Serper Alternative: Cheaper to Start, SerpApi-Grade Data
Start from a much smaller pack than Serper sells, pay less per Google search across almost every budget, and keep credits that do not expire after six months.
Feature & Cost Matrix
| Capability / Metric | SerpBase | Serper |
|---|---|---|
| Price per search | Cheaper to start and lower across almost every budget; see the dated price table below. | Prepaid credit packs; see the dated price table below. |
| Credit expiry | Prepaid credits do not expire on a date. | Credits are valid for six months. |
| Google results | Organic, AI Overview with sources, featured snippet, People Also Ask, local pack, top stories, knowledge graph, videos and related searches. | Parsed Google results as JSON. |
| Output formats | JSON, Markdown for LLMs, or the cleaned raw page, at the same price. | JSON. |
| Coverage | 47 endpoints in 6 categories: search engines, social media, e-commerce, maps, real estate and web scraping. | Google search and Google verticals. |
| Free trial | 100 free credits on sign-up, no credit card required. | A one-time free allowance. |
Serper plans, prices and limits change over time. Check Serper's pricing page for current terms, and SerpBase pricing for ours.
SerpApi-grade Google results, the cheapest way to start, and below Serper at every budget up to $1,250
The full Google results page as structured JSON from real phone and desktop sessions. Start from a smaller pack than Serper sells, at a lower price per search at every budget up to $1,250.
- Organic results, AI Overview with sources, featured snippet, People Also Ask, local pack, top stories, knowledge graph and videos — each in its own field when Google shows it.
- Phone or desktop layout, any gl/hl market, and city-level location on mobile.
- JSON, Markdown for LLMs, or the cleaned raw page — all at the same price.
| You spend | SerpBase per 1,000 Google searches | Serper | SerpApi |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $0.40 | $1.00 | $25.00 |
| $375 | $0.35 | $0.75 | $9.17 |
| $1,250 | $0.30 | $0.50 | $7.25 |
| $3,750 | $0.30 | $0.30 | $3.75 |
| Smallest purchase | $10 | $50 | $25 |
| Credits expire | No calendar expiry (prepaid packs) | 6 months | searches reset each billing month |
| Free to start | 100 credits, no card | 2,500 once | 250 per month |
Competitor prices from their official pricing pages, checked 2026-10-25: Serper, SerpApi. SerpApi sells monthly plans; its rate is the largest plan within the same budget.
See all packagesWhy Make the Switch to SerpBase?
The cheapest way to start
SerpBase's smallest pack costs a fraction of Serper's, and for almost any budget its best prepaid rate per search is lower; the dated table below shows each size.
Credits that wait for you
Serper credits are valid for six months; SerpBase prepaid credits have no calendar expiry, so you can buy a larger, cheaper pack without racing a deadline.
Results ready for agents
Ask for format=markdown and a language model gets the results page as compact text, or format=raw for the cleaned page itself, at the same price as JSON.
How to Migrate in under 5 Minutes
Create a SerpBase account and generate an API key in the dashboard.
Point search requests at https://api.serpbase.dev/google/search instead of Serper's search URL.
Keep the X-API-Key header and the q, gl and hl body fields; both APIs take a JSON POST.
Check the status field in each response: 0 means the search was delivered.
Migration FAQ
Is switching from Serper a code change?
Usually a URL change: both APIs take a JSON POST with q, gl and hl and the key in X-API-Key. Field names in the response differ slightly; see the Google search reference.
How do the prices compare?
The table on this page compares the price per 1,000 Google searches at Serper's pack sizes, read from both companies' current pricing and dated. SerpBase starts from a smaller pack and is cheaper at almost every size; the table shows exactly where.