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Ask HN: Alternatives to Bing Search API

21 points by schappim 4y ago

Bing has increased the cost of their Search API by 10 times[1], which has caused many users to search for alternative options. As a result, I'm wondering if anyone knows of any legitimate alternatives to the Bing API that I can use. I'd prefer not to use fly-by-night web scraping operators. Thank you in advance for your help! [1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/apis/pricing-update

freediverx 4y ago
I’ve been using Kagi search for a while now. Is their API an option?
vincent_s 4y ago
The only big legitimate ones are Bing and Yandex. Those web scraping operators are quite professional these days and they're all competing on price. [0] has a recent list. [0] https://geekflare.com/serp-api/ https://geekflare.com/serp-api/
ColinHayhurst 4y ago
Mojeek Web Search API [0]. Fully independent crawler & index. Currently 6.6 billion pages. Pricing and terms bespoke. Self-disclosure: CEO. [0] https://www.mojeek.com/services/search/web-search-api/ https://www.mojeek.com/services/search/web-search-api/
- yellow_lead 4y ago
  Any estimate on bings index size?
  - ColinHayhurst 4y ago
    Have doubts about this tool but since you ask https://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ https://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ ~6.7 billion
    - yellow_lead 4y ago
      Cool, thanks. Just want to compare it to yours (although surely there are other comparisons to be made as well)
- leobg 4y ago
  Why aren’t you listing any prices? How do I know whether you are cheaper than serpapi, for instance? And what does POA mean?
  - ColinHayhurst 4y ago
    Price On Asking. I'll send you an email.
    - culopatin 4y ago
      What is the reasoning behind price on asking? Makes me not want to ask actually. Is it cheaper if I ask on a Friday than if I ask on a Sunday? Is the pricing different if my domain is registered in an African nation than if it’s registered in the US?
      - schappim 4y ago
        If a business does customised pricing, it is so they can maximise revenue. If you’re selling to a bank, you can charge more than what you would to a bootstrapped startup…
hyes 4y ago
If you want a cheaper alternative you might have to compromise for web scraping. There really isn't an alternative other than the official API offered by Bing. But if you're interested, I've been using https://serply.io https://serply.io for my Google/Bing searches.
freediver 4y ago
Kagi has a search API. Currently 2.5 cents per search but it is high quality and we will look to bring the price down. https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-api/overview.html https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-api/overview.html

21 points by schappim 4y ago

freediverx 4y ago

I’ve been using Kagi search for a while now. Is their API an option?

vincent_s 4y ago

The only big legitimate ones are Bing and Yandex. Those web scraping operators are quite professional these days and they're all competing on price. [0] has a recent list. [0] https://geekflare.com/serp-api/ https://geekflare.com/serp-api/

ColinHayhurst 4y ago

Mojeek Web Search API [0]. Fully independent crawler & index. Currently 6.6 billion pages. Pricing and terms bespoke. Self-disclosure: CEO. [0] https://www.mojeek.com/services/search/web-search-api/ https://www.mojeek.com/services/search/web-search-api/

yellow_lead 4y ago
Any estimate on bings index size?
- ColinHayhurst 4y ago
  Have doubts about this tool but since you ask https://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ https://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ ~6.7 billion
  - yellow_lead 4y ago
    Cool, thanks. Just want to compare it to yours (although surely there are other comparisons to be made as well)
leobg 4y ago
Why aren’t you listing any prices? How do I know whether you are cheaper than serpapi, for instance? And what does POA mean?
- ColinHayhurst 4y ago
  Price On Asking. I'll send you an email.
  - culopatin 4y ago
    What is the reasoning behind price on asking? Makes me not want to ask actually. Is it cheaper if I ask on a Friday than if I ask on a Sunday? Is the pricing different if my domain is registered in an African nation than if it’s registered in the US?
    - schappim 4y ago
      If a business does customised pricing, it is so they can maximise revenue. If you’re selling to a bank, you can charge more than what you would to a bootstrapped startup…

hyes 4y ago

If you want a cheaper alternative you might have to compromise for web scraping. There really isn't an alternative other than the official API offered by Bing. But if you're interested, I've been using https://serply.io https://serply.io for my Google/Bing searches.

freediver 4y ago

Kagi has a search API. Currently 2.5 cents per search but it is high quality and we will look to bring the price down. https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-api/overview.html https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-api/overview.html