# Thunderbit, free, POST /search, Search and Distill: Web search API

> POST a Google search query and get the top results Distilled in one call. Each result returns the search snippet plus optional Markdown, summary, question/answer, highlights, links, and images.

Thunderbit's web search API on its Free plan. It costs $0.00 per 1,000 searches. It returns 3 of the 6 key fields we check. 1 is in the plan's price: Text. 2 cost extra: Links, Answer.
We rank 379 plans by price. [Octen's top-up from $5](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/octen/top-up-from-5-base-post-pulse-search-pulse-search/llms.txt) is the cheapest paid plan per 1,000 searches: $0.10.
[Context.dev](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/context-dev/500-monthly/llms.txt), [Desearch](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/desearch/top-up/llms.txt) and [ContextFetch](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/contextfetch/top-up-from-10-pay-as-you-go-post-tavily-search-tavily-compatible-search-basic/llms.txt) are the best web search API providers in our benchmark.

- This page: https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/free-post-search-search-and-distill
- [Best web search API in 2026](https://datacircle.dev/best-web-search-api.txt)
- Get it: https://thunderbit.com/api-pricing
- Request: `POST https://openapi.thunderbit.com/openapi/v1/search`, Search and Distill
- API key: with the plan, on https://thunderbit.com/api-pricing
- Its API docs: https://thunderbit.com/docs/api-reference/endpoints/search
- Sold by: Thunderbit (https://thunderbit.com)
- Checked: 2026-10-29

## In the answer

- Completeness: 50%
- Text: ✓
- Links: ✓ costs more
- Answer: ✓ costs more

## Price

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

## Aggregators

- Aggregators: none

## Charges

- Most per search: 10
- Extra fields: fetched page content, page links, images: +$0.00 · summary: +$0.00 · answer: +$0.00 · highlights: +$0.00
- Also pays for: from the same budget: Distill Single Page · Batch Distill · Extract Structured Data · Batch Extract

## Overage

- Units cap: hard

## Not found

- $ per 1,000: $0.00

## In their words

- Their pitch: POST a Google search query and get the top results Distilled in one call. Each result returns the search snippet plus optional Markdown, summary, question/answer, highlights, links, and images.

## Data

- Freshness: live
- Keep data: no limit
- Use data: When using the Scraping Services, you agree to the following: (a) Third-Party Service Compliance. You are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of the Scraping Services complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and the terms of service of Third-Party Services. [...] (d) Personal Data. You must not use the Scraping Services to collect personal data unless you have a lawful basis for such collection and processing. [...] (e) Authentication and Access. You shall not use the Scraping Services to access content protected by authentication systems unless you have valid, authorized access to such content. [...] (f) Intellectual Property. You are responsible for ensuring that your use of scraped data respects the intellectual property rights of third parties. [...] When using the API or SDK, you agree to the following: (a) You shall not exceed the rate limits or usage quotas applicable to your Account. (b) You shall not share API keys or SDK credentials with unauthorized parties. [...] (e) You shall not use the API or SDK to build services that compete directly with the Services.

## Plan

- Pay: $0
- You get: 600 credits
- Enough for: 600 calls

## Rate limit

- Per second: 0.17
- Concurrent: 2
- Batch: 1

## Speed

- Answer: in the call

## The call

- You send: query, Content-Type header "application/json". Optional: limit, site, formats, timeout
- Method: POST
- Path: /search

## About the plan

- Plan: Free
- Who can get it: anyone with a Thunderbit account who is at least 18 years old, or of the age of majority in their jurisdiction if greater

## The 9 fields the plan's answer can hold

query, results returned, successful results, credits used, position, page title, URL, snippet, result status

## Thunderbit's plans (11)

- [Thunderbit, free, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/free-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $29 monthly, Starter, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/29-monthly-starter-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $4.833 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $72 monthly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/72-monthly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $1.20 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $120 monthly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/120-monthly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $1.00 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $240 monthly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/240-monthly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $1.00 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $480 monthly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/480-monthly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $1.00 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $192 yearly, Starter, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/192-yearly-starter-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $3.20 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $480 yearly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/480-yearly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $0.80 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $840 yearly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/840-yearly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $0.70 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $1,560 yearly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/1560-yearly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $0.65 per 1,000, 50% complete, live
- [Thunderbit, $3,000 yearly, Pro, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/3000-yearly-pro-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt): $0.625 per 1,000, 50% complete, live

## Thunderbit's calls for this API (2)

- `POST /search`, Search and Distill: [Thunderbit, free, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/free-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt)
- `POST /search`, Search and Distill, full: [Thunderbit, free, POST /search, Search and Distill, full](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/free-post-search-search-and-distill-full/llms.txt)

## Thunderbit's APIs (2)

- [Thunderbit: web scraping API pricing, 11 plans, POST /batch/distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/thunderbit/free-post-batch-distill/llms.txt)
- [Thunderbit: web scraping API pricing, 11 plans, POST /distill, Distill Single Page](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/thunderbit/free-post-distill-distill-single-page/llms.txt)
- [Thunderbit: web scraping API pricing, 11 plans, POST /distill, Distill Single Page, full](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/thunderbit/free-post-distill-distill-single-page-full/llms.txt)
- [Thunderbit: web search API pricing, 11 plans, POST /search, Search and Distill](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/thunderbit/free-post-search-search-and-distill/llms.txt)

## Thunderbit: web search API alternatives

- [Context.dev, $300 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/context-dev/300-monthly/llms.txt): $0.60 per 1,000, 17% complete, live
- [DataBlue, $649 yearly](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/datablue/649-yearly/llms.txt): $0.601 per 1,000, 33% complete, live
- [Search1API, $499 pack, Pay as you go, $499 (+60% bonus), POST /search, Search](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/search1api/499-pack-pay-as-you-go-499-60-bonus-post-search-search/llms.txt): $0.625 per 1,000, 33% complete, live
- [Serpex, top-up from $50](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/serpex/top-up-from-50/llms.txt): $0.65 per 1,000, 17% complete, live

## Sources

From each provider's own pricing page and docs, and from what providers tell us. We read this row from these pages on 2026-10-29.

- https://thunderbit.com/api-pricing
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/api-reference/endpoints/search
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/api-reference/overview
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/guides/faq
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/guides/output-formats
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/guides/rate-limits
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/guides/units
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/llms.txt
- https://thunderbit.com/docs/recipes/search-and-distill
- https://thunderbit.com/terms