If you're choosing between Scrape.do and Bright Data's SERP API for Google scraping, the short version is that Scrape.do came out ahead for Google in our side-by-side use. Both turn a Google query into structured JSON and both bill only for successful requests. On our own Google work, though, Scrape.do came back faster, failed less often, and returned ad results more completely. Bright Data still wins on breadth: more search engines, finer location targeting, and a much larger platform around the SERP API.
This comparison walks through how each one works, what we saw running them on the same queries, what they cost, and who should pick which. Both are reviewed in full: the Scrape.do review and the Bright Data SERP API review.
How Each One Works
Scrape.do has a dedicated Google Search endpoint. You call it with your token and a query, plus optional country (gl), language (hl), Google domain and device, and it returns parsed JSON:
curl --compressed "https://api.scrape.do/plugin/google/search?token=$SCRAPEDO_TOKEN&q=wireless+mouse&gl=us&hl=en"
Organic results come back alongside separate blocks for ads, local packs, maps and news cards, so nothing non-organic takes an organic position. A companion endpoint fetches AI Overviews that Google loads after the main page.
Bright Data's SERP API works like a proxy. You send a normal Google search URL through a SERP zone and add brd_json=1 to get parsed JSON back instead of HTML:
curl -x "http://brd-customer-<id>-zone-<serp_zone>:<password>@brd.superproxy.io:33335" -k \
"https://www.google.com/search?q=wireless+mouse&gl=us&hl=en&brd_json=1"
The proxy-style design means any HTTP client can use it without a new SDK, and standard Google parameters work as they would in a browser. Our Google SERP scraper guide has full PHP, Node.js and Rust samples for it.
What We Saw on the Same Queries
We run our Google scraping through both services side by side. Three differences stood out:
- Speed. Scrape.do returned results faster on the same queries. On a large keyword set, that shortens the whole crawl, not just individual requests.
- Failure rate. Fewer Scrape.do requests failed. Both bill only for successes, so failures don't cost credits on either service, but they still cost time and retry logic.
- Ads. Scrape.do's ad blocks came back populated more consistently. If you scrape Google to watch competitors' paid search, this is the difference that matters most.
These are observations from our day-to-day SERP work, not a controlled benchmark, so we don't quote figures. Your results may differ by country, query type and volume. Scrape.do's free plan (1,000 successful credits a month) covers a fair trial on your own keywords; run the same set through both before you commit.
Coverage and Targeting
Here Bright Data has the edge.
- Search engines. Bright Data's SERP API supports every major search engine and search type: text, images, maps, hotels, shopping and more. Scrape.do's ready-made endpoints are Google-focused: Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, News, Trends and the Play Store.
- Location. Bright Data targets down to country, state, city and ASN, which local rank tracking needs. Scrape.do supports 240+ countries through
gl, 84 Google domains and 150+ interface languages, plus country and language filters. - Platform. Bright Data's SERP API sits next to its proxy networks, Web Unlocker, Scraping Browser and dataset marketplace. Scrape.do's proxy product and scraping browser are still listed as coming soon.
Pricing
Scrape.do publishes its prices. The free plan gives 1,000 successful credits a month. Paid plans are $29 (250,000 credits), $99 (1,250,000), $249 (3,500,000) and $699 (10,000,000) a month, with custom enterprise plans above that. A Google Search request costs 10 credits, so the $29 plan covers about 25,000 searches. Every plan includes every feature.
Bright Data sells the SERP API pay-as-you-go, with monthly and yearly plans that discount the base rate, and doesn't headline a single price. Like Scrape.do, it bills only for successful requests.
Both models reward reliability, since you never pay for a blocked query. The practical difference is predictability: with Scrape.do you can work out your monthly cost from the pricing page before you sign up.
Verdict
For Google, we now recommend Scrape.do: it was faster, failed less often and returned ads more reliably in our use, and its pricing is simple and public. Choose Bright Data's SERP API when you need other search engines, city- or ASN-level targeting, or one enterprise vendor for every kind of data collection.
If you're weighing other options for search data, see Bright Data alternatives, and the provider rankings for the wider market.
FAQ
Is Scrape.do faster than Bright Data for Google scraping?
In our use, yes. On the same Google queries Scrape.do returned results noticeably faster than Bright Data's SERP API and failed less often. These are observations from our own SERP work rather than a published benchmark, so test both on your own keywords before committing.
Which one returns Google ads more reliably?
Scrape.do, in our testing. Both return structured results, but Scrape.do's ad blocks came back populated more consistently. It returns ads, local packs, maps and news as separate blocks, so they never take organic positions.
Which is cheaper for Google scraping?
Scrape.do publishes its prices: plans start at $29 a month for 250,000 credits, and a Google Search request costs 10 credits, so about 25,000 searches. Bright Data's SERP API is pay-as-you-go with monthly and yearly plans and no single headline price. Both charge only for successful requests, so compare them on your own volume.
When is Bright Data the better choice?
When you need search engines beyond Google, targeting down to city or ASN level, or you already use Bright Data's proxies, Web Unlocker or datasets and want one vendor. Its SERP API covers every major search engine and search type.