serpapi-rate-limits

name	serpapi-rate-limits
description	Handle SerpApi rate limits and credit-based usage quotas. Use when managing API credit consumption, implementing request throttling, or optimizing search volume for your plan tier. Trigger: "serpapi rate limit", "serpapi credits", "serpapi quota", "serpapi throttle".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit
version	1.4.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","search","seo","serpapi"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code

SerpApi Rate Limits

Overview

SerpApi uses credit-based pricing (each search = 1 credit) plus per-second rate limits. Retrieving cached/archived searches does not consume credits. Plans range from 100 searches/month (free) to unlimited (enterprise).

Plan Limits

Plan	Searches/Month	Rate Limit	Price
Free	100	1/second	$0
Developer	5,000	5/second	$75/mo
Business	15,000	10/second	$200/mo
Enterprise	50,000+	15/second	Custom

Instructions

Step 1: Monitor Credit Usage

import serpapi, os

client = serpapi.Client(api_key=os.environ["SERPAPI_API_KEY"])

# Check remaining credits before batch operations
account = client.account()
remaining = account["plan_searches_left"]
used = account["this_month_usage"]
total = account["total_searches_left"]

print(f"Used: {used}, Remaining: {remaining}")
if remaining < 100:
    print("WARNING: Low credits remaining")

Step 2: Request Throttling

import time
from threading import Semaphore

class ThrottledSerpApi:
    def __init__(self, api_key: str, max_per_second: int = 5):
        self.client = serpapi.Client(api_key=api_key)
        self.semaphore = Semaphore(max_per_second)
        self.last_request = 0

    def search(self, **params) -> dict:
        with self.semaphore:
            # Enforce minimum interval
            elapsed = time.time() - self.last_request
            if elapsed < 0.2:  # 5/sec max
                time.sleep(0.2 - elapsed)
            self.last_request = time.time()
            return self.client.search(**params)

Step 3: Use Archive to Avoid Credit Waste

# Retrieve a previous search result by ID (FREE, no credit charge)
archived = client.search(engine="google", search_id="previous_search_id")

# Check if a query was recently searched before spending a credit
# Store search IDs in your database keyed by query+params hash

Step 4: Node.js Rate Limiter

import PQueue from 'p-queue';
import { getJson } from 'serpapi';

const queue = new PQueue({
  concurrency: 3,       // Max parallel requests
  interval: 1000,       // Per second
  intervalCap: 5,       // Max 5 per second
});

async function throttledSearch(params: Record<string, any>) {
  return queue.add(() => getJson({
    ...params,
    api_key: process.env.SERPAPI_API_KEY,
  }));
}

// Batch search with automatic throttling
const queries = ['query1', 'query2', 'query3'];
const results = await Promise.all(
  queries.map(q => throttledSearch({ engine: 'google', q }))
);

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
429 Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded	Slow down, check plan tier
Searches exhausted	Monthly credits used up	Cache results, upgrade plan
Account disabled	Payment issue or abuse	Contact SerpApi support

Resources

• SerpApi Pricing
• Account API
• Searches Archive

Next Steps

For security configuration, see serpapi-security-basics.