# SearchCans - AI Data Infrastructure
> https://www.searchcans.com
> The Data Layer Your AI Needs
> SERP API + Reader API · Credits from $0.56/1K on Ultimate · 100 Free Credits · No Payment Method Required to Start

## API Versioning Notice (Read First)
- **Current stable version**: `v1` - all endpoints below use `/api/v1/...`
- **Legacy version**: `v0` (`/api/search`, `/api/url`) is **deprecated** and will be **permanently shut down on 2026-12-31 23:59 UTC**
- **Migration**: drop-in replacement, just add `/v1` to the path
- **Legacy docs**: https://www.searchcans.com/api-v0-legacy/

## What is SearchCans?
SearchCans is AI data infrastructure providing real-time search results (SERP API) and LLM-ready web content extraction (Reader API) from one unified platform. Built for AI agents, RAG systems, and developers who need reliable, affordable access to web data.

SearchCans is powered by Vcans, where its scalable search and extraction workflows run.

**Core Value**: Prepaid credit packs from $18, down to $0.56 per 1,000 credits on Ultimate. Standard SERP uses 1 credit; standard Reader uses 2 credits ($1.12 per 1,000 requests on Ultimate), before proxy add-ons. Parallel Lanes limit in-flight concurrency, with no hourly request caps. 100 free credits for new users.

## Core APIs

### 1. SERP API - Search Google & Bing
**What it does**: Get real-time search results from Google and Bing
**Endpoint**: POST https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/search
**Cost**: 1 credit per API call
**Response Time**: Varies by query, requested features, and network conditions. Measure latency on your workload; no benchmark percentile is asserted here.
**Data returned**: 
- Organic search results (titles, URLs, descriptions, rankings)
- Full metadata

**Use cases**:
- SEO rank tracking
- Competitive intelligence
- Market research
- AI agent web search
- Content discovery

### 2. Reader API - URL to Markdown
**What it does**: Extract supported web pages and PDFs into Markdown. Source access, page structure, and rendering options affect completeness.
**Endpoint**: POST https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/url
**Cost**: 2 credits per API call
**Response Time**: Varies by source page, rendering, proxy mode, and timeout settings. Measure latency and extraction completeness on your own URLs.
**Data returned**:
- Clean Markdown format
- Main content extraction
- Images and metadata
- Structured data
- No ads or navigation noise

**Use cases**:
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines
- LLM training data collection
- Content aggregation
- Web scraping alternative
- Knowledge base building

**Alternative to**: Jina Reader, Firecrawl, Diffbot

### 3. File Extraction API - Document to Markdown
**What it does**: Convert PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, DOC, XLS, EPUB to clean, structured Markdown
**Endpoint**: POST https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/url (with file=1)
**Cost**: Included in the Reader API base cost; no add-on credits
**Response field**: fileMarkdown (distinct from Reader API's markdown field)
**Data returned**:
- Full document content as Markdown
- Headings, tables, lists, code blocks preserved
- Document metadata when available

**Use cases**:
- RAG pipeline document ingestion
- Legal/compliance document parsing
- Enterprise knowledge base conversion
- LLM training data from documents
**Docs**: https://www.searchcans.com/file-extraction-api/

### 4. Web Screenshot API - Page to PNG
**What it does**: Capture full-page or viewport screenshots of any URL
**Endpoint**: POST https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/url (with image=1 or image=2)
**Cost**: Included in the Reader API base cost; no add-on credits
**Response field**: imageUrl (CDN URL of the captured PNG)
**Docs**: https://www.searchcans.com/web-screenshot-api/

## Real Pricing (2026)

### Pay-As-You-Go Plans
| Plan | Credits | Price | Per 1K | Parallel Lanes | Stackable |
|------|---------|-------|--------|----------------|----------|
| Free | 100 | $0 | Free | 1 | No |
| Standard | 20,000 | $18 | $0.90 | 2 | No |
| Starter | 132,000 | $99 | $0.75 | 5 | Yes |
| Pro | 995,000 | $597 | $0.60 | 37 | Yes |
| Ultimate | 3,000,000 | $1,680 | **$0.56** | 113 | Yes |

