# Tavily alternative: search plus page text on credits that never expire

> Tavily alternative for 2026: web search for AI agents with the top 3 pages as Markdown, from $1.20/1K searches, credits that never expire, no KYC.

- URL: https://llmwebsearch.com/alternatives/tavily/
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: LLMWebSearch (https://llmwebsearch.com)

Tavily is the search API most agent tutorials start with, and the one most "alternatives" articles are written about. This page sets its public plans next to LLMWebSearch's packs, lists what Tavily does that we do not, and maps its parameters to ours.

**Quick answer — What is a good Tavily alternative for AI agents?**

**LLMWebSearch** is a web search API for AI agents that returns up to 20 results with the top 3 pages as Markdown, on prepaid credits paid in crypto with no KYC. As of October 2026, Tavily charges $5.00 to $8.00 per 1,000 basic searches and resets plan credits monthly; LLMWebSearch charges $1.85/1K searches to $1.20/1K searches, and its credits never expire.

## Tavily and LLMWebSearch at a glance

|  | LLMWebSearch (ours) | Tavily |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Billing | Prepaid packs; credits never expire | Monthly plans; credits reset on the 1st of each month; pay-as-you-go above the plan |
| Smallest paid option | 5,000 searches for $9.25 | Project: 4,000 credits for $30 a month |
| Price per 1,000 searches at 100,000 a month | $1.45/1K searches | $5.00 basic on Growth ($500); $10.00 advanced |
| Page text | Top 3 pages as Markdown in 1 credit (4 to 10 pages: 2 credits) | include_raw_content returns cleaned page content; no surcharge listed |
| Search depths | One mode | basic, fast and ultra-fast (1 credit); advanced (2 credits) |
| Written answer | Not offered: sources only | Optional answer field |
| Results per call | Up to 20 | 0 to 20 |
| Reading known URLs | 1 credit per started group of 3 URLs | Extract: 1 credit per 5 URLs (basic) |
| Crawl, map and research endpoints | Not offered | Yes |
| Free tier | None | 1,000 credits a month, no card |
| Payment | BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, prepaid | Cards, debit cards, bank transfers; x402 USDC per advanced call; crypto for invoices at Tavily's discretion |
| Identity checks | None: no ID, no selfie, no documents | None stated; crypto payers may be asked for information to verify the transaction |
| Training on your data | We do not train on queries or results | Terms §6.5 allow use of input and output for training; the FAQ says "zero data retention" |
| Ownership | SerpGoat LLC | Nebius (closing on 2026-02-19) |

*Prices checked on October 22, 2026.*

Tavily facts from docs.tavily.com and tavily.com/terms (terms last updated May 4, 2026), read on 2026-10-22.

## Why do developers look for a Tavily alternative?

Three reasons come up most often. **First, credits reset.** Tavily's FAQ says API credits reset on the first day of each month, whatever the billing date. An agent that is quiet one month loses that month's credits.

**Second, payment.** Tavily's terms list cards, debit cards and bank transfers. Crypto is accepted for fees only at its discretion. Its x402 endpoint takes USDC on Base per call, but only for advanced search, and it does not state whether raw page content works there.

**Third, data terms.** Section 6.5 of Tavily's terms says Tavily and its AI providers may use and retain customer input and output for training. Its FAQ describes the service as "zero data retention". Both statements were on Tavily's pages on 2026-10-22; read them before you send sensitive queries.

## What changed when Nebius bought Tavily?

Ownership changed; the public plans did not. Nebius announced the agreement on 2026-02-10. Its Q1 2026 financial statements say it acquired 100% of AlphaAI Technologies, Inc., doing business as Tavily, on 2026-02-19. They put the fair value of the consideration at $189.7 million, plus an earnout of up to $67.3 million tied to revenue milestones.

The Tavily brand continues, and its pricing page now shows "Tavily by Nebius". The plans we read on 2026-10-22 still run from Project ($30 for 4,000 credits) to Growth ($500 for 100,000 credits), with pay-as-you-go at $0.008 per credit.

## What does a month of search with page text cost?

One search with at least 5 results and the full text of the top 3 pages. Tavily: least expensive self-serve plan plus pay-as-you-go, basic depth with raw content. Ours: the pack that covers the volume.

| Searches per month | LLMWebSearch | Tavily |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10,000 | $1.85/1K searches (two 5,000 searches packs) | $7.80 per 1,000 (Project $30 + 6,000 credits at $0.008) |
| 100,000 | $1.45/1K searches (100,000 searches pack) | $5.00 per 1,000 (Growth $500) |
| 1,000,000 | $1.20/1K searches (1,000,000 searches pack) | $7.70 per 1,000 (Growth + 900,000 credits at $0.008) |

*Prices checked on October 22, 2026.*

Tavily's figures assume raw content adds no credit, as its credits page lists none. Full method in the price index.

