The affordable SerpApi 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. SerpApi is a long-established SERP scraping API focused on faithful search-engine result pages. SerpApi lists $3.75 – $25.00 depending on plan size per 1,000 searches; Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 — about 7.5× lower.
Pricing verified against SerpApi’s public pricing page on 2026-08-16. Source. Prices change — check theirs before deciding.
Pricing compared
| Serpex | SerpApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Search, per 1,000 | $0.50 – $0.65 | $3.75 – $25.00 depending on plan size |
| Page content | Included on the same request | None. SerpApi returns the search results page itself — it can serve that page as markdown, but it does not fetch the content of the sites it links to |
| Search + content, 10 results, per 1,000 | $2.50 – $3.25 | $3.75 – $25, and 2× or 4× on their faster speed modes |
| Free tier | Free credits on signup, no card required | 250 searches per month |
Where Serpex is different
- Around 14× lower cost per search
- Page content as markdown, which they do not return at all
- Built for feeding models rather than for rank tracking
Where SerpApi is the better choice
- Engine-faithful SERP output with ads, knowledge panels, and rich result blocks preserved
- Very broad engine and vertical coverage — Maps, Shopping, Scholar and more
- The reference choice for rank tracking, where SERP fidelity is the product
Pick SerpApi if you are building rank tracking or SEO tooling and need the SERP reproduced faithfully. We route across engines with fallback, so we are the wrong tool for that job.
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 SerpApi?
Yes. SerpApi lists $3.75 – $25.00 depending on plan size per 1,000 search requests. Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 per 1,000 — roughly 7.5× lower at list price. Verified against their public pricing page on 2026-08-16.
What is the main difference between Serpex and SerpApi?
SerpApi is a long-established SERP scraping API focused on faithful search-engine result pages. 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 SerpApi instead of Serpex?
You are building rank tracking or SEO tooling and need the SERP reproduced faithfully. We route across engines with fallback, so we are the wrong tool for that job.
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 $3.75 – $25, and 2× or 4× on their faster speed modes for the equivalent on SerpApi.
Try it against your own queries
Free credits on signup, no card required. Compare the output with SerpApi on the queries you actually run.