Best SERP APIs (2026): 10 for SEO Tools, AI Agents and Developers

SERP API home pages look alike at first glance: a code sample, a block of JSON and a list of search engines. Read the headlines, though, and the makers are pitching different buyers. Some talk to SEO teams, some to people building AI agents, and some to developers who need dozens of engines at once.

This list covers ten SERP APIs, using only what each maker's own website says, read on 2 Nov 2026 (as of Nov 2026). It's alphabetical and in no particular order. You won't find speed, success-rate or customer numbers here: it's about what each API returns and who it's built for.

SERP APIs compared by type and job

Tool	Type	Good for
DataForSEO	SERP API inside a wider SEO data suite	SEO software, rank tracking apps and no-code workflows
HasData	Google SERP API from a web scraping API maker	Google results as clean JSON, plus a CLI
ScaleSERP	Google search results API from Traject Data	Location and device-specific Google results
SearchApi	Google search API with many engines on its menu	Google, Bing, Baidu, Yandex and AI answer engines
SerpApi	Google search API with a long engine list	Google verticals plus shopping, travel and video sites
Serper	Google search API	Web, image, news, maps and shopping results
Serply	Google search API for AI agents	JSON, markdown or MCP output for agents
Serpstack	Google search results API from APILayer	Queries tailored by location, language and device
ValueSERP	Batch-friendly Google SERP API from Traject Data	Scheduled batches sent to cloud storage
Zenserp	SERP API for developers	Google, YouTube, Trends and Shopping results

Ten search results APIs in brief

DataForSEO

Best for: Software developers and SEO teams building their own tools, with connectors listed for n8n, Make, Zapier, Airtable and Google Sheets.

HasData

Best for: Getting Google results as clean JSON from one request, with a command line tool for scraping straight from your terminal.

ScaleSERP

Best for: Pulling Google Search, Places, Trends, News and Reviews data for a chosen location, with a Locations API to find supported places.

SearchApi

Best for: Teams that want one API across many engines and sites, from Google, Bing and Naver to YouTube, Amazon and Google AI Mode.

SerpApi

Best for: Coding in your own language, with integrations listed for Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Golang, PHP, Java, Rust, .NET, Swift and C++.

Serper

Best for: Google-only projects that want web, image, news, maps, places, video and shopping results from one API.

Serply

Best for: AI agent builders who want Google search, news, maps and scholar results through one REST API, with any page turned into markdown.

Serpstack

Best for: Tailoring automated Google queries by location, language and device, with a proxy network behind its SERP scraping API.

ValueSERP

Best for: Collecting results in bulk: schedule batches monthly, weekly, daily or hourly and send them to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage or Azure.

Zenserp

Best for: Building with a request builder that turns your requests into code snippets, covering Google Search, Trends, YouTube and Shopping product pages.

Three jobs sold under one SERP API label

Here's what you wouldn't guess from the category name: the same three words are sold for three different jobs. Zenserp calls itself a 'SERP API for developers'. HasData lists an MCP server in its docs that connects it to Claude and other LLMs. And another maker on this list names dozens of separate search APIs on its menu, from Google and Bing to Amazon and YouTube.

So the right pick depends on what you'll do with the results. An SEO tool needs search results as data it can store and compare. An agent needs results it can read in the middle of a task. A research or monitoring project may need several engines at once. The ten APIs below split along those lines, and it's worth knowing which camp you're in before you open a single docs page.

• Search results as data: structured results for SEO software, rank tracking apps and client reports.
• Search for AI agents: results as JSON or markdown, with MCP servers on several makers' menus.
• Many engines, one API: Google plus other search engines, shopping sites and AI answer engines through one account.

If you only need to know where one site ranks, these Google rank checkers are simpler than an API.

Feeding search results into SEO software

If you're building an SEO tool, look for makers who talk to that buyer. DataForSEO says its SERP API is 'made for software developers and SEO teams of every size', and its solutions menu lists rank tracking apps, keyword research apps and local SEO among the jobs it covers.

Location matters for SEO data too, because rankings change from place to place. ScaleSERP says you can receive data 'from any geographic location, down to zip/postal code level', for desktop, mobile and tablet. ValueSERP, sold by the same company, says it returns clean data in JSON, HTML or CSV formats, which helps if your reports live in a spreadsheet rather than a database.

For map results in particular, see these local rank trackers.

Search results an AI agent can read

A newer group pitches search to people building AI agents. Serply describes itself as 'search infrastructure for AI applications' and offers results as JSON, markdown or MCP output. It also says proxies, retries and CAPTCHAs are handled on its side, so your agent only sees the results.

Several other makers here list an MCP server on their menus as well, so an AI assistant can call the API as a tool. If you're wiring search into an agent, check the output format first. JSON is what your code parses, and markdown is the format one maker offers for pages an agent reads.

One API across many search engines

If Google alone isn't enough, compare the engine lists before anything else. SerpApi's menu runs from Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and Yandex to Amazon, Walmart, YouTube and Tripadvisor. SearchApi lists Bing, Baidu, Yandex, Naver and DuckDuckGo too, plus separate APIs for Perplexity and ChatGPT.

At the other end, Serper's menu sticks to Google result types, from scholar and patents to autocomplete. And Serpstack sits inside APILayer, a suite where one account and one API key cover a growing library of APIs, which is handy if your project already calls a few of them.

Questions before you pick a SERP API

• Am I feeding an SEO tool, an AI agent, or a research project?
• Do I need Google only, or other engines and shopping sites too?
• How precise does the location need to be: country, city or postal code?
• Which output suits my code: JSON, HTML, CSV or markdown?
• Do I want an MCP server so an AI assistant can call the API?
• Will I run searches one at a time, or in scheduled batches?

Do you make a SERP API or search results API? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My advice on choosing a SERP API

Start with the job, not the engine count. If you're building SEO software, shortlist the makers who talk about rank tracking, locations and devices. If you're giving an agent search, look for JSON or markdown output and an MCP server. If you need several engines, read the full engine list before you sign up, then run the same handful of queries through two or three APIs and see which output your code handles best.

New to APIs? My explainer on what a REST API is covers the basics. And if you only want to check where your own pages appear, try my rank tracker before you write any code.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

What is a SERP API?

A SERP API returns search engine results pages as data, so your code gets results in a format such as JSON instead of a web page. Every API on this list describes itself that way on its own page, though each one names different engines and result types.

Which of these SERP APIs are built for AI agents?

One describes itself as search infrastructure for AI applications and returns JSON, markdown or MCP output. Several others list an MCP server on their menus, including one whose docs say it connects to Claude and other LLMs.

Which APIs cover search engines beyond Google?

Two makers list many engines. One names Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and Yandex plus shopping sites such as Amazon and Walmart, and another lists Bing, Baidu, Yandex and Naver plus Perplexity and ChatGPT APIs. One API here keeps to Google result types.

Can I get results for a specific location or device?

Yes. One maker says you can choose data from any geographic location down to zip or postal code level, for desktop, mobile or tablet, and another lets you tailor queries by location, language and device.

Which of these work with no-code tools?

One maker lists integrations for n8n, Make, Zapier, Airtable and Google Sheets, and says you can get data via ChatGPT or Claude. Check each API's docs for the platform you use before you build.

Which of these return results in formats other than JSON?

One says it returns clean data in JSON, HTML or CSV formats, and another offers markdown output alongside JSON for agents. Check each maker's docs for the formats it supports.