“Could you compile a table of overview of comparison of web-search api providers?”
“Are you sure the result if up-to-date? Skywork still provides search service? How about doubao search backed by bytedance?”
This edition re-audits the China shortlist against 40 evidence rows gathered as of 2026-09-06: official Skywork GitHub code, official Volcano Engine documentation and article pages, and recent independent launch and pricing reports. It verifies documentation, code and current reports only — no live authenticated API call was made. The earlier report missed ByteDance-backed Doubao Search and overstated certainty about the old Skywork/Kunlun (Tiangong) item.
Current technical integration is evidenced first-party: the official SkyworkAI/Skywork-Skills repo and raw skill code require SKYWORK_API_KEY, post to a Skywork gateway /web_search route, and return structured search_res entries with content and source URLs; docs say get a key at skywork.ai. But this scan found no first-party public pricing page, SLA, quota table or standalone API reference — status is evaluate/contact vendor, not a verified procurement option. The old Tiangong/Kunlun AGI Sky-Saas-Search API rests only on 2024 third-party articles and is retired from the shortlist.
Yes — include it. Official Volcano Engine documentation covers 豆包搜索 Custom版 plus a new-feature record, and an official 2026 article describes console activation with Access Key/Secret Key, text and multimodal image search, always-on or on-demand triggering, and SaaS or private deployment. July 2026 reports say it is open to enterprises and developers via API, MCP and Skill, returns structured data plus original Markdown, with 500 free searches/month — verify quota and pricing in the Volcano console.
The raw web_search.py builds the URL as a Skywork gateway /web_search route, sends Bearer SKYWORK_API_KEY, and parses search_res items with content and source url. raw.githubusercontent.com directs users to skywork.ai for a key.
Two official documentation pages (volcengine.com, volcengine.com) plus a new-function record confirm the product family, though the pages exposed no pricing text.
Volcano Engine's official 2026-04 article describes console activation with AK/SK, text and multimodal image search, always-on/on-demand trigger modes, and SaaS or private deployment.
July 2026 reports (news.aibase.com, aibase.com) describe API/Skill/MCP access, structured data plus Markdown output, and 500 free searches/month with pay-as-you-go overage — recent launch reports; verify in Volcano console.
The old row rests on 2024 third-party pieces (developer.volcengine.com, segmentfault.com) with "欢迎咨询" pricing — retired unless the vendor supplies current first-party commercial documentation.
Footnote (unverified third-party pricing): a 2026 guide quotes Doubao Search at CNY 5.9/month for 1,000 calls (50/day cap) and CNY 9.9/month for 2,000 calls (100/day cap) — api.treerouter.ai. Not confirmed by any official Volcano Engine page in this scan.
| # | Badge | Evidence | Date | Source |
|---|
Freshness audit of China web-search API providers, 2026-09-06. 40 evidence rows across five scans: official Skywork GitHub raw files, Skywork Skill Hub and directory listings, Volcano Engine official docs and article pages, and independent 2024–2026 reports. Badges classify claim strength: official implementation, official docs, secondary report, historical, excluded. Verification covers documentation, code and reports only — no live authenticated API call was made. Four unrelated Volcano developer-community articles were cut for space.