<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/migrate/valueserp -->
# VALUE SERP compatible: change the address, keep the JSON

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/migrate/valueserp

VALUE SERP costs $2.50 per 1,000 on pay as you go, and an AI Overview costs 1 additional credit. SpecStream answers the same `GET /search` in VALUE SERP's JSON, with `include_ai_overview` at the price of one search.

The switch is one line: `https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp` in place of `https://api.valueserp.com`, and a SpecStream key as `api_key`. The parameters and the parser stay.

SpecStream scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions. A search of up to 10 results costs $0.005, and credit you buy never expires.

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

## VALUE SERP to SpecStream, parameter by parameter and field by field

| | SpecStream | VALUE SERP |
|---|---|---|
| Address | `GET https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search` | `GET https://api.valueserp.com/search` |
| The key | A SpecStream key as `api_key` in the address | A VALUE SERP key as `api_key` in the address |
| Results and dates | `num` 1 to 100, `page`, `time_period` (`last_hour` to `last_year`, or `custom` with `time_period_min` and `time_period_max`) and `tbs` | Structured JSON, HTML or CSV results |
| AI Overview | `include_ai_overview=true` returns the search's answer and its source page, at the price of one search | 1 additional credit |
| Each result | `position`, `title`, `link`, `domain`, `displayed_link`, `snippet`, and `date` when the page has one. Not returned: `rich_snippet`, `sitelinks`, `about_this_result`, `date_utc` and `prerender` | `organic_results` with their position, title, link and snippet |
| Errors | VALUE SERP's `request_info` with `success: false`: `401` with no key, `400` for `search_type=news`. A busy call gets `429` with `Retry-After` and is not charged | `402 Payment Required` when the credits run out. Only successful searches are counted |
| Price | $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, with no plan. 100 results cost $0.059 a call | $2.50 per 1,000 on pay as you go, or 25,000 searches for $50 a month and $1.60 per 1,000 over the plan |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches | 100 free requests on sign up |

## The VALUE SERP reference, on SpecStream

### The call, before and after

```
# Before
curl "https://api.valueserp.com/search?q=pizza&api_key=$VALUESERP_API_KEY"

# After
curl "https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search?q=pizza&api_key=$SPECSTREAM_API_KEY"
```

In VALUE SERP's own Python example the change is the address and the key in one call: `requests.get("https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search", {"api_key": SPECSTREAM_KEY, "q": "pizza"})`.

### What the route reads, and what it refuses

Read and applied: `q`, `num` (1 to 100), `page`, `time_period` (`last_hour`, `last_day`, `last_week`, `last_month`, `last_year`, or `custom` with `time_period_min` and `time_period_max` as MM/DD/YYYY), `tbs`, `include_ai_overview`, and `pagination.api_pagination.next` for the next page.

Refused: `search_type=news` and the other result types get `400`, and a call with no `api_key` gets `401`, both in VALUE SERP's `request_info` form. Every parameter was measured on production on Nov 10, 2026, and the full [pass table](https://specstream.ai/specstream/dialects/valueserp.md) lists each one and its result.

### Every field that comes back

The reply has `request_info.success`, `search_metadata` with `created_at`, `processed_at` and `total_time_taken`, `search_parameters` with `q` and `engine`, `search_information` with `original_query_yields_zero_results`, `total_results`, `time_taken_displayed` and `query_displayed`, `pagination` with `current` and `api_pagination`, and `organic_results[]`.

The route does not return `request_info.credits_used` or `credits_remaining`, the `search_metadata` links, `search_tabs`, `knowledge_graph`, `related_searches`, `related_questions`, `top_stories`, `local_results` or `ads`, nor a result's `rich_snippet`, `sitelinks`, `about_this_result`, `date_utc` and `prerender`. One field is added, `specstream`, with the call's `price_usd`.

### One price a search, AI Overview included

On VALUE SERP an AI Overview takes 1 additional credit. On SpecStream every call of up to 10 results costs $0.005, with or without `include_ai_overview`, each started block of 10 more adds $0.006, and there is no plan to renew. A busy call gets `429` with `Retry-After` and charges nothing.

