# SERP API questions, answered > 32 answers about the SerpCrypto SERP API: price per 1,000 searches, credits that never expire, engines, AI Overviews, num=100, KYC and crypto payment. - URL: https://serpcrypto.com/faq/ - Last updated: 2026-10-22 - Publisher: SerpCrypto (https://serpcrypto.com) The questions developers, SEO teams and AI builders ask before they choose a SERP API, with short answers and links to the page that goes deeper. **Quick answer — What should I know before buying a SERP API from SerpCrypto?** **SerpCrypto** sells prepaid search credits: $7.50 for 10,000 searches, falling to $0.30/1K searches at 5 million, as of October 2026. One credit runs one successful search on any of 6 engines, failed requests are free, and credits never expire. You pay in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC) with no KYC. ## Price and credits ### How much does the SerpCrypto SERP API cost? 10,000 searches cost $7.50 ($0.75/1K searches), 100,000 searches cost $56.25 ($0.56/1K searches) and 1,000,000 searches cost $375 ($0.38/1K searches), as of October 2026. The rate falls to $0.30/1K searches with 5,000,000 searches. All seven packs are on the [pricing page](https://serpcrypto.com/pricing/). ### What is a search credit? 1 credit = 1 successful search request, which returns one page of results on any supported engine. A request that fails is not charged. In practice, one credit equals one HTTP request to `https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/search` that returns a results page. A request for page 3 of the same query is a separate credit. Checking your balance with `GET https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/credits` costs nothing. ### Do SerpCrypto credits expire? No. Prepaid search credits never expire: unused searches stay on your account until you use them. That is the main difference from monthly SERP API plans, where unused searches usually reset at the end of each billing cycle. A seasonal project or an agent with irregular traffic keeps every credit it paid for. ### Is there a free tier or a free trial? No free tier. No free tier: test with the smallest pack, paid from the minimum top-up; the part added only to reach the minimum is refundable on request within 30 days, in USDT or USDC, if unspent. The smallest pack is 10,000 searches for $7.50, enough to test every engine on your real queries. Unused credits from that test stay on your account. ### Does every engine cost the same? Yes. A search on Google, Google News, Google Images, Google Maps, Google Shopping or Bing costs one credit each. You do not need to budget a different rate for maps or shopping results, and a mixed workload is priced the same way as a single-engine one. ### Am I charged when a search fails? No. Every error response is free: invalid parameters (400), a wrong key (401), no credits (402), too many parallel requests (429), a failed search (502) and a timeout (504). Only a successful results page uses a credit. The [error reference](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/errors/) explains each code and how to retry. ### Why do I need several requests to get 100 Google results? Because Google stopped honouring the `num=100` parameter in September 2025. About 10 organic results per page, as Google has served since it stopped honouring num=100 in September 2025; each extra page is one more credit. To collect the top 100 for a keyword, request `page=1` to `page=10`; tracking only the pages you need keeps the cost down. ### What is the smallest amount I can spend on SerpCrypto? The minimum top-up is $25. You can then buy any pack from your balance. If you buy 10,000 searches for $7.50, the rest of the top-up stays as balance. If part of the top-up was added only to meet the minimum and stays unspent, you can ask for it back within 30 days, in USDT or USDC. ## Engines and data ### Which search engines does SerpCrypto support? Google Search, Google News, Google Images, Google Maps (local results), Google Shopping and Bing. You pick one with the `engine` parameter: `google`, `google_news`, `google_images`, `google_maps`, `google_shopping` or `bing`. The response keeps the same envelope for all of them, so one parser handles every engine. See the [search reference](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/search/). ### Does the API return Google AI Overviews? Yes, when Google shows one on that page. The `ai_overview` object holds the text and the list of sources it cites, with title and link. If Google does not show an AI Overview for the query, location and device you asked for, the key is simply absent. See the [Google Search API page](https://serpcrypto.com/google-search-api/). ### Can I get the results a user sees in a specific city? Yes. Country (gl), language (hl), Google domain and a city-level location string, on desktop or mobile. Send `location=Austin, Texas, United States` together with `gl=us` and `hl=en`, for example. Local packs and map results depend heavily on the city, so set it for any local SEO work. The [locations guide](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/locations/) lists the formats. ### Can I get mobile results instead of desktop? Yes. Add `device=mobile`. Google and Bing lay out mobile pages differently: blocks appear in another order and some features show only on phones. Rank trackers usually record both devices for important keywords, which costs one credit per device. ### Which fields are in the JSON response? Parsed JSON: organic results, ads, People Also Ask, related searches, top stories, knowledge panel, local pack, shopping and video results, and the AI Overview text with its sources when the page shows one. Every response starts with `search_metadata` (ID, status, engine, credits used) and `search_parameters`. The [response format page](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/response/) documents every block, field by field, with an example. ### Can SerpCrypto replace the Bing Search API? For web results, yes. Microsoft retired the Bing Search APIs in August 2025. With SerpCrypto you send `engine=bing` and receive the organic results and related searches as JSON, paid per search with credits that never expire. Our [Bing Search API replacement page](https://serpcrypto.com/alternatives/bing-search-api/) compares the options. ### Is SerpCrypto an alternative to the Google Custom Search JSON API? It can be, if you need full Google results rather than a custom search engine over chosen sites. SerpCrypto returns the regular results page, with ads, People Also Ask and local results. Status, limits and prices of Google's own API are covered in [our comparison](https://serpcrypto.com/alternatives/google-custom-search-api/). ### Can I get local businesses from Google Maps? Yes, with `engine=google_maps`. Each item of `local_results` has the name, address, phone, website, rating, review count, category, opening hours and coordinates when Google shows them. Results depend on the `location` you send. See the [Google Maps results API](https://serpcrypto.com/google-maps-api/). ## Account, payment