You.com

Web search and research APIs that give AI apps and agents real-time, cited web data.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About You.com

You.com started as a consumer search engine and AI chat app but now focuses on search infrastructure for AI. Its APIs return real-time web and news results, page contents, synthesised answers and multi-step research reports, so developers can ground their own chatbots and agents in current information. There is also an inference router for running leading AI models with zero data retention, an MCP server for connecting agents, and a chat platform for business users. Pricing is usage-based per thousand calls, with a free tier for web search through its MCP server and a free plan for testing. It is aimed at developers and companies building AI products rather than people looking for a homepage to search from. Those wanting a consumer answer engine should look at Perplexity or Brave Search instead.

Best for: Developers who need web search and research APIs for AI agents.

What works

Search, contents, answer and research APIs in one place
Free tier for trying web search via MCP
Usage-based pricing without a monthly minimum

Why people leave

No longer aimed at everyday consumer searching
Costs scale with call volume
Research API calls are slower than plain search

Top You.com alternatives

See all 4

1
Exa
A search engine built for AI, with its own neural index and free monthly credit.
66.5
2
Brave Search
Brave's Search API answers from its own independent index with monthly free credit.
62.6
3
Perplexity
If you want a finished consumer answer engine rather than APIs.
59.6
4
Mojeek
Independent web search API with simple per-request pricing.
57.2

Why people left You.com

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You.com: common questions

Is You.com free?

You.com has a free plan and paid plans. Free tier: Yes, via MCP server (checked on You.com's own site).

Is You.com open source?

No, You.com is not open source.

What platforms does You.com run on?

You.com is available for Web.

What are the best alternatives to You.com?

The highest-ranked You.com alternatives right now are Exa, Brave Search and Perplexity. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 You.com alternatives

You.com facts

3 of 3 verified

Web Search API: $5 per 1,000 calls (Standard); Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab); “Latency p50 ~0.4s Price $5 /1k calls”
Free tier: Yes, via MCP server; Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab); “Web Search API Free Live search through the MCP server, no API key—up to 100 queries a day.”
Contents API: $1 per 1,000 pages; Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab); “Latency 1-10s per page Price $1 /1k Pages Inference Router New Run leading AI models through one API.”