SerpApi vs Tavily: web scraping API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
SerpApi is an API that returns search engine results pages (Google and others) as structured JSON. Plans are priced by searches per month.
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 serpapi.com and tavily.com. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Free, Starter, Developer, Production, Big Data, Enterprise
- Free option
- Free: $0
- Published prices
- Free 250 searches/month, Starter $25/mo (1,000 searches), Developer $75, Production $150, Big Data $275. Month to month.
- 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: SerpApi 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. SerpApi lists 6 entries (Free, Starter, Developer, Production, Big Data, Enterprise); Tavily lists 6 (Pay as you go, Project, Bootstrap, Startup, Growth, Enterprise).
- Lowest listed paid tier. SerpApi: Starter $25/mo. Tavily: Growth $0.005. Billing terms differ (per user or flat, monthly or annual), so check what each tier includes below.
- Free option. SerpApi: Free: $0. Tavily: Pay as you go: Per usage.
- How prices are quoted. SerpApi: “Plans (month to month)”. Tavily: “Plans”.
SerpApi plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Searches per month | Throughput per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 | 50 |
| Starter | $25/month | 1,000 | 200 |
| Developer | $75/month | 5,000 | 1,000 |
| Production | $150/month | 15,000 | 3,000 |
| Big Data | $275/month | 30,000 | 6,000 |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | Custom |
Plans are month to month and can be cancelled anytime.
From serpapi.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: SerpApi 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 SerpApi cost?
Free 250 searches/month, Starter $25/mo (1,000 searches), Developer $75, Production $150, Big Data $275. Month to month. (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 SerpApi and Tavily have a free option?
SerpApi: Free: $0. Tavily: Pay as you go: Per usage.
What is the cheapest paid plan, SerpApi or Tavily?
Lowest listed paid tier: SerpApi Starter $25/mo; Tavily Growth $0.005 (as quoted on each pricing page). Billing units differ, so compare what each includes.
Which is better, SerpApi 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: serpapi.com (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)
- serpapi.com
- serpapi.com/pricing
- tavily.com
- tavily.com/pricing
- docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits
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