Closed to new customers

    Google Custom Search API alternative

    Google closed the Custom Search JSON API to new customers and gives existing customers until January 1, 2027 to move. Desearch returns ranked public web results as structured JSON, with no search engine ID to configure.

    Start for freeView Documentation
    Jan 1, 2027
    Existing-customer deadline
    GET /web
    No engine ID (cx) needed
    JSON
    Titles, URLs, snippets
    $0.10/100 searches
    Checked-in usage rate

    Web result preview

    The response shape your Custom Search integration expected.

    GET/web
    Agent query

    google custom search api replacement

    result title
    source URL
    result snippet
    usage metadata

    Response contract

    titles
    source URLs
    snippets
    cost metadata

    What happened

    The Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers.

    Google’s developer documentation states that the Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers and that existing customers have until January 1, 2027 to transition to an alternative. For searching up to 50 domains, Google suggests Vertex AI Search, which it is renaming Agent Search; teams that need full web search are asked to contact Google.

    Google now requires new Programmable Search Engines to use the “Sites to search” setting. Engines already configured to search the entire web keep that option until January 1, 2027, and Google notes that those engines search a subset of the Google Web Search corpus.

    Sources: Custom Search JSON API overview — Google for Developers; Sites to search requirement — Programmable Search Engine Help; Updates to our web search products — Programmable Search Engine blog. Checked September 16, 2026.

    Migration map

    What each Custom Search call becomes.

    Desearch is a separate API with its own parameters and response schema, so this is a re-integration rather than a base-URL swap. The endpoint reference has the exact contract for each request.

    What you did with Custom SearchDesearch equivalent
    GET customsearch/v1 with key, cx, and qGET /web takes a query and your API key — there is no search engine ID to createGET /web reference
    A Programmable Search Engine limited to a list of sitesWeb Search queries the public web without a site list to maintainWeb Search API
    Paging with start and num — up to 10 results per request and 100 in totalGET /web accepts start for paging; the endpoint reference lists the full request contractRequest parameters
    Summarizing Custom Search results with your own LLM callPOST /desearch/ai/search answers a prompt across sources you select, with an optional summarySearch API guide
    100 free queries a day, then billing per 1,000 queriesBillable responses carry cost_usd, usage_count, and service, plus X-Desearch-* headersPricing and billing

    Web Search is metered at $0.10 per 100 searches ($1.00 per 1,000 searches) and AI Search at $0.40 per 1000 items on the checked-in rate card. Google lists $5 per 1,000 Custom Search queries beyond the free daily allowance for existing customers. Current account rates are in pricing.

    First request

    Replace the call, then check the response.

    Create an API key, run one query, and compare the fields against what your Custom Search parser read — title, link, and snippet — before you change application code.

    Get API keySee the Web Search API
    curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.desearch.ai/web?query=google+custom+search+api+alternative' \
  --header 'Authorization: $DESEARCH_API_KEY'

    Still comparing

    Weighing other search APIs too?

    Every comparison lists the official sources behind it and the date it was reviewed.

    Google Custom Search API migration questions

    Shutdown dates, pricing, and what changes in your code.

    Google's developer documentation states that the Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers and that existing customers have until January 1, 2027 to transition to an alternative solution. The separate Custom Search Site Restricted JSON API was scheduled to stop serving traffic on January 8, 2025.

    For searching up to 50 domains, Google suggests Vertex AI Search, which it is renaming Agent Search. Google asks teams whose use case needs full web search to contact it to express interest.

    Google lists 100 free search queries per day and $5 per 1,000 additional queries, up to 10,000 queries per day. Google states that this pricing applies only to existing customers until the service is discontinued on January 1, 2027.

    New engines must use the Sites to search setting. Engines already configured to search the entire web keep that option until January 1, 2027, and Google notes that those engines search a subset of the Google Web Search corpus.

    No. Desearch has its own parameters and response schema, and there is no search engine ID (cx) to create. Review the GET /web endpoint reference, run one query, and map the fields your parser reads, such as title, link, and snippet, before changing application code.

    No. Desearch runs its own retrieval network on Bittensor Subnet 22 rather than reselling another engine's index. The network page explains how requests are served.

    Web Search is metered at $0.10 per 100 searches, or $1.00 per 1,000 searches, with no daily query cap on the rate card. Attaching a card when you sign up adds $5 in credits, which covers 5,000 searches; after that, usage is pay-as-you-go.