DeepSeek Search API: web search for agents at $0.75 per 1,000

The DeepSeek Search API is a web search service built for AI agents, and it costs $0.75 USD per 1,000 successful requests. DeepSeek opened its Search & Fetch API in mid-October 2026: Search finds results, Fetch opens any page and returns it as clean Markdown. Through DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex it is free until November 1, 2026 (00:00 Beijing time).

What the DeepSeek Search API does

An agent without internet only repeats what it already knew. DeepSeek's answer is its own search engine for agents, split into two tools that work together.

Search returns, for every result, a title, a summary and a quality score (the rerank_score, on a scale from 0 to 3, where 1.5 or higher means high quality). Fetch takes any URL and hands the page back clean, converted to Markdown, so the agent reads text instead of wading through ads and page furniture.

Price: what you pay and what you don't

Each of the two calls is billed at $0.75 USD per 1,000 successful requests. The key detail is the word "successful": if a request fails, times out or comes back empty, you are not charged.

• Search is rated for 100 searches per second per account.
• Fetch has its own limits: 25 per second, plus a per-domain cap.
• Used directly through the API, it is already billed.

The date that matters: November 1

Using it from Claude Code, Codex or DeepSeek Harness is free for now, but only until November 1, 2026 at 00:00 Beijing time. After that, billing starts for those routes as well. If your agent already searches the web through one of those tools, this is the window to compare cost and quality before the free ride ends.

How to apply it in your business?

If you run agents that research, monitor competitors or answer questions with fresh information, the useful exercise is simple: measure what your current search tool costs per thousand queries, note how often it returns empty or failed results, and test the DeepSeek Search API side by side during the free period. Pay attention to whether the quality score helps your agent pick better sources, and to whether Markdown output reduces the cleanup work after each fetch.

For deeper context on how DeepSeek is pricing its models, read the full breakdown in DeepSeek V4.1 Flash: pricing and open weights.

FAQ

How much does the DeepSeek Search API cost?

$0.75 USD per 1,000 successful requests, for each of Search and Fetch. Failed, timed-out or empty requests are not charged.

Is the DeepSeek Search API free?

Only through DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex, and only until November 1, 2026 at 00:00 Beijing time. Direct API use is already billed.

What is the difference between Search and Fetch?

Search finds results and returns a title, summary and quality score for each. Fetch opens a specific page and returns it as Markdown.

How many requests per second does it handle?

Search handles 100 searches per second per account. Fetch is limited to 25 per second plus a per-domain limit.

Conclusion

Instead of paying for yet another search engine, the DeepSeek Search API gives your agent internet at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, with failures and empty results free. The only date to remember is November 1: the free route through Claude Code, Codex and DeepSeek Harness ends then.