<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/migrate/aliyun-iqs -->
# Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search compatible: change one address

Compared on Nov 13, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/migrate/aliyun-iqs

Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search, now named CleverSee, costs 8 to 56 CNY per 1,000 calls by engine, and its Generic edition changes price with each day's volume. SpecStream answers the same `POST /search/unified` in IQS's own JSON for $1 per 1,000 searches.

The switch is one address: `https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs` in place of `https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com`, and a SpecStream key as the Bearer token. Your code reads `pageItems[]` with `title`, `link`, `snippet` and `mainText` as before.

SpecStream scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks. Page text costs nothing extra, and new accounts get $10 of credit, no card.

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

## Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search to SpecStream, parameter by parameter and field by field

| | SpecStream | Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search |
|---|---|---|
| Address | `POST https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs/search/unified`, and `GET /aliyun-iqs/search/genericSearch` for the previous version | `POST https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com/search/unified`, and `GET /search/genericSearch` for the previous version |
| The key | A SpecStream key as `Authorization: Bearer`, or in `X-API-Key` | An IQS API key as `Authorization: Bearer` |
| Price per 1,000 calls | $1 for searches of up to 10 results, the same on every `engineType` and at every volume | 8 CNY on China Edition LiteBasic, 18 CNY on China Edition Auto, 56 CNY on Global Edition GlobalAdvanced. Generic edition: 42 CNY on its first tier at 30 QPS, set again each day by that day's calls |
| Page text and summary | `mainText`, `markdownText`, `richMainBody` and `summary` at no extra cost | Enhanced Summary adds 2.8 CNY per 1,000 calls, and so does the GenericAdvanced engine |
| Limit | No limit per key and no daily limit | 10 QPS by default on the China and Global editions and 30 QPS on the Generic edition. A higher specification is requested at least one week in advance |
| Free use | $10 of credit on a new account, no card: 10,000 searches, with no end date | A 15 day trial with 1,000 queries a day |
| `numResults` | 1 to 50 in `advancedParams`. Without it: 10 on `Generic`, `LiteAdvanced` and `Deep`, 50 on `GenericAdvanced` | 1 to 50. `Generic` returns approximately 10 pages and `GenericAdvanced` approximately 50 |
| The reply | `requestId`, `pageItems[]` (`title`, `link`, `snippet`, `publishedTime`, `mainText`, `markdownText`, `richMainBody`, `images`, `hostname`, `hostLogo`, `summary`, `rerankScore`), `sceneItems`, `queryContext` and `searchInformation.searchTime` | `requestId`, `pageItems[]`, `sceneItems`, `searchInformation`, `queryContext` and `costCredits` |

## The Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search reference, on SpecStream

### The call, before and after

```
# Before
curl -X POST https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com/search/unified \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IQS_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "engineType": "Generic", "timeRange": "OneYear", "contents": {"mainText": true}}'

# After
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs/search/unified \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "engineType": "Generic", "timeRange": "OneYear", "contents": {"mainText": true}}'
```

The body and the parser stay. The host changes to `api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs`, and the key changes. The results come from the SpecStream Search API, in IQS's JSON.

Code on the previous version, `GET /search/genericSearch` with the key in `X-API-Key`, moves to `https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs/search/genericSearch` the same way.

### Every parameter the route uses

Used in the search on UnifiedSearch: `query` (1 to 500 characters), `engineType` (`Generic`, `GenericAdvanced`, `LiteAdvanced` or `Deep`), `timeRange` (`OneDay`, `OneWeek`, `OneMonth`, `OneYear` or `NoLimit`), and in `advancedParams`: `numResults` (1 to 50), `startPublishedDate` and `endPublishedDate` as `YYYY-MM-DD`, which replace `timeRange`.

Used to shape the reply: in `contents`, `mainText`, `markdownText` and `richMainBody` set to `true` add the text of each page, `summary` adds the text of the page closest to the query, and `rerankScore` is on unless you send `false`.