and privacy ### Do I need to verify my identity to use SerpCrypto? No. SerpCrypto, a no-KYC SERP API, asks for no ID, no selfie, no company documents and no company email. Account-number login; email is optional. You still accept the [Acceptable Use Policy](https://serpcrypto.com/acceptable-use/), and abuse leads to suspension. More on the [no-KYC page](https://serpcrypto.com/no-kyc-serp-api/). ### Which cryptocurrencies can I pay with? BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Tether (USDT) is accepted on Tron (TRC-20) and Ethereum (ERC-20); USD Coin (USDC) on Ethereum. There is no card, PayPal or bank payment. The [crypto payments page](https://serpcrypto.com/crypto-payments/) lists the networks and the confirmations each one needs before your balance is credited. ### How does a crypto payment get credited? You choose a top-up amount of at least $25, send the exact amount on the network shown, then click "I've sent the payment". The payment is matched by its exact amount and credited once it is confirmed on the blockchain. You then buy a credit pack from your balance. ### Can I get a refund? Yes, as a credit to your balance. Within 72 hours of purchase, a credit pack is credited back to your balance if you used less than 20% of its searches. A pack that does not work, and that support cannot fix within 24 hours, is credited back in full. Top-ups are credited to your balance and are not paid back, except where the law requires it; the part added only to reach the minimum top-up is refundable on request within 30 days, in USDT or USDC, if unspent. The [refund policy](https://serpcrypto.com/refunds/) works through three examples. ### How do I get and manage API keys? Your API key appears in your dashboard as soon as you buy a credit pack from your confirmed crypto balance. API keys you can create and revoke at any time from your dashboard. Send the key in the `Authorization: Bearer` header, or as `api_key` for a quick test. Keep it in an environment variable such as `SERPCRYPTO_API_KEY`, never in code you share. ### What does SerpCrypto log about my searches? Request metadata for 30 days. We log, for each request, the time, account, engine, query parameters, status and credits used, and keep these logs for 30 days to show your usage and settle billing disputes, then delete them. We do not sell or share your queries. We keep your account number, orders, top-up records and credit totals while your account is open, and afterwards only as long as accounting rules require. We disclose records to authorities only when the law requires it. The [privacy policy](https://serpcrypto.com/privacy/) has the full table of what is kept and for how long. ### Do you share my queries with anyone? No sale and no sharing for marketing or datasets. To run a search, our policy is to send upstream only the search parameters, never your account number, email or API key. Records are disclosed to authorities only when the law requires it, and logs older than 30 days no longer exist. ### What if I lose my SerpCrypto account number? Your account number is your login: save it somewhere safe. Add an email (optional) if you want a way to recover it. Without an email, a lost account number cannot be recovered. If you added an email, recovery goes through it. Write the account number in a password manager the day you open the account. ## Developers and AI agents ### Is there code for Python and Node.js? Yes. The docs have copy-paste code for [Python](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/python/) (requests and async httpx), [Node.js](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/node/) (native fetch) and [curl](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/curl/). There is no SDK to install: the API is one GET request with query parameters, which any HTTP client can send. ### Can Claude or another AI assistant use SerpCrypto through MCP? Yes. The [MCP guide](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/mcp/) has a short Python server that exposes a `web_search` tool to Claude Desktop, Cursor and other MCP clients. The server calls `https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/search` with your key from an environment variable. It is example code you run yourself, not a published package. ### Does SerpCrypto work with LangChain and OpenAI function calling? Yes. The [LangChain page](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/langchain/) wraps the API as a tool for agents, and the [OpenAI page](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/openai/) gives the JSON schema of a `web_search` function and the loop that runs it. The same schema works with other tool-calling models. ### How many searches can I run in parallel? Each account can run a set number of searches at the same time; the limit is shown in your dashboard and raised on request. A request above the limit gets HTTP 429 `concurrency_limit` and is not charged. `GET https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/credits` returns your current limit. The [Python](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/python/) and [Node.js](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/node/) guides show how to cap parallel requests. ### How fast is a SerpCrypto search? We do not quote a response time yet, because we have not measured one with a published method. Time a few requests yourself with the smallest pack, set a generous client timeout, and retry a 504 `search_timeout` after a short wait: it is not charged. A measured figure will appear on the [status page](https://serpcrypto.com/status/) with its method and date. ## Company and legal ### Who runs SerpCrypto? SerpGoat LLC runs SerpCrypto and sells its credits. Support answers at support@serpcrypto.com: Email replies within 12 hours, 7 days a week, including help with API integration. Abuse reports go to abuse@serpcrypto.com. The [about page](https://serpcrypto.com/about/) explains how results are collected and which figures we do not publish yet. ### Is using a SERP API legal? It depends on what you collect, how you use it and where you are, and some questions are being argued in US courts in 2026. Using search results for SEO, research and AI grounding is common practice. This is not legal advice: read our [overview](https://serpcrypto.com/guides/is-a-serp-api-legal/) and ask a lawyer for your case. ### What is not allowed on SerpCrypto? Searches meant to find, track or harass a private person, child sexual abuse material, spam, fraud, and any use that breaks the law where you or we operate. Reselling raw API access as your own API needs a written agreement. The [Acceptable Use Policy](https://serpcrypto.com/acceptable-use/) gives the full list. Abuse reports are reviewed by a person, and confirmed abuse leads to suspension. --- SerpCrypto: SerpCrypto is a SERP API for developers and AI agents that returns Google and Bing results as JSON, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid search credits from $0.30/1K searches never expire. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.