Is switch402 web search live?

Yes. POST https://api.switch402.com/v1/search with {"q": "...", "limit": 10} returns up to 10 ranked results (title, URL, snippet) for $0.008 USDC on Base per call, paid over x402 and charged only when at least one result comes back. An unpaid call answers HTTP 402 with the exact terms.

What is the cheapest SerpAPI alternative?

Checked Nov 11, 2026, for basic searches: at 1,000 searches Tavily's free 1,000 credits and Exa's $10 monthly free credit both cost $0, then switch402 $8 and SerpAPI Starter $25. At 10,000 searches Exa Lite is $30, Tavily pay as you go $72, switch402 $80 and SerpAPI Production $150. At 100,000 searches Exa Lite is $390, Tavily Growth $500, SerpAPI Searcher $725 and switch402 $800. Exa Lite is the cheapest paid option at these volumes.

Is switch402 cheaper than SerpAPI?

On Starter through Big Data, yes, even when you use 100% of the allowance: those fully used rates are $0.025 down to about $0.00917, all above switch402's $0.008. SerpAPI costs less per search at high volume on Searcher ($0.00725 when fully used; break-even 90,625 searches a month) and Volume ($0.0059; break-even 184,375). In a quiet month that still pays a plan, switch402 costs less because there is no monthly minimum. SerpAPI also ships full SERP JSON, geotargeting, Legal Shield and ZeroTrace on higher plans, which switch402 does not.

Where do SerpAPI subscriptions win?

At high, steady volume when you actually use most of the pool. Searcher is $725 for 100,000 successful searches ($0.00725 each if fully used) and beats switch402 above 90,625 searches a month. Volume is $1,475 for 250,000 ($0.0059 each if fully used) and beats it above 184,375. Ludicrous Speed doubles those plan prices, which moves the break-even up. Exa Lite and Tavily Growth still cost less than Searcher at 100,000 searches.

How much does SerpAPI cost?

As of Nov 11, 2026, per serpapi.com/pricing: Free $0 (250 searches), Starter $25 (1,000), Developer $75 (5,000), Production $150 (15,000), Big Data $275 (30,000), Searcher $725 (100,000) and Volume $1,475 (250,000), with larger Cloud plans listed on the same page. Enterprise and custom volume are quoted separately. Ludicrous Speed multiplies the plan price by 2; Ludicrous Speed Max by 4.

Do these alternatives return the same kind of results?

No. SerpAPI returns parsed search-engine results pages. Exa and Tavily are search APIs built for agents (query in, ranked results or page text out). switch402 /v1/search returns up to 10 ranked results with title, URL and snippet; it is not a full SERP JSON parser and has no Legal Shield or ZeroTrace.

Where do these numbers come from?

Each vendor's own pricing page or pricing docs: serpapi.com/pricing, exa.ai/pricing and exa.ai/docs/pricing, and Tavily's API credits docs, all checked Nov 11, 2026, plus switch402's live payment terms. Prices can change; check the sources before you decide.

SerpAPI Alternatives (2026): Plan Tiers vs $0.008 Pay per Call at 1K, 10K and 100K

Looking for a SerpAPI alternative? Here is what web search costs on SerpAPI's published plan tiers and three alternatives, from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Nov 11, 2026. SerpAPI is month-to-month: Free $0 for 250 successful searches, Starter $25 for 1,000, Developer $75 for 5,000, Production $150 for 15,000, Big Data $275 for 30,000, Searcher $725 for 100,000 and Volume $1,475 for 250,000 (Cloud plans go higher; Enterprise is custom). Only successful searches count; cached, errored and failed searches do not. Optional Ludicrous Speed multiplies the plan price by 2, Ludicrous Speed Max by 4. switch402's /v1/search is pay per call: $0.008 USDC on Base per successful search, no account, plan or credits, charged only when at least one result comes back. Short answer: on Starter through Big Data, the fully used per-search rate stays above $0.008, so switch402 costs less per search than those tiers even at 100% use. SerpAPI subscriptions win at high volume once you use most of Searcher (break-even 90,625 searches a month vs $0.008) or Volume (184,375). Exa Lite is cheaper than both at 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000 searches. switch402 returns up to 10 ranked results (title, URL, snippet); it is not a full SERP JSON parser and has no Legal Shield or ZeroTrace.

