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OpenWebSearch API
Unified web search API for querying multiple search providers through one API key, normalized JSON responses, automatic provider routing, fallbacks, filters and MCP access.
About OpenWebSearch API
OpenWebSearch API is a web search gateway that provides access to multiple search providers through one API. Developers can submit searches to a specific provider, allow OpenWebSearch to automatically select a provider, or configure an ordered provider fallback list.
The REST API provides a POST /v1/search endpoint for searches and a GET /v1/providers endpoint for discovering available providers, result limits and parameter support. Search requests use JSON and authenticate with an API key sent as a bearer token. Successful searches return a normalized JSON structure containing the provider, query, results, usage and warnings while retaining the original provider result under the raw field.
Search parameters include result limits, country, included and excluded domains, publication date ranges, recency and safe search. OpenWebSearch distinguishes whether individual providers support these parameters natively, through emulation, or not at all. Provider specific options can also be passed when an explicit provider is selected.
OpenWebSearch additionally operates as a remote Model Context Protocol server. Agents and MCP capable editors can access web search and provider discovery as tools using the same gateway and API key.
Pricing
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Apify Serp: $3.50–$6 per 1,000 requests Pricing varies based on the requested number of results.
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You.com: $5 per 1,000 requests Web and news search with page extraction.
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Brave: $5 per 1,000 requests Broad web and media search.
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Perplexity: $5 per 1,000 requests Citation backed, real time answers.
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Parallel: $5–$15 per 1,000 requests Pricing varies based on the requested number of results.
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Octen: $5 per 1,000 requests Real time and multimodal web search.
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Exa: $7–$17 per 1,000 requests Pricing varies based on the requested number of results.
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Tavily: $8 per 1,000 requests Fresh news and agent ready research.
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Valyu: $1.50–$30 per 1,000 requests Pricing varies based on the requested number of results.
OpenWebSearch uses prepaid credits that can be spent across supported providers. Requests are billed at the rate of the provider that serves the request and usage.cost reports the request cost. A 5% platform fee applies when purchasing credits.
Pricing last updated: October 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Use Cases
- Add web search to AI agents and research applications
- Route search queries across multiple search providers through one integration
- Build search workflows with provider fallback for availability
- Filter web search results by country, domains, publication dates and recency
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- One API key and normalized response structure can be used across multiple supported search providers.
- Supports automatic provider selection and ordered fallback chains.
- Provides provider capability discovery and preserves provider specific results under the REST response
rawfield.
Cons:
- Search parameter support varies by provider, with some parameters emulated or unsupported.
- Automatic provider selection is capped at 10 results and does not support
strict_paramsorprovider_options.
Integrations
Brave, Exa, You.com, Tavily, Perplexity, Parallel, Valyu, Apify Serp, Octen, Model Context Protocol (MCP)
FAQ
What does the OpenWebSearch API do?
OpenWebSearch provides a unified API for querying multiple web search providers. Developers can select a provider, use automatic provider routing, or specify an ordered fallback list while receiving results in a normalized response format.
How does OpenWebSearch authenticate API requests?
API requests use an OpenWebSearch API key sent as a bearer token in the Authorization header.
Which REST endpoints does OpenWebSearch provide?
The documented REST endpoints include POST /v1/search for web searches and GET /v1/providers for discovering providers, result limits and parameter support.
Which search providers are supported by OpenWebSearch?
The documented providers are Brave, Exa, You.com, Tavily, Perplexity, Parallel, Valyu, Apify Serp and Octen. The API also supports an auto routing option.
Does OpenWebSearch support automatic provider selection?
Yes. Developers can set provider to auto, allowing the gateway to inspect the query and route it to a provider. The response identifies the provider that actually handled the request.
Does OpenWebSearch support provider fallbacks?
Yes. A request can specify an ordered providers list. When fallbacks are enabled, the gateway can try the next provider when a provider returns no results, times out or experiences a transient failure. Results from multiple providers are not blended.
What search filters does OpenWebSearch support?
The unified request schema includes country, included domains, excluded domains, start date, end date, recency and safe search. Individual providers may support a parameter natively, through emulation, or not at all.
What does an OpenWebSearch result contain?
Normalized REST results can contain title, URL, snippet, content, publication date, source and the original provider result in a raw field. Responses also include the provider, query, usage information and warnings.
Does OpenWebSearch support MCP?
Yes. OpenWebSearch provides a remote stateless Model Context Protocol endpoint with web_search and list_providers tools for agents and MCP capable editors.
Are OpenWebSearch rate limits documented?
The documentation states that REST responses include X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset headers, while 429 responses also include Retry-After. A numeric public rate limit is not specified in the provided documentation.
Last edited
October 8, 2026 at 7:01 AM by Venkatraman Chandrasekaran
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