Serpstack vs. Scale SERP: Best Search Engine Results API?

As every marketer will tell you, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the mainstay of any successful website.

With the internet as pervasive as it has become over the last decade, the success of a brand on the web relies on where it stands against its competition on search engines (in particular Google). It can be difficult to achieve, however, as search engine results are dynamic because Google constantly adjusts them based on a variety of factors.

Analyzing your search engine optimization is, therefore, a complex task. Knowing your true position and the factors that got you there requires precise and detailed information, checked from various sources. If improving your search performance is your goal, two tools that can help get you where you want to be. They are Serpstack and Scale SERP. 

Serpstack is an API that allows its users to access real-time search results coming in from around the world. 

With Serpstack, sites and brands can check their standing on various keywords from different perspectives such as language, location, and device type. 

Scale SERP works along the same lines. It also gives results for varying languages, search types, and devices. It uses a proprietary, AI-powered, visual page inspection mechanism to parse pages. According to Scale SERP method allows for more complete and consistent results. 

Overall, Serpstack is a better tool due to its quicker output, scalability, foolproof security, and much more user-friendly. However, Scale SERP may provide a slightly more granular level of reporting for some search results, such as those for Google Scholar and Sports, and is a relatively cheaper option.

Main Features Compared

From the perspective of core features, Serpstack has the upper hand. It is the more speedy of the two alternatives, can handle tons of requests with ease, and provides airtight security.

Request processing speed

When it comes to processing speed, Serpstack is again superior. This is due to the fact it can perform relevant searches (even in large volumes) for users in a matter of milliseconds. Scale SERP is also reasonably fast but is still the slower option.

Scalability

Serpstack is highly scalable and can take millions of API requests without any waiting time for users. More importantly, it has better uptime — a recent third-party trial that included both APIs showed that Serpstack faced no downtime over a week while Scale SERP did. 

In terms of scalability, Serpstack performs at a higher level because it takes a different approach with its batch import feature. This feature allows you to merge up to 15,000 searches to merge. 

While it is effective, big challenge with this approach is that the output is a zip file with individual CSVs separated. In essence, the information is not pooled together, and it would take a dedicated developer to combine the files into a database that can provide meaningful results.

Security

Where security is concerned, Serpstack comes with 256-bit bank-level Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Encryption. 

This high degree of security implies that data to and from users’ systems is entirely secure from breaches by hackers, and their privacy is kept intact. 

Scale SERP also mentions the use of SSL during data transmission. However, since the API’s website does not position security as a critical feature, it’d be best for users to reach out to Scale SERP’s support team to determine how foolproof their security is.

Types of search results covered

All major types of search results are available in both APIs. These range from Ad, Organic, Image, and News to Inline Tweets and Knowledge Graphs.

Scale SERP offers some very niche result outputs relevant only to limited audiences. Two examples, in particular, are Google Scholar and Sports, which may benefit some users, but won’t benefit most.

Documentation and Integration

Serpstack is a much superior choice over Scale SERP when it comes to documentation and integration. Its documentation is far easier to scan through, and users can start working with the API within minutes. Scale SERP’s documentation has a challenging interface which hinders integration.

Serpstack’s documentation, in contrast, is user-friendly and straightforward. Its design aims at getting you started with the API as quickly as possible. 

Right at the top of the documentation page, there is a 3-Step Quickstart Guide. It allows you to quickly get your API Key (step 1), run your first API request (step 2), and integrate Seprstack into your application (step 3). 

In addition, Serpstack shares code samples in six different languages: PHP, Python, Node.js, jQuery, Go, and Ruby. There is also a sidebar on the left side of the page to help you navigate through topic areas easily. 

Finally, there is a helpful section within the documentation that shows API Error Codes. This section is handy if you run into a problem. It will help you understand the issue and troubleshoot it rapidly. 

In addition, the guide neatly divides the API into buckets based on the type of search (e.g., showcasing Organic Results, Ad Results, Image Results, and so on separately). 

There are also buttons to switch you between sample Google Result images and sample API Results for each form of results. This demo format lets users know precisely what to expect when they use API. 

Finally, the best part is that all documentation contents occupy a single page!

