> SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. This is the Markdown copy of https://specstream.ai/web-search-api-for-rag. Every page, with what SpecStream does and costs: https://specstream.ai/llms.txt

# Web search API for RAG, compared | SpecStream

Compared on Nov 8, 2026.

# The web search API for RAG

A model can only answer from what retrieval hands it. SpecStream leads WideSearch (60.9, on the low-cost model; the best other API scores 57.6 even on the larger model) and SimpleQA Verified (99). See the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag). So the pages your model reads are the right ones more often, at $5 per 1,000 searches. One call returns ranked sources with snippets and publish dates, and `passages=true` adds the text of the top pages. The Extract API reads any page as markdown for $0.80 per 1,000, falls back to the site's feed or an archive copy when the live page is blocked, and charges nothing for a page with no text. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-web-search-api-for-rag&utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys)

New accounts get $10 of credit for their first 30 days, no card.

## Six web search APIs for RAG, side by side

|  | SpecStream | Exa | Tavily | Parallel | Perplexity | You.com |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WideSearch, low-cost model | 60.9 | 53 | 47.9 | 45.5 (Fast), 44 (Turbo) | 47 | Not in the published scores |
| SimpleQA Verified, larger model | 99 | 91 | 92 | 97 (Advanced, Basic) | 95 | Not in the published scores |
| Price per 1,000 searches | $5 | $7 (auto, fast), $4 (lite, instant) | $8 (basic), $16 (advanced) | $5 (basic, advanced), $1 (turbo, fast) | $5, $1 (Fast Search) | $5 |
| Page text in the search reply | `passages=true`, about 1 s more | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Price per 1,000 pages read | $0.80 | $1 (Contents) | $1.60 (1 credit per 5 URLs) | $1 (Extract) | $0.50 (fetch\_url in the Agent API) | $1 (Contents) |
| A page with no text | Not charged | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| When the live page is blocked | Browser-like retry, a real browser, the site's feed, then an archive copy, labeled in `read_from` | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Read time on each value | `seen_at` on every value, `published` on each source | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Work beyond one search | Deep Search: structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row | Agent, $0.012 to $1.00 a request | Research, 4 to 250 credits a request | Task API, $5 to $300 per 1,000 runs | Agent API, no price per effort stated | Research, $12 to $1,200 per 1,000 calls |

## Why RAG pipelines retrieve with SpecStream

### The right passages, more often

When retrieval misses, the model writes a fluent answer from the wrong page. On SimpleQA Verified, SpecStream scored 99 on the larger model and 96 on the low-cost one. On WideSearch, which asks for many facts spread across many pages, it scored 60.9 on the low-cost model, above every other API in the published scores on either model.

### Context that carries its source

Each item in `sources` has its `url`, `title`, `site`, `snippet`, and `published` date. The `answer` and each value in `rows` carry the `page` they were read on and `seen_at`, the time SpecStream read it. Your prompt can tell the model where a fact came from and how old it is, and your app can show the reader the same.

Source URL and read time on every value.

### Whole pages, and no charge for empty ones

`POST /v1/extract` reads 1 to 20 URLs per call as markdown or text. When a site blocks the first read, SpecStream retries like a browser, then with a real browser, then from the site's feed, then from an archive copy, and `read_from` says which one you got. When the job grows into a dataset, [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag) builds structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, plus 5¢ for an email and 15¢ for a phone, and keeps them up to date on a schedule.

## How SpecStream scores

The same numbers as the benchmarks page, from the official tasks and scorers.

ResultsWideSearchCostSimpleQA Verified

|  | SpecStream | ![](https://specstream.ai/images/benchmarks/parallel.svg)Parallel | ![](https://specstream.ai/images/benchmarks/exa.svg)Exa | ![](https://specstream.ai/images/benchmarks/tavily.svg)Tavily | ![](https://specstream.ai/images/benchmarks/perplexity.svg)Perplexity |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Web research**WideSearch, GPT-5.6 Luna | 60.9 | 45.5 | 53.0 | 47.9 | 47.0 |
| **Factual accuracy**SimpleQA Verified, GPT-5.6 Luna | 96 | 94 | 91 | 94 | 94 |
| **Factual accuracy**SimpleQA Verified, GPT-5.6 Sol | 99 | 97 | 91 | 92 | 95 |

## How to start

New accounts get $10 of credit for their first 30 days, no card. Create an API key and point your retriever at `GET /v1/web-search`, with `passages=true` when you want page text in the same reply.

To read pages you already know, send them to the Extract API. Guides for LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, the OpenAI API, and the Vercel AI SDK are in the [framework docs](https://specstream.ai/docs/frameworks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag).

```
curl https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls": ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbonne"], "format": "markdown"}'
```

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-web-search-api-for-rag&utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys)

## Frequently asked questions

Something we didn't answer? [Talk to a human](https://specstream.ai/talk-to-a-human.md)

What is the best web search API for RAG?

SpecStream. SpecStream leads WideSearch (60.9, on the low-cost model; the best other API scores 57.6 even on the larger model) and SimpleQA Verified (99). See the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag). Each reply carries sources with snippets and publish dates, and `passages=true` adds the text of the top pages.

What does SpecStream cost in a RAG pipeline?

$5 per 1,000 searches and $0.80 per 1,000 pages read. A page with no text is not charged, and neither is a 503. New accounts get $10 of credit for their first 30 days, no card.

What format do pages come back in?

Markdown or plain text, with a status for each URL: ok, blocked, not\_found, empty, unsupported, invalid\_url, or failed. `read_from` says whether the text came from the live page, the site, or an archive copy, with `captured_at` for an archive read.

Is there a lower price per page read?

Perplexity lists `fetch_url` at $0.50 per 1,000 in its Agent API. SpecStream reads pages at $0.80 per 1,000, charges nothing for a page with no text, and falls back to the site's feed or an archive copy when the live page is blocked, so a blocked page can still come back with text.

Does SpecStream work with LangChain and LlamaIndex?

Yes. The [framework docs](https://specstream.ai/docs/frameworks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-api-for-rag) cover LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, the OpenAI API, and the Vercel AI SDK, and agents can call the same tools over MCP at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`.

### Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each rival figure comes from that company's own page.

1.  [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing)specstream.ai/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026
2.  [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md)specstream.ai/agents.md, read Nov 8, 2026
3.  [Other providers' benchmark scores, Sep 9, 2026](https://parallel.ai/benchmarks)parallel.ai/benchmarks, read Nov 8, 2026
4.  [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/pricing)exa.ai/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026
5.  [Tavily pricing](https://tavily.com/pricing)tavily.com/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026
6.  [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits)docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits, read Nov 8, 2026
7.  [Parallel pricing](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing)docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026
8.  [Perplexity pricing](https://docs.perplexity.ai/getting-started/pricing)docs.perplexity.ai/getting-started/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026
9.  [You.com pricing](https://you.com/pricing)you.com/pricing, read Nov 8, 2026