Live search results as clean JSON.

A SERP API (Search Engine Results Page API) returns a search engine's results page as structured data. You send an HTTP request with a search query, and receive structured JSON data containing organic results, images, news, and shopping data. Searlo's API returns web search results in about 1 second at the median (p90 about 2.5 seconds, measured September 2026), structured for AI and SEO workflows.

Google's Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers, and existing customers' "Search the entire web" option ends on 1 January 2027. Searlo returns live Google results pages as JSON — organic listings, images, news and shopping — starting at $0.30 per 1,000 queries, with 3,000 free credits.

It depends on your priorities. Searlo stands out on price and AI-readiness: $0.30/1K pricing on one-time credit packs, 3,000 free credits to start, and AI features like TOON format and native MCP Protocol. SerpAPI has the broadest engine support (80+), while DataForSEO offers the most comprehensive SEO toolkit. Choose based on your needs: Searlo for price and AI, SerpAPI for multi-engine, DataForSEO for a full SEO suite.

Searlo focuses on Google results and AI workflows. The biggest difference is price: Searlo charges $0.30/1K queries against SerpAPI's $15.00/1K and Serper's $1.00/1K. Searlo also offers features those two lack: AI-optimised TOON output and native MCP Protocol for AI agents. SerpAPI supports 80+ search engines; Searlo focuses on Google with the lowest price and AI-native output.

Yes. Searlo gives 3,000 free credits once, on sign-up — no credit card required. They are a one-time grant, not a monthly allowance; for comparison, SerpAPI offers 250/month free searches and Serper 2,500 one-time credits. The free credits work on every search type, including web, images, news and shopping, with the same rate limits as a paid pack. New users: 1-year validity. Legacy users: unlimited credits.

TOON (Token-Optimized Object Notation) is Searlo's output format for LLMs. It uses abbreviated keys, removes redundant data, and structures information hierarchically to minimise token count — about 63% fewer tokens than the raw JSON response, per the format reference in our docs. That means lower model costs and more room for context in your prompts.

Yes. Searlo has LangChain and LlamaIndex integrations, plus MCP (Model Context Protocol) support for connecting to Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants. Web search answers in about 1 second at the median (p90 about 2.5 seconds), and the TOON format is optimised for token efficiency. Use Searlo to ground your LLMs with real-time web data and reduce hallucinations. See our tutorials for integration examples.

Yes. The full-SERP endpoint, GET /serp, returns Google's AI Overview, its text and cited sources, at 3 credits per page, alongside ads, People Also Ask and related searches. From November 1, 2026, a page whose AI Overview has to be completed by rendering the page costs 8 credits, and the response says aioverview.rendered: true. The AI Overview is included by default on /serp; set aioverview=false to skip it and stay at 3. For the answers ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Gemini give, and the sources they cite, see the AI visibility API.

Searlo works with any language that can make HTTP requests. Our REST API is simple enough to use with cURL, Postman, or any HTTP client, and the docs carry copy-paste examples for cURL, Python and Node.js.

Building a rank tracker is straightforward: 1) Store your target keywords and domains in a database, 2) Schedule periodic API calls for each keyword using our batch endpoint, 3) Parse results to find your domain's position, 4) Store historical data for trend analysis, 5) Build alerts for significant ranking changes. Searlo's affordable pricing and batch endpoint make it suitable for tracking thousands of keywords. See our rank tracker tutorial for a complete implementation.

Every plan, including the free credits, gets the same limits: there is no tier to climb, and buying more credits adds credits, not rate. Every response carries X-RateLimit-* headers with your current limits. The limits guard the service; they are not a capacity promise. For sustained high volume, such as a large nightly batch, tell us your volume first and we will reserve capacity for it.

Getting started takes under five minutes: 1) Sign up for a free account at dashboard.searlo.tech (no credit card required), 2) Copy your API key from the dashboard, 3) Make your first API request using cURL, Python, or JavaScript. The documentation includes quickstart guides, code examples for all major languages, and an interactive API playground.