# Alibaba Cloud IQS, free: Web search API

> 信息查询服务让每个大模型都能轻松访问全网最新、最准确的信息。

Alibaba Cloud IQS's web search API on its Free trial credits plan. It costs $0.00 per 1,000 searches. Alibaba Cloud IQS's docs list 3 of the 6 key fields we check: Date, Text, Links.
Alibaba Cloud IQS limits how many calls you get but gives no number.
We haven't run Alibaba Cloud IQS through [our web search API benchmark](https://datacircle.dev/best-web-search-api.txt) yet.
This plan is free. We rank 712 plans for web search APIs by price. Half the plans cost $3.80 per 1,000 searches or less.
[browserfoundry by keirolabs's $99.99 monthly plan](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/browserfoundry-by-keirolabs/99-99-monthly-startup-post-api-v2-search-lite/llms.txt) is the cheapest paid plan per 1,000 searches: $0.033.
[browserfoundry by keirolabs](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/browserfoundry-by-keirolabs/10-pack-starter-pack-post-api-v2-search-lite/llms.txt), [Context.dev](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/context-dev/300-monthly/llms.txt) and [Exa](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/exa/top-up-from-5-developer-pay-as-you-go-post-search-search/llms.txt) are the best web search API providers in the Datacircle benchmark.

- This page: https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/free
- [Web search API: the best of 30+ providers compared](https://datacircle.dev/best-web-search-api.txt)
- Get it: https://www.aliyun.com/product/iqs?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- Request: `POST https://cloud-iqs.aliyuncs.com/search/unified`
- API key: with the plan, on https://www.aliyun.com/product/iqs?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- Its API docs: https://help.aliyun.com/zh/document_detail/3062218.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- Sold by: Alibaba Cloud IQS (https://www.aliyun.com/product/iqs?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing)
- Checked: 2026-11-06

## In the answer

- Completeness: 50%
- Date: ✓
- Text: ✓
- Links: ✓

## Price

- $ per 1,000 searches: $0.00
- Per: call
- Billing: free

## Aggregators

- Aggregators: none

## Not found

- $ per 1,000: $0.00

## In their words

- Their pitch: 信息查询服务让每个大模型都能轻松访问全网最新、最准确的信息。

## Data

- Keep data: no limit
- Use data: 10.1. 在本协议项下一方向对方提供的任何资料、技术或技术支持、软件、服务等的知识产权均属于提供一方或其合法权利人所有；除提供方或合法权利人明示同意外，另一方无权复制、传播、转让、许可或提供他人使用上述知识成果，否则应承担相应的责任。

## Plan

- Pay: $0

## Rate limit

- Batch: 1

## Speed

- Answer: in the call

## The call

- You send: query. Optional: engineType, timeRange, category, locationInfo.city, locationInfo.ip, contents.mainText, contents.markdownText, contents.richMainBody, contents.summary, contents.rerankScore, advancedParams.numResults, advancedParams.startPublishedDate, advancedParams.endPublishedDate, advancedParams.includeSites, advancedParams.excludeSites
- Method: POST
- Path: /search/unified

## About the plan

- Plan: Free trial credits
- Who can get it: anyone with an Alibaba Cloud account that has passed real-name verification

## The 20 fields the plan's answer can hold

request ID, page title, URL, snippet, published date, main text, markdown text, rich text, page images, site name, logo, rerank score, host authority score, website authority score, relevance tag, page tags, scene results, search time, engine type, original query

## Alibaba Cloud IQS's plans (20)

- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, free](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/free/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Lite (engineType CNLiteBasic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-lite-enginetype-cnlitebasic/llms.txt): $1.196 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Auto (engineType CNAuto)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-auto-enginetype-cnauto/llms.txt): $2.692 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Global (engineType GlobalAdvanced)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-global-enginetype-globaladvanced/llms.txt): $8.375 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 30 QPS, tier 1 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-30-qps-tier-1-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $6.282 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 30 QPS, tier 2 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-30-qps-tier-2-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.683 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 30 QPS, tier 3 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-30-qps-tier-3-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.085 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 30 QPS, tier 4 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-30-qps-tier-4-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $4.487 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 60 QPS, tier 1 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-60-qps-tier-1-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $6.282 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 60 QPS, tier 2 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-60-qps-tier-2-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.683 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 60 QPS, tier 3 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-60-qps-tier-3-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.085 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 100 QPS, tier 1 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-100-qps-tier-1-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $6.282 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 60 QPS, tier 4 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-60-qps-tier-4-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $4.487 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 100 QPS, tier 2 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-100-qps-tier-2-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.683 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 100 QPS, tier 3 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-100-qps-tier-3-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.085 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 100 QPS, tier 4 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-100-qps-tier-4-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $4.487 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 200 QPS, tier 1 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-200-qps-tier-1-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $6.282 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 200 QPS, tier 2 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-200-qps-tier-2-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.683 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 200 QPS, tier 3 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-200-qps-tier-3-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $5.085 per 1,000, 50% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS, pay as you go, Generic 200 QPS, tier 4 (engineType Generic)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/pay-as-you-go-generic-200-qps-tier-4-enginetype-generic/llms.txt): $4.487 per 1,000, 50% complete

## Alibaba Cloud IQS's calls for this API (1)

- `POST /search/unified`: [Alibaba Cloud IQS, free](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/free/llms.txt)

## Alibaba Cloud IQS's APIs (2)

- [Alibaba Cloud IQS: image search API pricing, 3 plans](https://datacircle.dev/image-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/free/llms.txt)
- [Alibaba Cloud IQS: web search API pricing, 20 plans](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud-iqs/free/llms.txt)

## Alibaba Cloud IQS: web search API alternatives

- [Diffbot, $299 monthly, Startup, POST /api/v1/web_search](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/diffbot/299-monthly-startup-post-api-v1-web-search/llms.txt): $1.196 per 1,000, 17% complete
- [Alibaba Cloud, pay as you go, CN Edition (Lite)](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/alibaba-cloud/pay-as-you-go-cn-edition-lite/llms.txt): $1.196 per 1,000, 33% complete
- [Firecrawl, $7,190 yearly, Scale, POST /v2/search, Search](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/firecrawl/7190-yearly/llms.txt): $1.198 per 1,000, 33% complete
- [Searlo, $799 pack, Enterprise, POST /search-and-scrape, Search and Scrape, full](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/searlo/799-pack-enterprise-post-search-and-scrape-search-and-scrape-full/llms.txt): $1.198 per 1,000, 17% complete

## Sources

From each provider's own pricing page and docs, and from what providers tell us. We read this row from these pages on 2026-11-06.

- https://help.aliyun.com/zh/document_detail/2870227.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://help.aliyun.com/zh/document_detail/3057186.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://help.aliyun.com/zh/document_detail/3061214.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://help.aliyun.com/zh/document_detail/3062218.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://terms.aliyun.com/legal-agreement/terms/suit_bu1_ali_cloud/suit_bu1_ali_cloud201802281451_77479.html?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://www.aliyun.com/product/iqs?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing
- https://www.aliyun.com/product/iqs/pricing?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=web-search-api-pricing