10,000 searches.

### Is SerpApi an official Google API?

No. SerpApi and Serper are separate companies with their own keys, JSON and prices: SerpApi's Starter plan is $25 a month for 1,000 searches. SpecStream answers SerpApi's call and Serper's call at $1 per 1,000.

### Does the Search Console API search Google?

No. It reports how often a property you own appears in Google results, and it needs owner, full or read access to that Search Console account. Web results through Google's call come from `GET /customsearch/v1`, which SpecStream answers.

### How much does SpecStream cost on Google's call?

$1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, $0.001 a call, with no daily limit. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, and credit you buy never expires.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure for Google, SerpApi and Serper comes from that company's own page, read on the date shown.

- [Google Custom Search JSON API overview](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Google Custom Search JSON API, cse.list reference](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/reference/rest/v1/cse/list), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Google Custom Search JSON API, using REST](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/using_rest), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Programmable Search Engine blog, updates to our web search products](https://programmablesearchengine.googleblog.com/2026/01/updates-to-our-web-search-products.html), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Google Cloud, Agent Search pricing](https://cloud.google.com/generative-ai-app-builder/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Google Cloud, servingConfigs.search reference](https://cloud.google.com/generative-ai-app-builder/docs/reference/rest/v1/projects.locations.collections.engines.servingConfigs/search), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Gemini API, Grounding with Google Search](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/google-search), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Search Console API, about](https://developers.google.com/webmaster-tools/about), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Search Console API, search analytics](https://developers.google.com/webmaster-tools/v1/how-tos/search_analytics), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SerpApi pricing](https://serpapi.com/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Serper](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 12, 2026