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# LLM web access API in 2026: search at $1 and pages at $0.80 per 1,000

Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/llm-web-access-api

A model reaches the live web through two calls: a search that finds pages, and a read that returns their text. Brave and You.com charge $5 per 1,000 searches, Tavily $8, and reading pages costs $1 to $3.20 per 1,000.

SpecStream's Search API answers a model's search at $1 per 1,000 on the fast search, with page excerpts in the same reply. The Extract API returns up to 20 pages a call as Markdown at $0.80 per 1,000.

The Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and the Extract API 0.908 F1 on WCXB, on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api) page. Both run on one key, through the API or MCP.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-llm-web-access-api&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 10,000 fast searches or 12,500 pages.

## LLM web access APIs side by side

| | SpecStream | Brave LLM Context | You.com | Tavily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search, per 1,000 calls | $1 on the fast search, $5 on the default search, up to 10 results a call. A call that returns no results costs nothing | $5 per 1,000 requests on the Search plan, LLM Context included | $5 per 1,000 calls on Web Search API Standard | $8 basic or $16 advanced pay as you go: 1 or 2 credits a search at $0.008 a credit |
| Page text in the search reply | `passages=true` adds an excerpt of up to about 3,500 characters on each source, in the page's order, for up to about a second more | Extracted chunks of text, tables and code, about 8,192 tokens by default and up to 32,768 | Highlights, Knowledge and extraction on the Standard tier | Chunks of about 500 characters per source, 800 on advanced. `include_raw_content` adds the parsed page |
| Reading pages you name, per 1,000 | $0.80 with the Extract API, 1 to 20 URLs a call, as Markdown or text. PDF, Word and Excel files too. A page with no text costs nothing | LLM Context takes a query of 1 to 600 characters and returns chunks of the pages its search ranks | $1 per 1,000 pages with the Contents API, as Markdown or HTML | $1.60 basic or $3.20 advanced: 1 or 2 credits per 5 pages read |
| An answer written for the model | The default search returns `answer`: the value as the pages print it, the page it was read from and its read time, at $5 per 1,000 | Answers: $4 per 1,000 requests plus $5 per million input and output tokens | Answer API: $5 per 1,000 calls | `include_answer` adds an LLM generated answer to a search |
| Filters on the results | `site:`, `-site:`, `filetype:`, `after:` and `before:` hold on every result, with `language` and `country` | `freshness`, `site:` operators and Goggles for custom re-ranking | Domain filters on the Standard tier | `include_domains` and `time_range` |
| Research across many pages | Deep Search: every match on the live web as structured rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row, with the most a run can cost quoted before it starts | Answers can ground on several searches, at the Answers price | Research API: $12 to $1,200 per 1,000 calls by depth | Research: 4 to 110 credits a request on `mini`, 15 to 250 on `pro` |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card: 10,000 fast searches or 12,500 pages | $5 in free credits every month | 100 Web Search API queries a day through its MCP server, with no key | 1,000 API credits a month, no card |

## Why give your model the web through SpecStream

### Search and read on one key

A model needs two moves: find the pages, then read them. The [Search API](https://specstream.ai/search-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api) returns ranked `sources` with `url`, `title`, `site`, `snippet` and the `published` date where the page states it. `passages=true` adds the text of each page closest to the question, so most answers need no second call. When they do, the [Extract API](https://specstream.ai/extract-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api) reads the URLs the model picked.

```
import os
import requests

H = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SPECSTREAM_API_KEY']}"}

found = requests.get(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search",
    params={"q": "EU AI Act obligations for general purpose models", "speed": "fast", "passages": "true"},
    headers=H,
    timeout=30,
).json()["data"]

context = "\n\n".join(
    f"{s['url']}\n{s.get('excerpt') or s['snippet']}" for s in found["sources"]
)

read = requests.post(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract",
    headers=H,
    json={"urls": [s["url"] for s in found["sources"][:3]], "format": "markdown"},
    timeout=60,
).json()["data"]

for page in read["results"]:
    if page["status"] == "ok":
        print(page["title"], len(page["text"]))
print(found["price_usd"], read["price_usd"])
```

### $1 per 1,000 searches

A fast search of up to 10 results costs $0.001. Each started block of 10 more adds $0.0012, so 50 results cost $0.0058. The default search, which also writes `answer` and `rows`, costs $0.005. A search that returns no results, a page with no text and a call answered `503` are not charged, and each reply carries its own `price_usd`.

### Pages behind a refusal

A page that refuses a plain read is tried again as a browser would ask for it, then in a real browser, then from the site's own feed, then from its newest public archive capture. `read_from` says which one gave the text, and `captured_at` dates an archive copy. PDF, Word, Excel and EPUB files are read in the same call at the same $0.0008.

### One MCP server for any client

Add `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` (Streamable HTTP) to Claude, Cursor, VS Code or any MCP client, signed in with OAuth or an API key. The model gets `search_web` for a question and `read_pages` for up to 20 URLs, at the same prices as the API. Setup for each client is in [the integration guides](https://specstream.ai/integrations?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api).