**Credit Usage**:
- SERP API (all types - Google/Bing): 1 credit per call
- Google Search/News page range (page:1): +1 credit per additional page
- Reader API standard mode: 2 credits per call
- Reader API + Proxy:1 (Shared): 4 credits total
- Reader API + Proxy:2 (Datacenter): 7 credits total
- Reader API + Proxy:3 (Residential): 12 credits total
- File Parsing (file:1) and Screenshot (image:1/2): Included - no extra credits
- Credits are deducted only for successful HTTP 200 responses
- Credits valid for 6 months
- Current prepaid credit packs have no recurring billing

### What are Parallel Lanes?
Parallel Lanes are requests that can run at the same time.
- 1 lane = 1 request running now
- When one request finishes, that lane opens again right away
- More lanes help with bursts, queues, and busy agent workflows
- Lanes control throughput, while credits control total usage

### Lane Stacking (Scale Concurrency)
Buy multiple eligible plans and we combine their Parallel Lanes:
- 1× $99 = 5 Lanes
- 2× $99 = 10 Lanes (twice the in-flight capacity, not a guaranteed speed increase)
- 1× $99 + 1× $597 = 42 Lanes
- 2× $1,680 = 226 Lanes

**Rules**: $18 Standard tier is non-stackable. Credits consumed FIFO (oldest order first). When an order's credits deplete or expire, its lanes are automatically detached.

**Price Comparison** (approximate, use qualifiers):
- SearchCans standard SERP: $0.90/1K requests on Standard through $0.56/1K on Ultimate; Reader standard extraction uses twice the credits.
- Third-party prices and limits change. Use the comparison pages for current, source-dated details.

## Rewards & Incentive Program

SearchCans offers three ways for registered users to earn free credits without spending money. All managed at https://www.searchcans.com/dashboard/rewards/

### 1. Referral Program
- Share your referral link (`https://www.searchcans.com?r=YOUR_CODE`)
- Friend signs up via your link - **you earn +300 credits instantly**
- Monthly cap: 30 successful referral registrations per calendar month (resets on 1st)
- Friend purchases >10,000 credits in a single order - **you earn 20% of their purchase as bonus credits** (no monthly cap)

### 2. Free Redemption Codes
- Platform releases free credit code batches periodically
- Each account may redeem **one code per batch** (any code from the same batch counts)
- New batches are released when available after the current batch is exhausted
- Credits added **instantly** after redemption. Codes are case-insensitive.
- Browse available codes: https://www.searchcans.com/dashboard/redeem-codes/
- `valid` field: `0` = credits are permanent; non-zero = validity period in seconds after redemption

### 3. Share & Earn
- Post about SearchCans on social media (must include `searchcans.com` domain or your referral link)
- Submit the post URL via Dashboard -> Rewards -> Share & Earn
- AI agent reviews within **24 hours**
- Approved -> **+1,000 credits** (no submission limit - every approved post earns)
- Supported platforms: YouTube, X/Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Quora, Threads, Snapchat, Discord, Medium, LinkedIn, Other (14 total)
- Content must be positive and genuine. No spam or misleading content.
- Pending submissions can be retracted by the user before a decision is made.

