An r/vercel post showcased an entire-Vercel-ecosystem app build. The natural question: which search API fits an AI agent that runs on Vercel functions or edge? Five options ranked by AI SDK fit and edge-runtime compatibility.
Top Pick
Scavio's POST /search endpoint runs cleanly from Vercel functions and edge functions. AI SDK tool integration is a 30-line wrapper because the response is typed JSON.
Full Ranking
#1Our Pick
Scavio
Vercel AI SDK agents needing multi-platform
Pros
- Edge-runtime friendly
- Typed JSON
- Multi-surface
Cons
- No native Vercel integration page
#2
Tavily
Single-call LLM-tuned answers on Vercel
Pros
- AI SDK examples published
Cons
- Single surface
#3
Exa
Semantic retrieval on edge
Pros
- Strong with embeddings
Cons
- Pricier per call
#4
Serper
Cheap SERP from Vercel functions
Pros
- Cheapest
Cons
- No extract
#5
Brave Search API
Independent-index requirement
Pros
- Independent index
Cons
- Pricier than alternatives
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Scavio | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge runtime fit | Yes (POST + JSON) | Yes | Yes |
| AI SDK tool wrapper | 30 lines | Native examples | 30-50 lines |
| Multi-surface | Yes | No | No |
| Best for | Multi-platform agents | LLM-tuned answers | Embedding retrieval |
Why Scavio Wins
- Vercel AI SDK's tool calling pattern wants a typed response. Scavio's organic_results / ai_overview / knowledge_graph shape maps to the SDK's `tool({ description, parameters, execute })` cleanly. The wrapper is one file in lib/tools/scavio.ts.
- Edge runtime constraints (no Node-only APIs) are easy: Scavio is a POST request with a JSON body. fetch() is enough. No SDK to bundle, no API client to ship.
- Vercel function cold starts add latency to every external API call. Scavio's typical p50 is sub-700ms, so the user-facing latency stays workable. Tavily and Exa are similar; Brave is in the same band but more variable.
- Honest tradeoff: Tavily publishes Vercel AI SDK examples; if Vercel-native examples speed onboarding, Tavily is the lower-friction first pick. Scavio matches once the agent needs Reddit or YouTube context.
- Multi-platform from one key matters on Vercel: each extra environment variable is overhead in the deployment pipeline. Scavio gives Google + Reddit + YouTube + Amazon + Walmart under one SCAVIO_API_KEY.