### 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-valueserp) page.

A call of up to 10 results on the first page 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. One account can send up to 8,800 searches a minute.

### 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. `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-valueserp) 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-valueserp) 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. The full comparison is on the [VALUE SERP alternative](https://specstream.ai/alternatives/valueserp?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=migrate-valueserp) page.

## What else VALUE SERP users price

### SerpApi

Google results on monthly plans: Starter is $25 for 1,000 searches with 200 an hour, Developer $75 for 5,000. SpecStream charges $0.005 a search with no plan, and answers the VALUE SERP call your code already sends.

### SearchApi.io

Google results on monthly plans from $40 for 10,000 searches, with 100 free requests, in its own request and reply. SpecStream keeps VALUE SERP's request and reply, and scores 97.9 F-score on SimpleQA Verified.

### Serper

Google results in credit packs from $1.00 per 1,000 for 50,000 credits, with no monthly subscription and 2,500 free queries. SpecStream needs no new code, and its credit never expires.

## 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 2,000 searches.

2. Set the address to `https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search` where your code has `https://api.valueserp.com/search`, and send the SpecStream key as `api_key`. In Python:

```
import requests

URL = "https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search"  # was https://api.valueserp.com/search

reply = requests.get(URL, {"api_key": SPECSTREAM_KEY, "q": "pizza", "num": 10}, timeout=30)
reply.raise_for_status()
for result in reply.json()["organic_results"]:
    print(result["position"], result["title"], result["link"])
```

3. In JavaScript:

```
const url = new URL("https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp/search");
url.search = new URLSearchParams({ api_key: process.env.SPECSTREAM_KEY, q: "pizza" });
const data = await (await fetch(url)).json();
for (const result of data.organic_results) console.log(result.title, result.link);
```

4. Follow `pagination.api_pagination.next` for the next page, and read `429` as a call to send again after `Retry-After`. It is not charged.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a VALUE SERP compatible API?

Yes. SpecStream answers VALUE SERP's `GET /search` at `https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp` in VALUE SERP's JSON, as measured on production on Nov 10, 2026. A search of up to 10 results costs $0.005.

### How do I migrate from VALUE SERP?

Change one address: `https://api.valueserp.com` becomes `https://api.specstream.ai/valueserp`, and a SpecStream key goes in `api_key`. `q`, `num`, `page`, `time_period`, `tbs` and `include_ai_overview` keep their meaning.

### How much does VALUE SERP cost?

$2.50 per 1,000 searches on pay as you go, or 25,000 searches for $50 a month with $1.60 per 1,000 over the plan, and 100 free requests on sign up. SpecStream costs $5 per 1,000 with no plan, and the AI Overview is included.

### Is there a VALUE SERP SDK whose address I can change?

VALUE SERP's own example is a plain `requests.get` call in Python, so the change is the address in that one line. The same holds for `fetch` and curl.

### Does SpecStream return the AI Overview?

Yes, with `include_ai_overview=true`, at $0.005 a call like any search. The reply carries `ai_overview` with the answer and the page it came from.

### Which VALUE SERP fields does SpecStream not return?

Credit counts in `request_info`, `knowledge_graph`, `related_searches`, `related_questions`, `top_stories`, `local_results` and `ads`, and a result's `rich_snippet`, `sitelinks` and `date_utc`. Each result keeps `position`, `title`, `link`, `domain`, `displayed_link`, `snippet` and `date`.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each VALUE SERP figure comes from Traject Data's own pages, and each other provider's figure from that company's own page. The route's behavior comes from its code and the pass table measured on production.

- [VALUE SERP pricing](https://trajectdata.com/serp/value-serp-api/pricing/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [VALUE SERP Search API overview](https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/search-api/overview), read Nov 10, 2026
- [VALUE SERP Google search parameters](https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/search-api/searches/google/search), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Traject Data error handling](https://trajectdata.com/error-handling-reliability-serp-api-integration/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream VALUE SERP pass table](https://specstream.ai/specstream/dialects/valueserp.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SerpApi pricing](https://serpapi.com/pricing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SearchApi.io pricing](https://www.searchapi.io/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Serper](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 10, 2026