**Submission status values**: `1` = Pending Review · `4` = Approved (+1,000 cr) · `3` = Rejected · `0` = Withdrawn

---

## Quick Start (5 Minutes)

### Step 1: Get Free Credits
Sign up at https://www.searchcans.com/register/
- 100 free credits; no payment method required to start

### Step 2: Get API Key
Go to Dashboard: https://www.searchcans.com/dashboard/
- Copy your API key

### Step 3: Make First Call

**Python Example - SERP API**:
```python
import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/search',
    headers={
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    json={'s': 'artificial intelligence', 't': 'google', 'd': 30000},
    timeout=35,
    allow_redirects=False,
)
response.raise_for_status()
if response.status_code != 200:
    raise RuntimeError(f'Unexpected HTTP status: {response.status_code}')
body = response.json()
if not isinstance(body, dict) or body.get('code') != 0:
    raise RuntimeError('SearchCans returned an API error')
data = body.get('data')
if not isinstance(data, dict) or not isinstance(data.get('organic'), list):
    raise ValueError('Expected data.organic to be an array')
for item in data['organic']:
    if not isinstance(item, dict):
        raise ValueError('Expected each organic result to be an object')
    print(item.get('title', ''), item.get('link', ''))
```

**Python Example - Reader API**:
```python
response = requests.post(
    'https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/url',
    headers={
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    json={'s': 'https://example.com', 't': 'url', 'w': 3000}
)
markdown = response.json()['data']['markdown']
print(markdown)
```

**Node.js Example**:
```javascript
const response = await fetch('https://www.searchcans.com/api/v1/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    s: 'machine learning',
    t: 'bing',
    d: 30000
  }),
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(35000),
  redirect: 'error'
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}`);
const body = await response.json();
if (body?.code !== 0) throw new Error('SearchCans returned an API error');
const organic = body.data?.organic;
if (!Array.isArray(organic)) throw new Error('Expected data.organic to be an array');
for (const item of organic) {
  if (item === null || typeof item !== 'object' || Array.isArray(item)) {
    throw new Error('Expected each organic result to be an object');
  }
  console.log(item.title ?? '', item.link ?? '');
}
```

## Main Pages

### Essential Links
- **Homepage**: https://www.searchcans.com/
- **API Documentation**: https://www.searchcans.com/apis/
- **Interactive Playground**: https://www.searchcans.com/playground/
- **Pricing**: https://www.searchcans.com/pricing/
- **Register (Free)**: https://www.searchcans.com/register/
- **Dashboard**: https://www.searchcans.com/dashboard/
- **Blog & Tutorials**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/
- **FAQ**: https://www.searchcans.com/faq/

### Documentation Sections
- Quick Start Guide
- SERP API Reference
- Reader API Reference (with Proxy Pool & Advanced Extraction)
- Authentication (Bearer token)
- Error Handling & Concurrency Codes
- Parallel Lanes & Lane Stacking
- Code Examples (Python, Node.js, cURL)

## Use Cases & Examples

### 1. AI Agents with Web Search
**Problem**: LLMs have knowledge cutoff dates
**Solution**: Use SERP API to give AI real-time web search
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/langchain-serper-alternative-top-serp-apis/
**Benefit**: Break through knowledge limitations

### 2. RAG Systems
**Problem**: Need fresh web content for LLM context
**Solution**: Use Reader API to get clean Markdown from URLs
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/building-rag-pipeline-with-reader-api/
**Benefit**: Always-current information for AI responses

### 3. SEO Rank Tracking
**Problem**: SEO tools cost $99-499/month
**Solution**: Build your own with SERP API
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/build-diy-keyword-rank-tracker/
**Benefit**: $0/month vs $99-499/month for Ahrefs/SEMrush

### 4. Competitive Intelligence
**Problem**: Manual competitor research is slow
**Solution**: Automate SERP monitoring for competitor analysis
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/competitive-intelligence-automation-serp-monitoring/
**Benefit**: Real-time insights vs monthly reports

### 5. Content Aggregation
**Problem**: Need to collect content from multiple sources
**Solution**: Use Reader API to extract clean content
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/google-news-monitoring-api-guide/
**Benefit**: Clean, structured content without scraping

### 6. Market Research
**Problem**: Need real-time market trends and data
**Solution**: Use SERP API to track search trends
**Tutorial**: https://www.searchcans.com/blog/real-time-market-intelligence-api-integration/
**Benefit**: Live data for strategic decisions