Exa Lite: cheapest paid search in this set
Lite or instant search is $4 per 1,000 requests ($0.004), Auto or fast $7, Deep $12, with a $10 free balance that resets monthly plus a $10 onboarding bonus. No monthly subscription. Extra results above 10 add $1 per 1,000 results.
Tavily: free 1,000 credits, then $0.008 pay as you go
Basic search is 1 credit; advanced search is 2. Plans from Project $30 (4,000 credits) to Growth $500 (100,000). Pay as you go is $0.008 per credit after the pool, with no plan required. Failed searches still follow Tavily's credit rules; extract is a separate product.
SerpAPI plans: a monthly search allowance
One successful search is one credit, regardless of how many organic results come back. Unused searches on self-serve plans are not described as rolling month to month. When the bucket empties mid-cycle, Automatic Early Renewal charges the plan again for a full refill. Speed modes multiply the plan price, not the credits per search.
switch402: no account, plan or credits
/v1/search is $0.008 per successful call for up to 10 ranked results. Paid in USDC on Base over x402, charged only when at least one result comes back. A month with no searches costs $0. It is not a drop-in replacement for SerpAPI's parsed SERP JSON, geotargeting, Legal Shield or ZeroTrace.

Monthly cost for basic searches (cheapest option that covers it), as of Nov 11, 2026

Searches a month	SerpAPI (Best Effort)	Exa Lite	Tavily (basic)	switch402 /v1/search	Cheaper than switch402 when fully used
1,000	$25 (Starter, $0.025 each if fully used)	$0 ($4, inside the $10 free credit)	$0 (free 1,000 credits)	$8	Exa, Tavily (SerpAPI Starter costs more)
10,000	$150 (Production, 15,000 searches)	$30 ($40 minus $10 free)	$72 (free 1,000 + 9,000 x $0.008)	$80	Exa, Tavily (SerpAPI Production costs more)
100,000	$725 (Searcher, $0.00725 each if fully used)	$390 ($400 minus $10 free)	$500 (Growth)	$800	Exa, Tavily, and SerpAPI Searcher
Monthly minimum past the free tier	$25	$0 (pay as you go)	$0 (pay as you go)	$0	—

SerpAPI figures use Best Effort (1x). Ludicrous Speed doubles every plan price; Ludicrous Speed Max is 4x. Only successful searches count toward the SerpAPI allowance. Searcher undercuts switch402 once you use at least 90,625 of the 100,000 searches ($725 / $0.008); Volume ($1,475 for 250,000, $0.0059 each if fully used) undercuts it above 184,375 searches. On Starter ($0.025), Developer ($0.015), Production ($0.010) and Big Data (about $0.00917), the fully used rate stays above $0.008, so those tiers cost more per search than switch402 even at 100% use — and much more in a quiet month that still pays the plan. Exa Auto is $7 per 1,000, not Lite's $4. Tavily advanced search costs 2 credits. Honest reading: Exa Lite is the cheapest paid option at these volumes; SerpAPI subscriptions win against switch402 at high volume on Searcher and Volume when you actually use most of the pool.

Sources, checked Nov 11, 2026: serpapi.com/pricing, exa.ai/pricing, exa.ai/docs/pricing, docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits. Prices can change; check the source before you decide.

Example: 10,000 successful searches in a month. Exa Lite is $40 minus the $10 monthly free credit, or $30. Tavily pay as you go is the free 1,000 credits plus 9,000 x $0.008 = $72. switch402 is $80, with no account or plan. SerpAPI has no 10,000-search plan; Production at $150 covers 15,000. If you actually need 100,000 searches every month and will use the pool, SerpAPI Searcher is $725 and undercuts switch402's $800; Exa Lite ($390) and Tavily Growth ($500) still cost less than both.