As well as having clear documentation, Serpstack’s integration process is rapid. In a matter of minutes, users can begin running big queries customized according to their needs based on languages, locations, and devices, etc. 

Scale SERP’s documentation, on the other hand, is not that user-friendly. 

For starters, each section has a separate page. So you need to switch between various topics within the same window in your browser or open multiple tabs at once. This interface issue alone makes the documentation challenging to sift through. 

In addition, as opposed to Serpstack’s code examples in six languages, Scale SERP gives code examples in four languages (Curl, Node.js, Python, and PHP). Sadly, there are no images provided to compare API results with the visible SERP outcomes.

These documentation limitations can get in the way of users getting started with the API.

Which One’s The Easiest to Use?

Serpstack is far more user-friendly than Scale SERP. This is due to its detailed documentation, diversity of languages, lightning speed, and excellent customer support.

The helpful documentation aids its smooth integration. This plays a significant role in putting Serpstack above Scale SERP in terms of ease of use, as Scale SERP’s complex documentation interface hinders integration. 

Also, Serpstack is a REST API, making it compatible with all programming languages (with code examples provided for six prominent ones). Scale SERP is limited in this regard, and its documentation has coding demos in only four languages. 

Serpstack’s unmatched speed is also a crucial element that helps push its user experience to another level. The ability to run high-volume API requests with minimal processing time helps Serpstack stand out. 

Finally, Serpstack has a reputation for top-notch customer support, with experts handling both basic and complex user queries.

Pricing Comparison

Scale SERP is less expensive than Serpstack. It also provides more free searches than Serpstack. So for users who seek lower prices over usability and functionality, Scale SERP could be a decent fit.

Serpstack and Scale SERP both offer free versions (details below).

Serpstack

Serpstack has four tiers: Basic, Business, Business Pro, and Enterprise. 

The main difference between the tiers is the number of searches allowed in a month.

The Basic tier comes with 5,000 monthly searches and costs $29.99/month (reduced to $23.99 per month for the annual billing option). 

With the Business tier, you can conduct 20,000 searches per month for $99.99 (brought down to $79.99 per month upon yearly billing). 

Finally, the Business Pro tier comes at $199.99 per month (cut to $159.99 a month if billed annually) and allows 50,000 searches. 

One difference between the three plans mentioned on the Serpstack website is the level of features available.

The Basic plan has core features, the Business plan comes with advanced features, and the Business Pro plan includes the complete set of API features. 

To understand more about what these different feature packages include, it would be best to contact the support team before opting for your ideal plan. 

The Enterprise level is separate and custom-priced according to the higher search volumes of the user (beyond 50,000). In addition, it offers premium dedicated support and custom SLA. 

Scale SERP does not differentiate pricing based on features. 

Instead, its price tiers are defined solely by the number of searches per month. 

The most basic level starts at just $4 a month, offering 250 searches. And the price tiers go all the way up to $145,000 per month for 500 million searches! 

Unlike Serpstack, Scale SERP offers no discounted yearly subscription option.

The only directly comparable price point is the $99.99 per month Serpstack Business plan versus the $99 per month Scale SERP tier. 

Scale SERP offers a much higher value with 30,000 searches (303 per dollar) than 20,000 searches (200 per dollar) for Serpstack.

Even with the annual subscription discount offered at this tier by Scale SERP, the value remains lower (250 searches per dollar) than that provided by Serpstack.

Free Tiers Compared

Serpstack’s free version offers 100 searches per month. The output shared is only in JSON format. 

The results cover every global location and type of search. 

Scale SERP allows 125 searches per month in its free version. This relatively higher number of searches is available in three different output formats (JSON, CSV, and HTML). Also, there is access to dedicated support in the free tier as well.

Which search engine results API should I use?

Analyzing search results in-depth from various angles is essential to the SEO success of websites and brands. Serpstack and Scale SERP are two APIs that cater to this need. 

Scale SERP might be helpful to assess some specific search types (e.g., Google Scholar and Sports) but Serpstack is a much superior option of the two in terms of speed, scalability, security, and user-friendliness.

Head over and get started with the lightning fast Google Search Results API from Serpstack!