## Technical Specifications

### Authentication
```bash
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```
Get your key: https://www.searchcans.com/dashboard/

### SERP API Parameters
- **s**: Search query (required)
- **t**: Engine - google | bing (required)
- **d**: Timeout in milliseconds (default 30000)
- **p**: Page number (optional)

### Reader API Parameters
- **s**: Target URL (required)
- **t**: Fixed value "url" (required)
- **mode**: Render mode - 0 = standard HTTP (default) | 1 = headless browser
- **w**: Wait time in ms after page load, applies when mode=1 (default 5000)
- **d**: Max timeout in ms (default 30000)
- **file**: File Extraction - 0 (default) | 1 = parse document URL as Markdown; returns fileMarkdown field. Included in the Reader API base cost.
- **image**: Screenshot - 0 (default) | 1 = viewport PNG | 2 = full-page PNG; returns imageUrl field. Included in the Reader API base cost.
- **proxy**: Proxy tier - 0 none (default) | 1 Shared (+2 credits) | 2 Datacenter (+5 credits) | 3 Residential (+10 credits)

### Response Format
- Google/Bing SERP API: `data` is an object; `data.organic` is the array of organic results. Result fields include `position`, `title`, `link`, and `snippet`; optional fields may be absent.
- Reader API: `response.json()["data"]["markdown"]` returns clean Markdown
- Check HTTP success and top-level `code: 0` before reading results. An empty `data.organic` array means no organic rows were returned; an API error or invalid response shape is not an empty successful result.
- Use `item["link"]` for the result URL and `item.get("snippet", "")` for optional snippet text. Other search engines and optional SERP features can use different fields; follow the relevant endpoint documentation.

### Supported Languages
- **Python**: requests library examples
- **Node.js**: fetch / axios examples
- **PHP**: cURL examples
- **Go**: net/http examples
- **cURL**: Direct HTTP requests

### Performance
- **Response Time**: Workload-dependent; this document does not provide a measured p95 latency or a latency guarantee.
- **Availability**: See https://www.searchcans.com/status/ for published service status. This document does not establish a contractual SLA or an independently verified availability benchmark.
- **Concurrency**: Parallel Lanes (1-113 per plan, stackable up to 200+). No hourly throughput limits.
- **Credits**: Only successful HTTP 200 responses deduct credits.

## Popular Blog Posts

### AI & LLM Integration
1. **LangChain + SearchCans Integration**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/langchain-serper-alternative-top-serp-apis/
   - Build AI agents with real-time web search

2. **Building RAG Pipeline with Reader API**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/building-rag-pipeline-with-reader-api/
   - Convert web content to LLM-ready format

3. **Scaling AI Agents: Unlimited Concurrency**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/scaling-ai-agents-parallel-search-lanes-faster-requests/
   - Handle high-volume AI applications

### SEO & Rank Tracking
4. **Build DIY Keyword Rank Tracker**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/build-diy-keyword-rank-tracker/
   - Compare SEO tooling workflows and costs using current sources

5. **Cheapest SERP API Comparison 2026**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/cheapest-serp-api-comparison-2026/
   - Price comparison with current source notes

### Web Scraping Alternatives
6. **Python Google Scraping Tutorial 2026**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/how-to-scrape-google-search-results-python-2026/
   - API-based alternative to direct browser scraping

7. **Bypass Google 429 Errors**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/fix-429-too-many-requests-scraping/
   - Use the SERP API instead of managing browser scraping directly

### Reader API Guides
8. **Reader API vs Jina Reader**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/reader-api-vs-jina-reader/
   - Feature and price comparison

9. **Web to Markdown for RAG**
   https://www.searchcans.com/blog/web-to-markdown-api-rag-optimization/
   - Prepare web content for LLM and RAG workflows

10. **URL Content Extraction Guide**
    https://www.searchcans.com/blog/url-content-extraction-api-guide/
    - Complete Reader API tutorial