Code example

SerpAPI Google search, 1 successful search (curl)

curl -s "https://serpapi.com/search.json?engine=google&q=x402+payment&api_key=$SERPAPI_KEY"
# 1 successful search toward the monthly allowance; failed or cached do not count

Exa Lite search, $4 per 1,000 requests (curl)

curl -s -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $EXA_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query": "x402 payment", "type": "lite", "numResults": 10}'

switch402 web search, $0.008 per call, no key (JavaScript)

// npm i @x402/fetch @x402/evm viem
import { wrapFetchWithPaymentFromConfig } from '@x402/fetch'
import { ExactEvmScheme } from '@x402/evm'
import { privateKeyToAccount } from 'viem/accounts'

const account = privateKeyToAccount(process.env.AGENT_KEY)
const fetchWithPayment = wrapFetchWithPaymentFromConfig(fetch, {
  schemes: [{ network: 'eip155:8453', client: new ExactEvmScheme(account) }],
})

const res = await fetchWithPayment('https://api.switch402.com/v1/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'User-Agent': 'my-agent/1.0' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ q: 'x402 payment', limit: 10 }),
})
const { results } = await res.json() // rank, title, url, snippet; $0.008, charged only on results

FAQ

Is switch402 web search live?: Yes. POST https://api.switch402.com/v1/search with {"q": "...", "limit": 10} returns up to 10 ranked results (title, URL, snippet) for $0.008 USDC on Base per call, paid over x402 and charged only when at least one result comes back. An unpaid call answers HTTP 402 with the exact terms.
What is the cheapest SerpAPI alternative?: Checked Nov 11, 2026, for basic searches: at 1,000 searches Tavily's free 1,000 credits and Exa's $10 monthly free credit both cost $0, then switch402 $8 and SerpAPI Starter $25. At 10,000 searches Exa Lite is $30, Tavily pay as you go $72, switch402 $80 and SerpAPI Production $150. At 100,000 searches Exa Lite is $390, Tavily Growth $500, SerpAPI Searcher $725 and switch402 $800. Exa Lite is the cheapest paid option at these volumes.
Is switch402 cheaper than SerpAPI?: On Starter through Big Data, yes, even when you use 100% of the allowance: those fully used rates are $0.025 down to about $0.00917, all above switch402's $0.008. SerpAPI costs less per search at high volume on Searcher ($0.00725 when fully used; break-even 90,625 searches a month) and Volume ($0.0059; break-even 184,375). In a quiet month that still pays a plan, switch402 costs less because there is no monthly minimum. SerpAPI also ships full SERP JSON, geotargeting, Legal Shield and ZeroTrace on higher plans, which switch402 does not.
Where do SerpAPI subscriptions win?: At high, steady volume when you actually use most of the pool. Searcher is $725 for 100,000 successful searches ($0.00725 each if fully used) and beats switch402 above 90,625 searches a month. Volume is $1,475 for 250,000 ($0.0059 each if fully used) and beats it above 184,375. Ludicrous Speed doubles those plan prices, which moves the break-even up. Exa Lite and Tavily Growth still cost less than Searcher at 100,000 searches.
How much does SerpAPI cost?: As of Nov 11, 2026, per serpapi.com/pricing: Free $0 (250 searches), Starter $25 (1,000), Developer $75 (5,000), Production $150 (15,000), Big Data $275 (30,000), Searcher $725 (100,000) and Volume $1,475 (250,000), with larger Cloud plans listed on the same page. Enterprise and custom volume are quoted separately. Ludicrous Speed multiplies the plan price by 2; Ludicrous Speed Max by 4.
Do these alternatives return the same kind of results?: No. SerpAPI returns parsed search-engine results pages. Exa and Tavily are search APIs built for agents (query in, ranked results or page text out). switch402 /v1/search returns up to 10 ranked results with title, URL and snippet; it is not a full SERP JSON parser and has no Legal Shield or ZeroTrace.
Where do these numbers come from?: Each vendor's own pricing page or pricing docs: serpapi.com/pricing, exa.ai/pricing and exa.ai/docs/pricing, and Tavily's API credits docs, all checked Nov 11, 2026, plus switch402's live payment terms. Prices can change; check the sources before you decide.