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# Linkup Research alternative in 2026: a cited report from $0.10

Compared on Nov 13, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/linkup-research-alternative

Linkup Research costs $0.25, $0.50, $1.50 or $2.50 a request by reasoning depth, and the default depth is `L` at $1.50. Linkup's docs give a couple of minutes to twenty minutes a request.

SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. `POST /v1/research` returns a written report with the page, the read time and the passage behind each cited sentence, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 a report, in about one to five minutes.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-linkup-research-alternative&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=linkup-research-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 research reports and Linkup Research side by side

| | SpecStream | Linkup |
|---|---|---|
| Price of one report | $0.10 quick, $0.30 standard, $1.00 deep. One flat price per depth | $0.25 at depth `S`, $0.50 at `M`, $1.50 at `L`, $2.50 at `XL` |
| Price of the default | $0.30. `standard` is the default depth | $1.50. Omitting `reasoningDepth` defaults to `L` |
| 1,000 reports | $100 quick, $300 standard, $1,000 deep | $250 at `S`, $500 at `M`, $1,500 at `L`, $2,500 at `XL` |
| How long a report takes | About one minute quick, about four minutes standard, about five minutes deep | A couple of minutes for shallow configurations to twenty minutes for exhaustive ones. The pricing page says 1 to 10 minutes |
| 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 | `sourcedAnswer`: a natural-language answer with inline citations, with a `sources` list |
| JSON in place of text | `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}` with your JSON Schema | `outputType` `structured` with `structuredOutputSchema` |
| How you get the result | Poll `GET /v1/research/{id}`, follow `GET /v1/research/{id}/events` as server-sent events, or name a `webhook` that is called when the report ends | Poll `GET /v1/research/:id` until `status` is `completed` or `failed` |
| When you pay | Once, when the report is delivered. The reply to the `POST` shows `price_usd`, and a cancelled report is not charged | Each successful request subtracts its amount from a prepaid balance |
| Search and pages on the same key | Search API at $5 per 1,000 searches and $1 on the fast tier, Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, Deep Search rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 each | Search from $0.005 a request and fetch from $0.001 a request |
| Starting credit | $10 of credit on a new account, no card: 100 quick reports | $20 of credit when you sign up with a professional email address |

## Why Linkup Research users move to SpecStream

### The same budget buys more reports

Linkup prices Research at $0.25 to $2.50 a request, and a call with no `reasoningDepth` runs at `L` for $1.50. A SpecStream report costs $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00, and the default is `standard` at $0.30. $100 pays for 1,000 quick reports on SpecStream and 400 requests at Linkup's `S` depth.

### A report in one to five minutes

A quick report takes about a minute, a standard report about four and a deep report about five. Linkup's docs give a couple of minutes for shallow configurations and twenty minutes for exhaustive ones. `GET /v1/research/{id}/events` shows the progress while your agent waits.

### Each cited sentence shows its page and when it was read

`report.content` holds the text with `[1]` markers. `report.citations` gives each cited sentence the URL of its page, the time SpecStream read it and the passage that supports it. `report.sources` lists every page read in the run. Your reviewer opens the page and finds the passage in seconds.

### Search, pages, rows and reports on one key

A report is one of the calls the key runs. The same key runs the Search API, which scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, and the Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. The [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=linkup-research-alternative) page shows each run. When the answer is a table, Deep Search returns every match as a row at 5¢, 15¢ or $1. See [research reports](https://specstream.ai/research?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=linkup-research-alternative) and [pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=linkup-research-alternative).

## Other Linkup Research alternatives

### Parallel Task API

SpecStream writes a cited report for $0.10 to $1.00 in about one to five minutes. Parallel prices Task runs per 1,000 by processor, from $5 to $2,400. Its deep research runs on `pro` at $100 per 1,000 runs, in 2 to 10 minutes, and on `ultra` at $300, in 5 to 25 minutes. A SpecStream quick report costs the same $0.10 as a `pro` run and takes about a minute.

### Exa Deep search and Exa Agent

Exa's `deep` search type costs $12 per 1,000 requests and returns in 4 to 15 seconds. For long-running research Exa points to Exa Agent, at $0.012 to $1.00 a request at a fixed effort. SpecStream sets three report prices, $0.10, $0.30 and $1.00, and shows the price in the reply before any charge.

### 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 a Linkup Research call

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

2. Send the question as `input` where Linkup takes `q`, and choose `depth`: `quick`, `standard` or `deep`. The call answers `202` at once with the report's `id`.

```
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"input": "Compare the 2024 cloud revenue growth of Microsoft, Amazon and Google.", "depth": "standard"}'

# 202 at once, with the report's id and price_usd. Then read it:
curl https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research/<id> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY"
```

3. Read `status` until it is `completed`, as your Linkup loop does today. The text is in `report.content` and the cited sentences are in `report.citations`.

4. For `outputType` `structured`, send your schema as `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}`. `includeDomains` and `excludeDomains` become `include_domains` and `exclude_domains`. Add an `Idempotency-Key` header to retry safely: the same key and body return the same report.

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=linkup-research-alternative) has every field. For plain search calls, the [Linkup migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/linkup?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=linkup-research-alternative) keeps your `/v1/search` code at $0.001 a search.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does Linkup Research cost?

$0.25 to $2.50 a request: $0.25 at depth `S`, $0.50 at `M`, $1.50 at `L` and $2.50 at `XL`. A request with no `reasoningDepth` runs at `L`, so it costs $1.50.

### What is the best Linkup Research alternative?

SpecStream, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 a report. Each report comes back in about one to five minutes, and each cited sentence carries the URL of its page, the time it was read and the passage.

### How long does a research report take?

About one minute for a quick report, four minutes for a standard report and five minutes for a deep report on SpecStream. Linkup's docs give a couple of minutes to twenty minutes for a Research 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.

### Can a SpecStream report return JSON?

Yes, with one field: send `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}` with your JSON Schema. `length` sets the size of a text report to `short`, `standard` or `long`.

### Does SpecStream have an MCP server for research?

Yes, at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, with 3 tools for reports: `research_price`, `start_research` and `get_research`. `start_research` runs only after your person approves the price as `confirm_max_cents`.

### Does SpecStream answer Linkup's search call?

Yes, for $0.001 a search of up to 10 results. Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/linkup/v1` and keep your code.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure about another provider comes from that company's own page, read on the date shown.

- [Linkup pricing](https://www.linkup.so/pricing), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Linkup pricing docs](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/development/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Linkup Research overview](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/endpoints/research/overview.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Parallel pricing](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Parallel Deep Research](https://docs.parallel.ai/task-api/task-deep-research.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Exa changelog](https://exa.ai/docs/changelog/pricing-update.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