On GenericSearch: `query`, `timeRange`, `page` (10 results a page), `returnMainText` and `returnMarkdownText` (on unless you send `false`), `returnRichMainBody`, `enableRerank` and `advancedParams`.

`category`, `industry` and `locationInfo` are accepted and not applied, so a client that sends them keeps working. An unknown `engineType` or `timeRange` is refused with HTTP 400 and the code `InvalidParameter`.

### Every field that comes back

The reply has `requestId`, `pageItems`, `sceneItems`, `queryContext` with `engineType`, `originalQuery.query`, `originalQuery.timeRange` and `rewrite.enabled`, and `searchInformation.searchTime` in milliseconds. Each item of `pageItems` has `title`, `link`, `snippet`, `publishedTime`, `mainText`, `markdownText`, `richMainBody`, `images`, `hostname`, `hostLogo`, `summary` and `rerankScore`.

A text field you did not ask for is `null`. `mainText` holds up to 3,000 characters and `richMainBody` up to 12,000. `images` and `sceneItems` are empty lists, `hostLogo` is an empty string, and `costCredits` is not returned.

GenericSearch items add `htmlTitle`, `displayLink`, `htmlSnippet`, `publishTime` and `score`, and its `searchInformation` adds `total`.

One field is added: `specstream`, with what the Search API returns beyond IQS's fields, including the call's `price_usd`. A parser that reads IQS's fields never sees it.

A refusal keeps its HTTP status and carries IQS's `requestId`, `code` and `message`, with the same code and message again as `errorCode` and `errorMessage` for the IQS SDK: `InvalidAccessKeyId.NotFound` with 401, `Retrieval.Arrears` with 402 and `Retrieval.Throttling.User` with 429.

### $1 per 1,000 searches, page text and summary included

A call of up to 10 results costs $0.001, with or without page text, on every `engineType`. Each started block of 10 more results adds $0.0012: `numResults` 20 costs $0.0022 and `numResults` 50 costs $0.0058. `GenericAdvanced` returns 50 results when you send no `numResults`, so send `numResults` 10 to pay $0.001.

The price does not move with your daily volume or with a QPS specification. A call stopped by a 429 charges nothing, and credit you buy never expires.

### The most accurate web search API, in about one second

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=migrate-aliyun-iqs) page.

Every call on this route runs the fast search. Measured on production on November 9, 2026, its median was 0.82 s at 1 search a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second, the 95th percentile stayed between 1.09 and 1.73 s, and it answered 718 of 720. It has no limit per key and no daily limit. A call that asks for page text reads the pages on the fast search, at the same price.

### You decide what is kept, on each key

Create the key with `zero_retention` and a search made with it keeps no request text and no answer after the reply: it is not in the history, its answer is not reused for another call, and its log lines carry neither. `spend_cap_cents` is the most the key can spend.

```
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/account/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "production", "scopes": ["account:read", "finds:spend"], "spend_cap_cents": 500000, "zero_retention": true}'
```

### Search, pages and rows on one 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=migrate-aliyun-iqs) 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=migrate-aliyun-iqs) returns every match for a request in plain words as structured rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with a source URL on every value. The most a run can cost is approved before it starts.

## What else Alibaba Cloud IQS users price

### Baidu AI Search on Qianfan

Baidu's search API on its own index, at ¥0.036 a call on the standard edition and ¥0.072 on the flagship edition, with 3 QPS by default and 1,500 free calls a month. SpecStream answers Baidu's `POST /v2/ai_search/web_search` as well, at `https://api.specstream.ai/qianfan`, for $0.001 a search of up to 10 results.

### Tavily

A search API sold in credits at $0.008 each pay as you go: a basic search takes 1 credit and an advanced search 2. SpecStream answers Tavily's `POST /search` at `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` for $0.001 a basic search and $0.005 an advanced one.

