# Google Custom Search API alternative Search a site or the web, paid per search. Google has closed its Custom Search JSON API to new customers. Use Serper, Search1API, Exa and Brave from one TaskFuel balance, and compare what each search returns and costs. Serper, Search1API, Exa and Brave were each tested once with the same help-center search. Provider in the worked example: Serper. Price shown for this route: 0.2¢ per search. ## Compare Google Custom Search API alternatives. TaskFuel provides access to the providers below. Google’s Custom Search JSON API is included for context. We publish this comparison and sell access through TaskFuel. Search API options, billing and trade-offs. Prices as of 3 November 2026. | Option | Price and billing | Strength | Good to know | Available through TaskFuel | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Google Custom Search JSON API (Direct provider account) | $5 / 1,000 queries. Pay as you go, existing customers only. 100 free queries a day, up to 10,000 queries a day. Existing customers only, until 1 January 2027. | Search inside the sites you configure, or the web, through a Programmable Search Engine. | Closed to new customers. Existing customers have until 1 January 2027 to move. | No | | Serper (Google results) | $0.002 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Google web results for one query. | Google web results as JSON, with site: filters in the query. | Our five results were English help pages, each with a text snippet. | Yes | | Search1API (Google search) | $0.003 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Google results for one query, no page crawling. | Google, or another engine chosen in the request. | Returned the same five pages as Serper in our test. | Yes | | Exa (Domain filter) | $0.01 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Five results from named domains. | Restrict results to named domains in the request. | Our five results included a version of the refund page for embedded Connect accounts. | Yes | | Brave Search (Web search) | $0.035 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Five web results for one query. | Web results from an independent index, with site: in the query. | Our five results included a refunds page for Mexico. | Yes | - [Google Custom Search JSON API: provider reference](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview). Checked 2026-11-03. - [Serper: provider reference](https://serper.dev). Checked 2026-11-03. - [Search1API: provider reference](https://www.search1api.com). Checked 2026-11-03. - [Exa: provider reference](https://docs.exa.ai). Checked 2026-11-03. - [Brave Search: provider reference](https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/documentation). Checked 2026-11-03. ## What it can do ### Serper search Google web results with a site: filter. Our test returned five Stripe help pages, each with a snippet. Price: $0.002 / search. ### Search1API search Google results, or another engine chosen in the request. Our test returned the same five Stripe help pages. Price: $0.003 / search. ### Exa search Results limited to named domains. Our test returned five Stripe help pages. Price: $0.01 / search. ### Brave search Web results from an independent index. Our test returned five Stripe help pages. Price: $0.035 / search. ## A real example Tested on 2026-11-03 through Serper. We searched Stripe’s help center for how to refund a payment, the way a Custom Search engine limited to one support site would. Serper returned five help pages, led by “How to refund a customer”, each with a text snippet. Your agent asked: Search the Stripe help center for how to refund a payment Returned in this test: - Results returned: 5, all on support.stripe.com - First result: How to refund a customer - Its snippet: Refunds take 5-10 days to process and appear on the customer’s account. - Also returned: Understanding fees for refunded payments; Canceling a refund; Where is my customer’s refund? - Source URL: https://support.stripe.com/questions/how-to-refund-a-customer Charged in this test: $0.002. One site-restricted search for five results. ## Try the API request Use your TaskFuel API key as TASKFUEL_API_KEY in your terminal or server. Keep it out of browser code. ### 1. Check the price This request checks the price without paying. This is the exact site-filtered search from the test. ```sh curl --fail-with-body https://app.taskfuel.ai/v1/call \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TASKFUEL_API_KEY" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data-binary @- <<'TASKFUEL_REQUEST' { "url": "https://mpp.orthogonal.com/serper/search", "method": "POST", "body": { "q": "site:support.stripe.com refund a payment", "num": 5, "gl": "us", "hl": "en" }, "dryRun": true } TASKFUEL_REQUEST ``` ### 2. Run the request Review amount_usd in the quote. To pay and run, change dryRun to false and add maxAmountUsd with that approved amount inside the same JSON object. Keep the inputs unchanged; this limit applies to one call. ### 3. Read the result Read organic[]: position, title, link and snippet. [Setup and API reference](https://taskfuel.ai/docs/) · [Job polling and timeout recovery](https://app.taskfuel.ai/using.md) ## Connect your agent Read the [setup guide](https://taskfuel.ai/docs/setup/) and choose the connection your agent supports. Use one TaskFuel account and prepaid balance. Inspect the provider and request quote before a paid call, then review the returned response and recorded charge. ## When to use it ### Keep results on the sites you care about. Our tests searched Stripe’s help center with a site: filter on three providers and a domain filter on Exa. Every result came from that site. ### Send a query and get JSON back. Each tool takes a search query and returns ranked results as JSON from one TaskFuel balance, with no search engine to configure. ### See how the results differ. All four led with the same refund page. Serper and Search1API returned the same five pages, and Exa and Brave each included one page the others did not. ## Questions ### Is the Google Custom Search API still available? It is closed to new customers. According to Google’s documentation, existing customers have until 1 January 2027 to move to another solution. ### Do I need a Google account? No. Your agent pays from your TaskFuel balance, so there is nothing else to sign up for. ### What does a search cost? Our Serper search cost $0.002 on 3 November 2026. Google’s Custom Search API costs $5 per 1,000 queries for existing customers, as published that day. Your agent shows the price for your own request before it pays. ### Why pay for search when the pages are public? You pay for the search, not the page. An agent needs a program that takes a query and returns ranked links and snippets as JSON, and finding the right page is the part it cannot do by itself. If your agent already knows the URL, it can fetch the page without a search. ### What does Google suggest instead? Google points to Vertex AI Search for searching up to 50 domains, and to a sales contact for full web search. ### Can I search only one site? Yes. A site: filter in the query or a domain filter restricts results. Our tests used support.stripe.com. ## Related tool guides - [Compare SerpApi alternatives for Google results](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/serpapi-alternative/) - [Compare Exa alternatives for domain-focused search](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/exa-alternative/) - [Compare Brave Search API alternatives for broader web results](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/brave-search-api-alternative/) ## Reference - [Read this guide on the website](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/google-custom-search-api-alternative/). - [Browse providers and capabilities](https://taskfuel.ai/catalog/). - [Pricing](https://taskfuel.ai/pricing/). - [Agent instructions](https://taskfuel.ai/llms.txt).