Parallel vs Tavily: search and web data API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Parallel (parallel.ai) offers web search, extract, task and monitor APIs for AI agents. It is pay-as-you-go: you pay for units of work rather than tokens.
Tavily is a search API for AI agents. It bills in API credits: each endpoint uses a set number of credits per request, and you buy credits pay as you go or in a monthly plan.
Listed A to Z, from parallel.ai and tavily.com. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Free, Build, Scale, Enterprise
- Free option
- Free: Free
- Published prices
- Free via MCP, Build pay-as-you-go with $5 free monthly, Scale $1,000/mo in credits; Search API from $1 per 1k requests.
- Main price table
- Pay as you go, Project, Bootstrap, Startup, Growth, Enterprise
- Free option
- Pay as you go: Per usage
- Published prices
- $0.008 per credit pay as you go, monthly plans from $30, how many credits search, extract, map, crawl and research use, and its x402 route.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Parallel checked Nov 10, 2026, Tavily checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Parallel lists 4 entries (Free, Build, Scale, Enterprise); Tavily lists 6 (Pay as you go, Project, Bootstrap, Startup, Growth, Enterprise).
- Free option. Parallel: Free: Free. Tavily: Pay as you go: Per usage.
Parallel plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Web search and page fetch in your own AI tools via Parallel MCP, no account needed |
| Build | Pay-as-you-go | $5 free monthly with a card on file, plus up to $80 at signup; up to 5,000 free requests per month; Search and Extract 600/min |
| Scale | $1,000/mo | $1,000 in credits each month at standard API rates, no rollover (or $12,000 per year); Search and Extract 1,500/min; zero data retention |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom pricing, rate limits and contract terms; SSO (SAML) |
| API | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Search API | From $1 per 1k requests (10 results per request) |
| Images API | From $1 per 1k requests (up to 20 results per request) |
| Extract API | $1 per 1k URLs |
| Decisions API | $1 per 1k requests (up to 100 questions per request) |
| Task API | From $5 per 1k successful runs |
| Responses API | From $10 per 1k successful requests |
| Monitor API | From $3 per 1k checks |
Prices in USD. Parallel says starting prices are each API's lowest published tier; additional Search results are $1 per 1k results.
From parallel.ai, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Parallel pricing.
Tavily plans and prices
| Plan | Credits per month | Monthly price | Price per credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | Per usage | Per usage | $0.008 |
| Project | 4,000 | $30 | $0.0075 |
| Bootstrap | 15,000 | $100 | $0.0067 |
| Startup | 38,000 | $220 | $0.0058 |
| Growth | 100,000 | $500 | $0.005 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Monthly plan credits reset on the first day of each month.
| Endpoint | Credits |
|---|---|
| Search, basic depth | 1 credit per request |
| Search, advanced depth | 2 credits per request |
| Extract, basic / advanced | 1 / 2 credits per 5 successful URLs |
| Map, regular / with instructions | 1 / 2 credits per 10 successful pages |
| Crawl | Mapping cost + extraction cost |
| Research (mini / pro) | 4–110 / 15–250 credits per request |
Tavily says failed URL extractions and failed map requests are not charged.
From tavily.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Tavily pricing.
FAQ
How much does Parallel cost?
Free via MCP, Build pay-as-you-go with $5 free monthly, Scale $1,000/mo in credits; Search API from $1 per 1k requests. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Tavily cost?
$0.008 per credit pay as you go, monthly plans from $30, how many credits search, extract, map, crawl and research use, and its x402 route. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Parallel and Tavily have a free option?
Parallel: Free: Free. Tavily: Pay as you go: Per usage.
Which is better, Parallel or Tavily?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: parallel.ai (checked Nov 10, 2026) and tavily.com (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
- parallel.ai
- parallel.ai/pricing
- tavily.com
- tavily.com/pricing
- docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits
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