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Most buyers should pick YepAPI.
Choose YepAPI if one key for SEO, scraping, social and e-commerce data, and AI models fits your stack. Its usage billing has no monthly minimum, and failed calls are not charged. Choose serpstack if you need Google SERP data specifically, with published monthly quotas, JSON or CSV output, and commercial plans. Its free tier is limited to 100 searches a month and non-commercial use. Both are hosted APIs; the right fit depends on whether you need breadth or SERP focus.
01Side by side
| YepAPI | serpstack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Usage-billed calls; no subscriptions or monthly minimums | Monthly plans, quotas, and paid-plan overages |
| Free tier | $5 signup credit; no card required | 100 searches monthly; non-commercial, JSON only |
| API and SDKs | One key; JSON API across multiple categories | REST API; JSON or CSV responses |
| CLI and docs | llms.txt, MCP server, and agent skills | Documentation and FAQ |
| Integrations | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and MCP | APILayer account, key, dashboard, and billing |
| Deployment model | Hosted API | Cloud-hosted API |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Limits and scaling | No rate limits; failed calls are not charged | No rate limit on paid plans; quotas apply |
YepAPI Choose YepAPI if
- Choose YepAPI if one API key should cover several data categories.
- Choose YepAPI if you prefer usage billing without monthly minimums.
- Choose YepAPI if your workflow uses Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.
serpstack Choose serpstack if
- Choose serpstack if Google SERP retrieval is your main requirement.
- Choose serpstack if you need JSON or CSV output.
- Choose serpstack if monthly search quotas suit your budget planning.
02Pricing at real usage
YepAPI gives new accounts $5 in signup credit, with no card required. The pricing page lists Google SERP calls from $0.01, no monthly fees or minimums, and no charge for failed calls. Costs rise with the endpoints and other metered units you use; the vendor lists endpoint prices before use.
serpstack’s free tier includes 100 searches a month, but it is non-commercial, JSON-only, and has no support. Paid Basic includes 5,000 searches monthly for $29.99 month to month or $26.99 monthly equivalent with annual billing. Business is $99.99 monthly for 20,000 searches; Business Pro is $199.99 for 50,000. Listed overages are $0.023992, $0.019998, and $0.0159992 per search, respectively. Enterprise pricing is custom. YepAPI avoids a monthly commitment; serpstack makes quota costs easier to forecast.
03API, SDKs and integration
YepAPI exposes endpoints for SEO, SERP data, scraping, social and commerce data, and AI models through one API key. Calls return JSON. The homepage shows POST examples for endpoints such as /v1/seo/keywords/overview, /v1/serp/google, and /v1/scrape. It points developers to documentation and an llms.txt file, and names Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, an MCP server, and agent skills as ways to work with the API. The vendor does not identify language-specific SDKs.
serpstack is a REST API for Google search results, with JSON and CSV output. Its options include location, language, device, and search-result types. The vendor says the API works with major programming languages but does not name language-specific SDKs. Its site links to documentation and an FAQ. APILayer provides a shared account, API key, dashboard, and bill across its APIs, including serpstack. Check the docs for request parameters and response fields before building around them.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source license or a self-hosting option in the stated product details. Both are presented as hosted APIs, so plan for provider availability, credentials, and any service changes to affect your integration.
The response formats give you portable data at the application boundary: YepAPI returns JSON, while serpstack supports JSON or CSV. That does not establish a bulk export or migration feature. Keep your own copies of results where retention matters, and map provider-specific fields into an internal schema rather than exposing them throughout your application. YepAPI’s shared key spans multiple endpoint categories, while serpstack’s requests are centered on Google search parameters. Switching either service would require adapting requests and checking how returned fields map to your data model.
Questions people ask
Which API is better for Google search results?
serpstack is dedicated to retrieving Google Search results and supports location, language, device, and multiple result types. YepAPI also offers Google SERP data, alongside other SEO, scraping, social, commerce, and AI endpoints. For a SERP-only integration with monthly quotas, serpstack is the more focused fit.
Which service has the better free tier?
They offer different kinds of free access. YepAPI provides $5 in signup credit for metered calls, with no card required. serpstack offers 100 searches each month, but limits its free tier to non-commercial use, JSON output, and no support. Compare expected calls and commercial use before choosing.
Can we self-host YepAPI or serpstack?
Neither vendor publishes a self-hosting option or an open-source license in the stated product details. Treat both as hosted API dependencies. If deployment control or a source-available fallback is a requirement, ask each vendor directly before designing around the service.
Which API has rate limits?
YepAPI lists no rate limits and says failed calls are not charged. serpstack lists no rate limit on its paid plans, but its plans still have monthly search quotas and overage fees. The free plan is capped at 100 searches a month. Ask vendors about operational limits and service expectations before setting production traffic targets.