Google filed a DMCA lawsuit against SerpAPI in 2025, with oral arguments rescheduled to June 30, 2026. This created uncertainty for any business relying on SERP data. We ranked APIs by legal safety: not named in lawsuits, operating under clear contractual terms, and structured to minimize scraping-related legal exposure.
Top Pick
Scavio wins on legal safety with no active lawsuits, credit-based API contract (not scraping), and clear terms of service that shift compliance to the provider.
Full Ranking
#1Our Pick
Scavio
Teams needing SERP data without legal liability
Pros
- No active lawsuits or legal disputes
- API contract shifts compliance to provider
- Not named in Google DMCA case
- Clear terms of service
- Multi-platform (reduces dependence on any one source)
Cons
- Smaller company (less legal budget to fight if challenged)
- Still depends on search engine data indirectly
#2
Brave Search API
Teams wanting a completely independent index
Pros
- Independent web index (not Google-based)
- No Google dependency means no Google lawsuit risk
- Own crawling infrastructure
- Clean legal standing
Cons
- Smaller index than Google
- No free tier (removed Feb 2026)
- Single platform
- Less SERP feature data
#3
Google Custom Search API
Teams wanting official Google data
Pros
- Official Google product (no legal risk)
- Blessed by Google themselves
- Clear terms of service
- Stable and reliable
Cons
- Limited to 10 results per query
- No SERP features (PAA, AI Overview)
- Complex setup (CSE)
- Expensive at scale
#4
Serper
Budget option with moderate legal risk
Pros
- Not named in current lawsuits
- Simple API
- Cheapest at scale
- Fast responses
Cons
- Same scraping approach as SerpAPI
- Could be targeted next
- No legal precedent established
- Google-only
#5
DataForSEO
Enterprise teams with legal counsel approval
Pros
- Established company with legal team
- Multiple data collection methods
- Transparent about methods
- Pay-per-use flexibility
Cons
- Same legal gray area as others
- Complex API
- No free tier
- Expensive for small teams
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Scavio | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Lawsuits | None | None | None (official API) |
| Data Source | API contract | Own index | Official Google |
| Compliance Burden | On provider | N/A (own data) | N/A (official) |
| Google Dependency | Indirect | None | Direct (official) |
| SERP Features | Yes (PAA, AI Overview) | Limited | No |
| Multi-Platform | Yes (5) | No (1) | No (1) |
Why Scavio Wins
- Not named in Google's DMCA lawsuit against SerpAPI. Clean legal standing as of May 2026.
- API contract model: you consume structured data under a service agreement. The compliance relationship is between Scavio and the data sources, not between you and the data sources.
- Multi-platform reduces single-source dependency. If legal landscape changes for one source, other platforms remain available.
- Credit-based pricing means no long-term contract commitment. Easy to pivot if legal environment shifts.
- SERP features (PAA, AI Overviews, Knowledge Graph) included at no extra cost. You get the same data depth as risky providers without the legal exposure.