The affordable Brave Search API alternative
Serpex is a web search API for AI agents that returns search results and the full page content behind them as LLM-ready markdown in a single request. Brave Search API is search backed by Brave's own independent index, including an LLM-oriented context endpoint. Brave Search API lists $5.00 per 1,000 searches; Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 — about 10× lower.
Pricing verified against Brave Search API’s public pricing page on 2026-08-16. Source. Prices change — check theirs before deciding.
Pricing compared
| Serpex | Brave Search API | |
|---|---|---|
| Search, per 1,000 | $0.50 – $0.65 | $5.00 |
| Page content | Included on the same request | The LLM Context endpoint is priced the same per call |
| Search + content, 10 results, per 1,000 | $2.50 – $3.25 | $5 |
| Free tier | Free credits on signup, no card required | $5 of credit per month, renewing |
Where Serpex is different
- Roughly 8× lower cost per search
- Full page markdown for the results, not just snippets and context
Where Brave Search API is the better choice
- A genuinely independent index — not a reseller of another engine's results
- Strong, public privacy stance with no user profiling
- Predictable flat per-call pricing with no tiering to reason about
Pick Brave Search API if index independence or privacy guarantees are a requirement you have to answer for — that is a real reason to pay more.
What the Serpex request looks like
One call returns the results and the page content behind them. There is no second request to orchestrate.
curl -X POST https://api.serpex.dev/api/search \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SERPEX_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"query": "how does retrieval augmented generation work",
"include_content": true,
"content_results": 5
}'Frequently asked questions
Is Serpex cheaper than Brave Search API?
Yes. Brave Search API lists $5.00 per 1,000 search requests. Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 per 1,000 — roughly 10× lower at list price. Verified against their public pricing page on 2026-08-16.
What is the main difference between Serpex and Brave Search API?
Brave Search API is search backed by Brave's own independent index, including an LLM-oriented context endpoint. Serpex returns search results and the full page content behind them as LLM-ready markdown in a single API call, which is the difference that matters for most retrieval pipelines.
When should I use Brave Search API instead of Serpex?
Index independence or privacy guarantees are a requirement you have to answer for — that is a real reason to pay more.
Can I get both search results and page content in one request?
With Serpex, yes — set include_content on a normal search call and each result comes back with the page converted to markdown. That costs $2.50 – $3.25 per 1,000 requests for 10 results with content, against roughly $5 for the equivalent on Brave Search API.
Try it against your own queries
Free credits on signup, no card required. Compare the output with Brave Search API on the queries you actually run.