Perplexica without a SearXNG container

The config before and after

Perplexica reads one search setting, the SearXNG URL (config key searxngURL), and fills it from SEARXNG_API_URL when it is empty. SpecStream answers at https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/<key>, with the key as a part of the address, so Perplexica sends no header and needs none.

# before: the image with SearXNG inside
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 -v vane-data:/home/vane/data --name vane itzcrazykns1337/vane:latest

# after: the slim image, search on SpecStream
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \
  -e SEARXNG_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY \
  -v vane-data:/home/vane/data --name vane itzcrazykns1337/vane:slim-latest

If the SearXNG URL is already saved in the settings screen at http://localhost:3000, the variable does not replace it. Paste https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY in the SearXNG URL field and save.

This is the call Perplexica sends, and the one to try first from a shell:

curl "https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/$SPECSTREAM_API_KEY/search?format=json&q=latest+Perplexica+release"

What stays the same

Perplexica's own SearXNG code reads the reply, unchanged. The route returns results[] with title, url and content, 10 results a search, and publishedDate is null on most results. Every parameter and field is in the SearXNG migration guide.

No engines to rate limit you

A SearXNG instance sends each query to outside engines from its own IP address, and those engines can answer with CAPTCHAs or bans. SearXNG then suspends the engine: 3,600 seconds after too many requests and 86,400 after a CAPTCHA. Perplexica gets nothing back until it ends. On SpecStream a search goes to SpecStream's own search, on your key, at up to 26,666 searches a minute.

$0.005 a search and $0.0008 a page

A search of up to 10 results costs $0.005, which is $5 per 1,000, with no daily limit. Each page read through the Firecrawl scrape or Exa contents route costs $0.0008, which is $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text costs nothing.

There is no monthly plan, no credit pack that expires and no reset on the first of the month. Credit you buy never expires.

The most accurate web search API in the world

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 page.

About one second a search, measured under load

Every drop-in route runs on the fast search. On November 9, 2026 production took 1, 5, 10 and 20 searches a second through it and answered 718 of 720. The median was 0.82 s at 1 search a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second, and the 95th percentile stayed between 1.09 and 1.73 s. One account can send up to 26,666 searches a minute; a call over that gets a 429 with Retry-After and is not charged.

You decide what is kept, on each key

Give Perplexica a 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 and its log lines carry neither. The charge keeps the account, the key, the request ID, the price and the time. 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 at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text is not charged. Deep Search takes a request in plain words and returns every match on the live web as structured rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with a source URL on every value.

SearXNG in the Vane image

The default: itzcrazykns1337/vane:latest runs Perplexica and SearXNG in one container, at no fee on your own hardware. Its engines can still enforce CAPTCHAs or ban the container's IP address. SpecStream answers the same JSON call at $0.005 a search, with the slim image and nothing else to run.

Your own SearXNG

A SearXNG server you run beside the vane:slim-latest image, with the JSON format and the Wolfram Alpha engine enabled. Its limiter requires a Valkey database. SpecStream takes the place of the whole server with one URL in SEARXNG_API_URL.

A public SearXNG instance

Open to everyone who has its URL, at no fee, and many have the JSON format disabled, so Perplexica gets a 403. SpecStream answers JSON on every call, scored 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions.