AI Web Search APIs
AI web search APIs are built to ground LLMs, returning clean page text and cited answers rather than a page of links. Tavily adds extraction, site crawling and research reports, Exa searches by meaning and sizes results for LLM context, and Linkup can return typed JSON or run async research. Brave Search API stands apart with its own live web index. All are freemium with a key.
| API | Pricing | Auth | Format | Free tier | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brave Search APILive web search index API returning ranked results, images, news, and AI-grounded answers. Developer Tools › Search & SERP | Freemium | API key | JSON | <100/day | Untested |
ExaMeaning-based web search that returns page text, highlights and cited answers, sized for LLM context. Developer Tools › Search & SERP | Freemium | API key | JSON | <100/day | Live |
LinkupWeb search returning sources, sourced answers or typed JSON, plus page fetch and async research for AI agents. Developer Tools › Search & SERP | Freemium | API key | JSON | 100–1k/day | Live |
TavilyWeb search, page extraction, site crawl and cited research reports returned as clean text for LLM agents. Developer Tools › Search & SERP | Freemium | API key | JSON | <100/day | Live |
Brave Search APIFreemiumUntested
Live web search index API returning ranked results, images, news, and AI-grounded answers.
API key · JSON
<100/day
no machine-readable spec
ExaFreemiumLive
Meaning-based web search that returns page text, highlights and cited answers, sized for LLM context.
API key · JSON
<100/day
OpenAPI spec
LinkupFreemiumLive
Web search returning sources, sourced answers or typed JSON, plus page fetch and async research for AI agents.
API key · JSON
100–1k/day
OpenAPI spec
TavilyFreemiumLive
Web search, page extraction, site crawl and cited research reports returned as clean text for LLM agents.
API key · JSON
<100/day
no machine-readable spec
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Choosing an AI Web Search API
Is there a free AI Web Search API?
Yes. Tavily, Exa, Brave Search API and Linkup have a free tier alongside paid plans.
Which AI Web Search APIs work without an API key?
All of them need a key or account. Tavily, Exa, Brave Search API and Linkup give one out free when you sign up.
Can I use AI Web Search APIs in a commercial project?
Tavily, Exa and Brave Search API permit commercial use. Linkup restricts it, for example to non-commercial or attributed use, so read the terms first.
Which AI Web Search APIs work with AI agents?
Exa and Linkup publish an OpenAPI spec for generating clients and tools.
Broader: Search & SERP APIs · Developer Tools APIs
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