SearchAPI.io exposes Google Trends through engine=google_trends with TIMESERIES, GEO_MAP, RELATED_QUERIES, and RELATED_TOPICS data types. Each successful search deducts one credit from the monthly plan pool, failed requests are free, and hourly throughput caps at 20% of plan credits. This page isolates SearchAPI trend pricing: plan tiers, per-query cost, rate limits, and how it compares to SerpApi and Trends MCP.
SearchAPI.io prices Google Trends the same way it prices every other engine: one successful search equals one credit. The engine=google_trends parameter unlocks interest-over-time, regional maps, related queries, and related topics through a single GET endpoint. Teams comparing SerpApi alternatives often land here because list prices per query run lower on mid-volume tiers. The tradeoff is Google-only coverage, hourly rate caps tied to plan size, and no native MCP connection for AI assistants.
For the broader vendor landscape, see the trend data API pricing comparison. This page stays on SearchAPI only.
SearchAPI publishes month-to-month plans on its pricing page. All engines, including Google Trends, draw from the same monthly search pool. Only successful requests with HTTP 200 status codes count.
| Plan | Monthly price | Included searches | Cost per search (if fully used) | Hourly cap (20% of plan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | $40 | 10,000 | $0.004 | 2,000/hour |
| Production | $100 | 35,000 | $0.0029 | 7,000/hour |
| BigData | $250 | 100,000 | $0.0025 | 20,000/hour |
| Scale | $500 | 250,000 | $0.002 | 50,000/hour |
| Octo 500K | $900 | 500,000 | $0.0018 | 100,000/hour |
| Octo 1M | $1,500 | 1,000,000 | $0.0015 | 200,000/hour |
| Octo 2M | $2,800 | 2,000,000 | $0.0014 | 400,000/hour |
| Octo 5M | $5,000 | 5,000,000 | $0.001 | 1,000,000/hour |
New accounts receive 100 free requests at signup with no credit card. After those credits are consumed, a paid plan is required.
SearchAPI's Google Trends endpoint uses GET requests:
GET https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?engine=google_trends&q=coffee&data_type=TIMESERIES&api_key=YOUR_KEY
The data_type parameter selects the response shape:
| data_type | Alias | Query limit | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIMESERIES | Interest over time | Up to 5 comma-separated keywords | Historical curves, multi-keyword comparison |
| GEO_MAP | Interest by region | Required q |
Country or sub-region breakdown |
| RELATED_QUERIES | Related searches | Single q (optional with cat) |
Rising and top keyword discovery |
| RELATED_TOPICS | Related topics | Single q (optional with cat) |
Knowledge Graph topic mapping |
Optional filters include geo (location, default Worldwide), date or time (preset windows like today 12-m or custom yyyy-mm-dd ranges), gprop (web, images, news, froogle, youtube), cat (category ID), and tz (timezone offset). Each combination that returns HTTP 200 costs one credit.
These scenarios assume every query succeeds. They isolate Google Trends calls on SearchAPI only.
200 TIMESERIES calls per month (50 keywords times 4 weeks). Developer plan ($40, 10,000 searches) covers the volume with 9,800 credits to spare. Effective cost: $0.80 for the trend workload if no other engines share the pool.
300 calls if each keyword pulls RELATED_QUERIES and TIMESERIES as separate requests. Developer plan ($40) still fits. Effective cost: $1.20 for the batch at $0.004 per call.
Roughly 720 successful searches per month. Developer plan ($40) covers it. The hourly cap (2,000 on Developer) is not the bottleneck at 24 pulls per day. Compare with SerpApi Trending Now polling math in SerpApi Trending Now API pricing.
Both vendors charge one credit per successful Google Trends call and return JSON scraped from Google's interface. Headline differences that affect trend-only budgets:
| Factor | SearchAPI | SerpApi |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | $40/month, 10,000 searches | $25/month, 1,000 searches |
| Cost per query at entry tier | $0.004 | $0.025 |
| Ongoing free tier | 100 one-time signup credits | 250 credits/month recurring |
| Hourly rate cap | 20% of monthly plan | Plan-specific throughput (50-6,000/hour) |
| Credit rollover | Plan-dependent; check account settings | No rollover at renewal |
| Live Trending Now engine | Not a separate engine; use TIMESERIES or category scans | Dedicated google_trends_trending_now engine |
SearchAPI wins on marginal cost per query at volumes above roughly 1,000 searches per month. SerpApi wins on the ongoing free tier (250/month versus 100 one-time) and on dedicated Trending Now breakout feeds. For SerpApi-specific pricing detail, see SerpApi Google Trends API pricing.
Trends MCP prices by monthly request, not by engine. One request equals one source plus one keyword for historical series, or one live feed pull for top-trends mode. Public plans as of July 2026:
| Plan | Monthly price | Included requests |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 |
| Starter | $19 | 1,000 |
| Pro | $49 | 5,000 |
| Business | $199 | 25,000 |
The free tier requires no credit card. Google Search historical data and live Google Trends leaderboards are included. TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia, and additional feeds share the same request pool and JSON response shape. Trends MCP also exposes a native MCP endpoint for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, and other AI clients.
For the weekly SEO monitor (200 queries, Google only), SearchAPI Developer ($40) and Trends MCP Starter ($19) both cover the volume. SearchAPI returns Google's exact TIMESERIES and RELATED_QUERIES panels. Trends MCP returns normalized weekly series and ranked growth without a separate related-queries endpoint.
For a cross-platform brand tracker (20 brands, 5 sources, weekly checks), SearchAPI needs five separate integrations beyond Google. Trends MCP covers five sources in five requests per brand per check on one contract.
SearchAPI fits REST pipelines that need Google Trends JSON at volume above 1,000 queries per month and already use SearchAPI for Google Search or other SERP engines. The $0.004 entry-tier cost per query undercuts SerpApi's $0.025 on Starter when the monthly volume exceeds the smaller SerpApi allocation.
SearchAPI is a poor fit when the workload needs live breakout feeds as a dedicated endpoint, when 250 free monthly credits matter more than 100 one-time trial credits, or when the research question spans TikTok, Reddit, and Amazon in one normalized contract. It also lacks native MCP transport for AI assistant workflows.
For Google-only pricing across pytrends, DataForSEO, and official alpha access, see Google Trends API pricing comparison. For free-tier limits across vendors, see free trends API comparison.
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