### Brave Search API

A search API on Brave's own index at $5 per 1,000 requests, with $5 in free credits every month and 50 queries per second. SpecStream answers Brave's call at `https://api.specstream.ai/res/v1/web/search` at $1 per 1,000, a fifth of Brave's rate, and has no limit per key.

## How to migrate, step by step

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 host to `https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs` where your code has `https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com`, and send the SpecStream key as the Bearer token. In Python:

```
import requests

BASE = "https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs"  # was https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com

reply = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/search/unified",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {SPECSTREAM_KEY}"},
    json={
        "query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?",
        "engineType": "Generic",
        "timeRange": "OneYear",
        "contents": {"mainText": True, "summary": True},
        "advancedParams": {"numResults": 10},
    },
    timeout=30,
)
reply.raise_for_status()
for page in reply.json()["pageItems"]:
    print(page["title"], page["link"], page["hostname"], page["publishedTime"])
```

3. In JavaScript:

```
const res = await fetch("https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs/search/unified", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SPECSTREAM_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query: "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", engineType: "Generic" }),
});
const data = await res.json();
for (const page of data.pageItems) console.log(page.title, page.link);
```

4. Read `402` as an empty balance and `429` as a call to send again after `Retry-After`. Neither is charged.

5. When your product needs every match in place of a results page, write the request in plain words. SpecStream reads it back as the conditions every row must meet and the facts to bring back, quotes the most it can cost, and delivers the rows after you approve.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there an Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search compatible API?

Yes. SpecStream answers IQS's `POST /search/unified` and `GET /search/genericSearch` at `https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs` in IQS's JSON, for $0.001 a search of up to 10 results.

### How much does Alibaba Cloud IQS Web Search cost?

By Alibaba Cloud's billing page: 8 CNY per 1,000 calls on China Edition LiteBasic, 18 CNY on China Edition Auto and 56 CNY on Global Edition GlobalAdvanced. The Generic edition is priced in daily tiers, 42 CNY per 1,000 calls on the first tier at 30 QPS, and Enhanced Summary adds 2.8 CNY per 1,000 calls.

### How do I migrate from cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com?

Change one host: `https://api.specstream.ai/aliyun-iqs` in place of `https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com`, and a SpecStream key as the Bearer token. The body and the code that reads `pageItems[]` stay as they are, and a search costs $0.001.

### How much does SpecStream cost for an IQS call?

$0.001 for a search of up to 10 results, page text and summary included, and $0.0058 for `numResults` 50. New accounts get $10 of credit with no card, which covers 10,000 searches.

### Does the summary field cost extra?

No. `contents.summary` set to `true` fills each result's `summary` at the same $0.001 a call. On IQS, Enhanced Summary adds 2.8 CNY per 1,000 calls.

### Which IQS fields does SpecStream not fill?

Four: `images` and `sceneItems` come back as empty lists, `hostLogo` as an empty string, and `costCredits` is not returned. `category`, `industry` and `locationInfo` are accepted and not applied.

### Is there a QPS limit?

No. SpecStream has no limit per key and no daily limit, where IQS starts at 10 QPS on the China and Global editions and 30 QPS on the Generic edition. When search is busy the route answers 429 with `Retry-After` and charges nothing.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each Alibaba Cloud fact comes from Alibaba Cloud's own billing page and API reference, and each other provider's figure from that company's own page. Each SpecStream line describes the route as it answers on November 13, 2026.

- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, billing for Web Search](https://help.aliyun.com/en/document_detail/2862023.html), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, Web Search API reference](https://help.aliyun.com/en/document_detail/3062218.html), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, GenericSearch reference](https://help.aliyun.com/en/document_detail/2857020.html), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Baidu Qianfan, Baidu Search billing](https://cloud.baidu.com/doc/qianfan/s/1mh4sv6c4), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 13, 2026
- [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 13, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 13, 2026
- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 13, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 13, 2026