# Jina DeepSearch alternative in 2026: a report at a fixed price, from $0.10 Compared on Nov 13, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/jina-deepsearch-alternative Jina DeepSearch bills tokens. Jina's page puts one answer at about 500,000 tokens, which is about $0.025 at $0.050 per million, and the count arrives in the last chunk of the stream, after the run. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. `POST /v1/research` returns a written report with the page, read time and passage behind each cited sentence, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00. The reply shows the price before the work starts, and you pay when the report is delivered. [Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-jina-deepsearch-alternative&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 100 quick reports, 33 standard reports or 10 deep reports. ## SpecStream and Jina DeepSearch side by side | | SpecStream | Jina DeepSearch | |---|---|---| | What you pay for | One report, at one flat price for its depth | Tokens. Searches, page reads, reflection and summarization all count toward the run's total | | Price of one answer | $0.10 quick, $0.30 standard, $1.00 deep | About 500,000 tokens by Jina's own figure: about $0.025 at $0.050 per million tokens, more or less with the question | | When you know the price | Before the run. The reply to the `POST` shows `price_usd` | After the run. The last chunk of the stream carries the token usage, and `budget_tokens` sets a maximum | | When you pay | Once, when the report is delivered. A cancelled report is not charged | In advance. Tokens are sold as top-ups: $50 for 1 billion, $500 for 11 billion. Failed requests are not deducted | | What comes back | `report.content` with `[1]` markers, `report.citations` with the page, the read time and the passage of each cited sentence, and `report.sources` with every page read | A chat completion in OpenAI's Chat API schema. The last chunk holds the final answer, the visited URLs and the token usage | | How the call runs | `202` at once with the report's `id`. Read `GET /v1/research/{id}`, follow `/events`, or name a `webhook`. A quick report takes about a minute | One streaming request held open for the run, about 50s by Jina's figure. Its page warns that disabling streaming may result in '524 timeout' errors | | JSON in place of text | `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}` with your JSON Schema | Structured Output with your JSON schema | | Choose the sites | `include_domains` and `exclude_domains` on the request | Domain parameters on the request, and an option that restricts all search to arXiv | | Free to start | $10 of credit on a new account, no card: 100 quick reports | 10M free tokens on a new key, about 20 answers at 500,000 tokens each, for non-commercial use | | Search and pages on the same key | Your `s.jina.ai` calls answer at `https://api.specstream.ai/jina-search` for $1 per 1,000 searches, and your `r.jina.ai` calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/jina` for $0.80 per 1,000 pages | Search and Reader draw tokens from the same balance. A search request starts from 10,000 tokens | | From an agent | MCP at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`: `research_price`, `start_research` and `get_research`. A report starts only with its price approved as `confirm_max_cents` | An OpenAI compatible endpoint: swap `api.openai.com` with `deepsearch.jina.ai` | ## Why Jina DeepSearch users move to SpecStream ### The price is fixed before the run A DeepSearch run spends tokens on every search, page read and reasoning round, and Jina's page says the more steps it takes, the more tokens it uses. You learn the count when the stream ends. `budget_tokens` sets a maximum, and when the budget runs out first Jina returns the answer it has, which may not have passed its own quality checks. A SpecStream report costs $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 by depth. The reply to the `POST` shows it as `price_usd`, so a product that resells research can price its own plan per report. The price is taken once, at delivery. ### A written report with the passage behind each sentence DeepSearch answers in chat form and lists the URLs it visited. SpecStream writes a report: `report.content` carries a `[1]` marker after each cited sentence, `report.citations` gives that sentence the URL of its page, the time SpecStream read it and the passage that supports it, and `report.sources` lists every page read in the run. A reviewer opens the page and finds the passage in seconds. ### No connection to hold open DeepSearch runs inside one request, and Jina strongly recommends streaming because the request can take a long time. `POST /v1/research` answers `202` at once. Your code reads `GET /v1/research/{id}` until `status` is `completed`, follows the server-sent events, or gets a call on its `webhook`. An `Idempotency-Key` header makes a retry return the same report, so a dropped connection never buys a second one. ### Your Reader and Search calls keep their code Teams that use DeepSearch often call `r.jina.ai` and `s.jina.ai` too. Set the address to `https://api.specstream.ai/jina-search` and a search answers in Jina's shape for $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results. Set it to `https://api.specstream.ai/jina` and a page read costs $0.80 per 1,000 pages, with no charge for a page with no text. The same key runs the Search API, which scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions. The [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) page shows each run. See [research reports](https://specstream.ai/research?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) and [Jina Reader pricing](https://specstream.ai/jina-reader-pricing?