## When is Tavily the better choice?

Tavily does several things we do not, and for some teams they matter more than price:

- **A free tier:** 1,000 credits a month with no card, enough for a prototype.
- **A written answer** in the same call, and an **advanced** depth that reranks chunks.
- **Research, crawl and map endpoints**, so one vendor covers deep research and site crawling.
- **Ecosystem:** Tavily's docs describe it as LangChain's recommended search tool, and OpenClaw ships it as a built-in web_search provider. Its official MCP server offers keyless Search and Extract.
- **Pay per call with no account:** its x402 endpoint charges $0.01 per advanced search in USDC.

If you need those, stay with Tavily. If you need page text on credits that keep their value, paid in crypto without documents, LLMWebSearch fits better.

## How do Tavily's parameters map to LLMWebSearch?

Most of a Tavily call carries over. Send it to `POST https://llmwebsearch.com/api/v1/search` with your key as a Bearer token.

| Tavily | LLMWebSearch | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| query | q | Same text; operators such as site: are kept |
| max_results | max_results | 1 to 20 |
| include_raw_content | read | Number of top results whose page is read (0 to 10, default 3) |
| include_raw_content: "text" | format: "text" | Markdown is the default |
| topic: "news" | topic: "news" | web or news |
| time_range | time_range | day, week, month or year |
| include_domains / exclude_domains | include_domains / exclude_domains | Up to 20 each |
| country | country | Two-letter country code |
| search_depth, include_answer | — | No depth modes and no written answer |

## How much does LLMWebSearch cost?

One credit pays for one search: up to 20 ranked results, with the pages of the first 3 read and returned as Markdown. Reading 4 to 10 pages makes it 2 credits. A call that ends in an error costs nothing. Search credits have no expiry date: what you do not use this month is still there next year. See the [full price table](https://llmwebsearch.com/compare/web-search-api-pricing/) for 12 providers.

| Plan | Quantity | Price | Price per unit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Try | 5,000 searches | $9.25 | $1.85/1K searches |
| Builder | 25,000 searches | $41.25 | $1.65/1K searches |
| Production | 100,000 searches | $145 | $1.45/1K searches |
| Volume | 1,000,000 searches | $1,200 | $1.20/1K searches |

In every plan: Top 3 pages read as Markdown · Country, language, time and domain filters · Failed calls not charged · Credits never expire

**Before you pay**

- Minimum top-up $25. Top up once in crypto, then buy any plan from your balance.
- Money on your balance does not expire and buys search credits whenever you want. When a pack is cheaper than the minimum top-up, the part you paid only to reach that minimum comes back to you on request within 30 days of payment, in USDT or USDC, provided it is still unspent. The rest of a balance is not returned unless the law requires it.
- Credited once your payment is checked on the blockchain. Typical network confirmation time: BTC ≈ 20 min · USDT TRC-20 ≈ 1 min · USDT ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · USDC ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · ETH ≈ 5 min · SOL ≈ 1 min · LTC ≈ 15 min

## Questions about switching from Tavily

### Do Tavily credits expire?

Plan credits reset on the first day of each month, according to Tavily's FAQ read on 2026-10-22. LLMWebSearch credits have no expiry date.

### Can I pay Tavily in crypto?

Per call, yes: Tavily's x402 endpoint takes USDC on Base at $0.01 per advanced search, with no account. For invoices, its terms say it may accept crypto at its sole discretion. LLMWebSearch takes BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC for prepaid credits.

### Who owns Tavily now?

Nebius. It announced the deal on 2026-02-10 and its Q1 2026 financial statements record the acquisition on 2026-02-19. The Tavily brand and API continue.

### Does LLMWebSearch return a written answer like Tavily's answer field?

No. The API returns sources, not a written answer: your own model reads the pages, writes the reply and cites the URLs. That keeps the price per search down and lets you choose the model that writes the reply.

## Sources

1. [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
2. [Tavily search endpoint reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
3. [Tavily FAQ](https://docs.tavily.com/faq/faq.md) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
4. [Tavily terms of service](https://www.tavily.com/terms) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
5. [Tavily x402](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/machine-payments/x402.md) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
6. [Tavily MCP server](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/mcp) — Tavily (read 2026-10-22)
7. [Nebius announces agreement to acquire Tavily](https://nebius.com/newsroom/nebius-announces-agreement-to-acquire-tavily-to-add-agentic-search-to-its-ai-cloud-platform) — Nebius (2026-02-10)
8. [Nebius Q1 2026 financial statements (exhibit 99.2)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001513845/000110465926064092/nbis-20260331xex99d2.htm) — U.S. SEC EDGAR (read 2026-10-22)

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LLMWebSearch: LLMWebSearch is a web search API for AI agents that returns ranked results with the content of the top pages in Markdown, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid credits from $1.20/1K searches never expire. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.