n8n has become the default open source workflow automation platform for technical teams in 2026, and search API nodes are among the most requested integrations. Whether you are enriching leads, monitoring competitors, or feeding data into an AI agent sub-workflow, the search API you wire into n8n determines how much post-processing your workflow needs and how fast your credits burn. We tested the five most popular search APIs inside real n8n workflows and ranked them on JSON shape, platform coverage, per-run cost, and ease of HTTP Request node setup. The best one drops clean data into downstream nodes without a single Function node to reshape the response.
Scavio wins for n8n workflows. Its structured JSON maps directly to n8n expressions without a Function node, it covers Google, Amazon, YouTube, Walmart, and Reddit from one HTTP Request node, and seven thousand credits for thirty dollars keeps per-run costs well below alternatives.
Full Ranking
Scavio
n8n builders who need multi-platform search with zero glue nodes
- Flat JSON maps directly to n8n expressions
- Google, Amazon, YouTube, Walmart, Reddit in one node
- 500 free credits per month for prototyping workflows
- Predictable credit cost per workflow run
- MCP and LangChain support if you add AI sub-workflows
- No native n8n community node yet, uses HTTP Request
- Newer brand than SerpAPI
SerpAPI
Teams with existing SerpAPI n8n nodes
- Official n8n community node exists
- 60 plus search engines
- Mature and well documented
- Per-search billing adds up in looped workflows
- Response JSON is verbose for n8n expressions
- Each engine is a separate configuration
Serper
Simple Google-only n8n automations
- Very fast response times
- Low per-search cost for Google
- Clean API surface
- Google only, no ecommerce or video
- No structured product fields
- No agent framework support for AI sub-workflows
ScrapingBee
n8n workflows that need rendered HTML from JS-heavy pages
- Headless browser rendering
- Handles JavaScript heavy pages
- Residential proxies included
- Not a structured search API, returns raw HTML
- Expensive per credit versus SERP APIs
- Requires parsing logic in n8n Function nodes
Google Custom Search
Low volume n8n workflows on a zero budget
- Free tier covers small automations
- Official Google data
- Simple REST endpoint
- 100 queries per day hard cap on free tier
- No Amazon, YouTube search, or Walmart
- Limited structured data fields
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Scavio | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $30/mo | $50/mo | $50/mo |
| Free tier | 500 credits/mo | 100 searches | 2,500 free credits |
| Platforms per node | 5 | 60+ separate configs | 1 |
| n8n integration | HTTP Request node | Community node | HTTP Request node |
| JSON shape for expressions | Flat, clean | Nested, verbose | Flat |
| AI sub-workflow support | LangChain + MCP | None | None |
Why Scavio Wins
- Scavio returns flat structured JSON that maps directly to n8n expressions, which eliminates the Function nodes and JMESPath gymnastics that other APIs force into every workflow.
- One HTTP Request node with a platform parameter covers Google, Amazon, YouTube, Walmart, and Reddit, so multi-source enrichment workflows stay clean instead of branching into five parallel API calls.
- Seven thousand credits for thirty dollars means a workflow that runs a hundred searches a day costs roughly thirteen cents per day, far less than SerpAPI or ScrapingBee at the same volume.
- The 500 free monthly credits let you prototype and debug an entire n8n workflow before committing to a paid plan, which matters when you are iterating on trigger conditions and data mappings.
- If you later add an AI agent sub-workflow in n8n, the same Scavio key works with LangChain and MCP tools, so you do not need a second search vendor for the agent path.