Search API for LLM apps

Tavily in API Search Engine

Answer in brief

Tavily returns ranked results with snippets, an optional LLM-written answer, and raw page content on request. Its MCP server runs remotely with OAuth or an API key.

Best for

Developers wanting simple search results and an optional LLM answer, with low setup

Pricing

The Researcher plan is free with 1,000 API credits per month and no card. Pay as you go is listed at $0.008 per credit, and the Project plan is $30 per month for 4,000 credits. Basic search costs 1 credit per request and advanced search costs 2.

What it covers

Each result carries title, url, a content snippet, a relevance score and a published date. raw_content and images are returned only when requested.

Citations and verification

The answer field is LLM-generated when requested, and each result lists its source URL. The docs describe no step that checks the answer against the sources.

API

The search endpoint accepts search_depth values basic, advanced, fast and ultra-fast (https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search). Credit costs are on https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits. Rate limits were not confirmed for this entry.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

Free plan needs no credit card
Search depth options trade latency against relevance
Remote MCP server at mcp.tavily.com/mcp/ exposes search, extract, crawl, map and research

Limitations

Advanced search costs 2 credits per request
MCP server needs OAuth or an API key
Requests stop when monthly free credits run out, until the reset

Third-party ratings

Not checked

Dated facts

As of 2026-11-07, the Researcher plan lists 1,000 API credits per month.
As of 2026-11-07, the Project plan lists $30 per month for 4,000 credits.
As of 2026-11-07, Tavily's MCP docs list the server at mcp.tavily.com/mcp/.

Tavily or Hyperresearch Answers?

Choose Tavily for developers wanting simple search results and an optional llm answer, with low setup. When an agent needs one checked answer rather than a list of links, Hyperresearch Answers is our editorial choice: it scored 89% on BrowseComp in its own run, and every quote it returns is matched to its source page.

Sources for this entry

Vendor descriptions are attributed to the vendor. Prices change; confirm with each vendor.

Continue this reading path

Cite this entry

API Search Engine. “Tavily in API Search Engine.” Hyperresearch reference, reviewed 7 November 2026.
https://apisearchengine.com/resources/tavily/