Head to head
unlob vs Google Custom Search JSON API
The Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers and Google discontinues it on 1 January 2027. Existing customers get real Google results at $5 per 1,000, with a hard 10,000-per-day ceiling.
Verified 7 October 2026·Figures from vendors' own pages
On the headline rate that is 13× — $5 per 1,000 for Google Custom Search JSON API’s paid queries (existing customers only), its cheapest comparable mode, against $0.40per 1,000 searches. Other modes cost more; the pricing detail below lists them. Both figures are computed from the published plan tables rather than typed into this page, so they follow the vendors rather than drifting from them.
Price
- unlob$0.40
- Google Custom Search JSON API$5
| Provider | Own index? | $ / 1,000 searches | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Priced: paid queries (existing customers only). $5 per 1,000 queries after 100 free a day, up to 10,000 queries a day — for existing customers only. The API is closed to new customers and is discontinued on 1 January 2027. | Yes Google's index, via Programmable Search Engine | $5 | Custom Search JSON API pricing |
$29 per month for 50,000 credits, and a search is one credit. | Yes Our own crawl and index | $0.58 | This page |
$199 per month for 500,000 credits, and a search is one credit. | Yes Our own crawl and index | $0.40 | This page |
When Google Custom Search JSON API is the better choice
A comparison page that cannot name a scenario where the competitor wins is an advertisement. Here are the real ones.
Choose Google Custom Search JSON API
- You are an existing customer with low-volume site search that will be finished before 1 January 2027, when the API is discontinued.
- Google’s result quality on broad consumer queries, for as long as your existing access lasts.
Choose unlob
- No daily ceiling — 2,000,000 credits a month on Archive.
- Availability: you can start today, and there is no discontinuation date. Price: $0.40 against $5 per 1,000.
- A response shape built for agents rather than for a result page.
- Graph traversal and coverage auditing.
The substantive differences
| Google Custom Search JSON API | unlob | |
|---|---|---|
| Hard limits | 10,000 queries per day, full stop. | Monthly allowances from 10,000 to 2,000,000 credits, with no daily cap. |
| Intended use | Search across a defined set of sites. | Retrieval across the open web for an agent. |
Sources
Every figure on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page or funding announcement on the date shown.
- Google Custom Search JSON API: Custom Search JSON API pricingread 7 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I still sign up for the Custom Search JSON API?
No. Google closed it to new customers and discontinues it on 1 January 2027. Existing customers keep access until then; for site search over up to 50 domains Google points to Vertex AI Search, and for full web search it asks you to contact it.
Can I use Google Custom Search to ground an LLM?
Technically it returns results you could use, but the 10,000-per-day ceiling makes it unworkable for anything with real traffic, and the terms of service were written for site search rather than model grounding. Google’s own recommendation for grounding is Gemini with Google Search grounding.
Check the claims yourself
The free tier is 10,000 credits a month with no card. That is enough to test coverage, latency and result quality against your own queries — which is a better comparison than this page.