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative). ## Other Jina DeepSearch alternatives ### Linkup Research SpecStream writes a report for $0.10 to $1.00. Linkup Research costs $0.25, $0.50, $1.50 or $2.50 a request by `reasoningDepth`. A SpecStream standard report costs $0.30, under Linkup's `M` depth at $0.50. ### Parallel Task API Parallel prices Task runs per 1,000 by processor: `pro` at $100 and `ultra` at $300. A SpecStream quick report costs the same $0.10 as a `pro` run, and a deep report at $1.00 comes with the passage behind each cited sentence. ### Tavily Research Tavily Research bills 4 to 110 credits a request on `mini` and 15 to 250 on `pro`, at $0.008 a credit pay as you go. That is $0.032 to $0.88 on `mini` and $0.12 to $2.00 on `pro`, known after the run. A SpecStream report has one price per depth, shown as `price_usd` when the report starts. ## How to move from Jina DeepSearch 1. Create a key on the [Search API screen](https://specstream.ai/workspace/search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) of the workspace. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card. 2. Send the last user message of your DeepSearch call as `input` to `POST /v1/research`, and choose `depth` where you set `reasoning_effort`: `quick`, `standard` or `deep`. The call answers `202` at once with the report's `id` and its `price_usd`. ``` curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Idempotency-Key: report-2026-11-13-001" \ -d '{"input": "Which EU countries tax unrealized crypto gains in 2026, and what does each tax office publish about it?", "depth": "standard"}' # 202 at once, with the report's id and price_usd. Then read it: curl https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research/ \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" ``` 3. Read `status` until it is `completed`, or follow `GET /v1/research/{id}/events` where your code read the stream. The text is in `report.content` and the cited sentences are in `report.citations`. Where your call sends a JSON schema for Structured Output, send it as `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}`. 4. For Reader and Search calls, change the address and keep the rest: ``` # was https://s.jina.ai curl "https://api.specstream.ai/jina-search?q=eu+crypto+tax+2026" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \ -H "Accept: application/json" # was https://r.jina.ai curl "https://api.specstream.ai/jina/https://example.com" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" ``` From an agent, connect the MCP server at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`: `research_price` shows the price of each depth, `start_research` starts the report, and `get_research` reads it. The [research reports guide](https://specstream.ai/docs/research?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) has every field, and the [Jina Search](https://specstream.ai/migrate/jina-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) and [Jina Reader](https://specstream.ai/migrate/jina?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=jina-deepsearch-alternative) migration guides have each step. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does Jina DeepSearch cost per answer? Jina bills tokens. Its page puts a DeepSearch answer at about 500,000 tokens, and paid tokens cost $0.050 per million on the $50 top-up and $0.045 on the $500 top-up. That is about $0.025 an answer, more for a question that takes more search and reasoning rounds. The exact count arrives when the run ends. ### Can I cap what a DeepSearch run costs? `budget_tokens` sets the maximum number of tokens for the whole run. The run stops when the budget is exhausted or when it finds a satisfactory answer, whichever comes first. On SpecStream there is nothing to cap: a report costs $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00, and the reply shows the price before the work starts. ### What is the best Jina DeepSearch alternative for research with sources? SpecStream, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 a report. Each cited sentence carries the URL of its page, the time it was read and the passage that supports it, and `report.sources` lists every page read. ### How long does a SpecStream research report take? About 1 minute for a quick report, 4 minutes for a standard report and 5 minutes for a deep report. The call answers `202` at once, and `GET /v1/research/{id}/events` streams the progress. Jina puts a DeepSearch answer at about 50s inside one open request. ### What does a failed or cancelled report cost on SpecStream? $0. The price is taken once, when the report is delivered, and a cancelled report is not charged. ### Are Jina's free tokens enough to test DeepSearch? A new Jina key comes with 10M free tokens, which is about 20 answers at 500,000 tokens each, and that free allotment is for non-commercial use. A new SpecStream account gets $10 of credit with no card, which covers 100 quick reports. ### Does SpecStream answer my Jina Reader and Jina Search calls? Yes. `https://api.specstream.ai/jina-search` answers `s.jina.ai` calls in Jina's shape for $1 per 1,000 searches, and `https://api.specstream.ai/jina` answers `r.jina.ai` calls for $0.80 per 1,000 pages. The key goes as a Bearer token. ### Does SpecStream have an MCP server for research? Yes, at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`. `research_price` shows the price of each depth, `start_research` starts a report once its price is approved as `confirm_max_cents`, and `get_research` reads it until it is completed. ## Sources SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure about another provider comes from that company's own page, read on the date shown. Jina's token prices load inside its billing widget, so they are taken from the record of that page on usagepricing.com. - [Jina DeepSearch](https://jina.ai/deepsearch), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Jina Reader](https://jina.ai/reader), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Jina AI token prices on usagepricing.com](https://usagepricing.com/blueprint/jina-ai), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Linkup pricing docs](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/development/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Parallel pricing](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream research reports](https://specstream.ai/docs/research), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 13, 2026