0.2¢ per search

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.

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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.
OptionPrice & billingChoose it forGood to knowAvailable through TaskFuel
Google Custom Search JSON APIDirect provider accountProvider reference$5 / 1,000 queriesPay as you go, existing customers only100 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
SerperGoogle results$0.002 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceGoogle 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
Search1APIGoogle search$0.003 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceGoogle 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
ExaDomain filter$0.01 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceFive 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 SearchWeb search$0.035 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceFive 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 API alternative: what your agent gets.

Serper, Search1API, Exa and Brave were each tested once with the same help-center search.

  • Serper search

    Google web results with a site: filter. Our test returned five Stripe help pages, each with a snippet.

    $0.002 / search
  • Search1API search

    Google results, or another engine chosen in the request. Our test returned the same five Stripe help pages.

    $0.003 / search
  • Exa search

    Results limited to named domains. Our test returned five Stripe help pages.

    $0.01 / search
  • Brave search

    Web results from an independent index. Our test returned five Stripe help pages.

    $0.035 / search

Site search, tested.

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.

TaskFuel test run ·

Charged $0.002

Your agent asked

Search the Stripe help center for how to refund a payment
Data from
Serper

What came back

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

One site-restricted search for five results.

Try it in your next task.

Sign in to TaskFuel and connect your existing agent. Ask it to search a site and show the price before it makes the paid call.

01

Name the task

Tell your agent what the output needs to contain.

02

See the price

Your agent shows the provider and price before spending.

03

Review the response

Check the output against your task. The call reports its cost and remaining balance.

When to use it.

Search one site

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.

Moving off Custom Search

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.

Comparing indexes

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.

Good 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.

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