### Keep the client you have

Code written for Tavily, Brave Search, You.com, Exa, Jina, Serper or the Google Custom Search JSON API keeps its request and its parser: change the base address to SpecStream's and send a SpecStream key. Each search through a drop-in address costs $1 per 1,000. The list with one curl line each is at `https://api.specstream.ai/v1/search-dialects`.

```
from tavily import TavilyClient

client = TavilyClient(api_key="<SpecStream key>", api_base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/tavily")
results = client.search("EU AI Act obligations for general purpose models", max_results=10)
pages = client.extract([r["url"] for r in results["results"][:3]])
```

### The top published score

The Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct) and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 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=llm-web-access-api) page.

### What a call keeps

Zero retention is set per API key: a search made with such a key keeps no request text and no answer after the reply, and the Extract API keeps no page. Another key setting sends searches out only from our server in Madrid, in the EU. Every call is in the account's request log with its price.

## Other LLM web access APIs

### Jina Search and Reader

`s.jina.ai` searches and returns the top five results with their URLs and contents, and `r.jina.ai` reads one URL. Each search costs a fixed number of tokens, starting from 10,000, and every new key gets 10M free tokens. SpecStream answers both calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/jina-search` and `https://api.specstream.ai/jina`: see [Jina Search compatible](https://specstream.ai/migrate/jina-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api).

### Exa

A search API with page contents in the reply: $4 per 1,000 requests on `lite` and $7 on `auto`, with up to 10 results. Its `/contents` endpoint is $1 per 1,000 pages per content type. SpecStream answers Exa's own `POST /search` and `/contents` at $1 per 1,000 searches and $0.80 per 1,000 pages: see [Migrate from Exa](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api).

### Olostep

A web data API with an `/answers` endpoint that searches, reads and returns an answer with its sources, in 3 to 30 seconds by its own account. Plans start at $9 a month for 5,000 successful requests. SpecStream's search writes `answer` with its page and read time at $5 per 1,000, with no plan.

### Firecrawl

Search at 2 credits per 10 results and scrape at 1 credit a page, with Standard at $99 a month for 100,000 credits. SpecStream answers Firecrawl's `/v2/search` and `/v2/scrape` on the same key: see [Firecrawl migration](https://specstream.ai/migrate/firecrawl?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api).

## How to give a model web access with SpecStream

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

2. Search with `GET https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search?q=<the question>&speed=fast&passages=true` and the key as a Bearer token. Hand the `sources` and their `excerpt` to the model.

3. Read the pages the model picks with `POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract` and `{"urls": [...]}`, 1 to 20 a call.

4. Or give the model both as tools: add the MCP server `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`. It calls `search_web` with `{"q": "<the question>"}` and `read_pages` with `{"urls": ["<url>"]}`.

```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specstream": {
      "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <SpecStream key>" }
    }
  }
}
```

5. Already on Tavily, Brave, You.com, Exa or Jina? Change the base address and the key. The [platforms](https://specstream.ai/platforms?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=llm-web-access-api) page lists every address.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best API to give an LLM web access?

SpecStream: $1 per 1,000 searches on the fast search, $0.80 per 1,000 pages read, and the top published scores, 97.9 F-score on SimpleQA Verified and 0.908 F1 on WCXB. Search and page reading run on one key, through the API or MCP.

### How much does LLM web search cost?

SpecStream costs $1 per 1,000 fast searches and $5 per 1,000 default searches. Brave and You.com list $5 per 1,000, and Tavily $8 on basic search pay as you go.

### Can the search reply carry page text?

Yes. Add `passages=true` and each source carries an excerpt of up to about 3,500 characters, the text of its page closest to the question.

### How does a model read a page it found?

Send the URL to `POST /v1/extract`, or let the model call `read_pages` over MCP. Each page costs $0.0008, up to 20 a call, and a page with no text costs nothing.

### Does it work with a local model?

Yes. A local model runs the search and read as tool calls to the API, or through an MCP client such as LM Studio or Open WebUI. Open WebUI's web search and web loader settings take SpecStream's addresses directly.

### Can I keep my Tavily or Brave code?

Yes. Change the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily`, or `https://api.specstream.ai` for Brave's web search, and send a SpecStream key. Each search costs $1 per 1,000.

### Is there a free tier?

New accounts get $10 of credit with no card: 10,000 fast searches or 12,500 pages read.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure on another product comes from that product's own page.

- [Brave Search API pricing](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Brave LLM Context documentation](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation/services/llm-context), read Nov 12, 2026
- [You.com API pricing](https://you.com/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Tavily search reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Jina Reader and Search](https://jina.ai/reader), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Olostep, LLM search](https://www.olostep.com/blog/llm-search), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Olostep pricing](https://www.olostep.com/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Firecrawl pricing](https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing), 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