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How are credits consumed?**
A: Standard Google and Bing search use 1 credit per request. Reader API standard mode uses 2 credits per request. Premium add-ons such as Proxy Pool tiers consume additional credits. Credits are deducted only for successful HTTP 200 responses.

**Q: Do credits expire?**
A: Credits are valid for 6 months from purchase.

**Q: Is there a free tier?**
A: Yes. New users get 100 free credits, and no payment method is required to start.

**Q: How can I earn free credits beyond the sign-up bonus?**
A: Three ways: (1) Refer friends - earn +300 credits per successful registration (up to 30/month) and 20% of their first purchase over 10,000 credits; (2) Redeem free codes - browse available batches at /dashboard/redeem-codes/, one code per batch per account; (3) Share & Earn - post about SearchCans on social media and submit the URL for AI review, earn +1,000 credits per approval with no submission limit.

**Q: How does Share & Earn work?**
A: Post about SearchCans on social media (the post must include searchcans.com or your referral link), then submit the post URL in Dashboard -> Rewards -> Share & Earn. Our AI agent reviews within 24 hours. Approved submissions earn +1,000 credits. There is no limit on how many posts you can submit.

**Q: Are there rate limits?**
A: No hourly rate limits. We use Parallel Lanes instead. A lane is one request that can run now. When one request finishes, that lane opens again. You can stack eligible plans to increase lanes - for example, 2x $99 = 10 lanes.

**Q: Do more lanes change credit cost?**
A: No. Credits control usage volume. Lanes control how much work can run at the same time. One request still uses the same credits based on the endpoint you call.

**Q: What's the difference between SearchCans and SerpApi?**
A: SearchCans combines SERP and Reader APIs in one platform and credit pool, with prepaid plans and Parallel Lanes for concurrent requests. Compare current provider pricing and capabilities using source-dated pages.

**Q: Can I cancel anytime?**
A: Current prepaid credit packs do not have recurring billing. Buy credits when you need them and use them within their stated validity period.

**Q: Do you offer refunds?**
A: We offer a 7-day refund window from the date of purchase, provided that less than 10% of the purchased credits have been used. All API activity across your account counts toward the usage threshold. See Terms of Service Section 4.3 for full details.

**Q: What payment methods do you accept?**
A: Credit card via Stripe. Enterprise customers can request invoice payment.

## Support & Contact

### Get Help
- **Email**: support@searchcans.com
- **Response Time**: Within 24 hours
- **Documentation**: https://www.searchcans.com/apis/
- **FAQ**: https://www.searchcans.com/faq/

### Try Now
1. **Free Trial**: https://www.searchcans.com/register/ (100 credits; no payment method required to start)
2. **Playground**: https://www.searchcans.com/playground/ (test in browser)
3. **Docs**: https://www.searchcans.com/apis/ (copy-paste code)
4. **Pricing**: https://www.searchcans.com/pricing/ (see all plans)

## Why SearchCans?

**Prepaid Pricing**: Packs start at $18, with rates from $0.56-0.90 per 1,000 credits across paid plans. Standard SERP uses 1 credit per request; standard Reader uses 2, before proxy add-ons.
**Parallel Search Lanes**: Concurrent request model with Lane Stacking for scale
**Dual Engine**: SERP + Reader in one platform
**Free Start**: 100 free credits; no payment method required to start
**Real-time Data**: Live search results, not cached
**LLM-Ready**: Markdown output perfect for RAG/AI
**5-Minute Setup**: Get started in minutes, not hours
**Current Prepaid Packs**: No recurring subscription required

## Alternative To
- SerpApi, Serper.dev, Bright Data, and other SERP providers; compare current, source-dated pricing and limits before choosing.
- Jina Reader, Firecrawl, and Diffbot for web content extraction workflows; compare extraction scope, response format, and current pricing.

---

## About This File
This file follows the llms.txt specification for AI-friendly website information.
Learn more: https://llmstxt.org/

Last updated: 2026-09-10
Version: 7.4 (Corrected Google/Bing SERP examples and response-field guidance.)