# Universal Search Data API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/search)

> GET /v1/search/everywhere is one call that searches 12 social platforms at once — Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, GitHub, and more. An LLM plans the fan-out, results are fused, reranked, and clustered, and you receive them as JSON or streamed over SSE. Flat 20 credits per call, on the same x-api-key as SocialCrawl's other 43 platforms.

TL;DR: SocialCrawl's Universal Search API exposes 2 endpoints, 10 to 20 credits per call, all returning one unified JSON schema with AI-enriched fields. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Path | Credits | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Everywhere | GET | `/v1/search/everywhere` | 20 | Universal social search across 12 platforms |
| Forums | GET | `/v1/search/forums` | 10 | Fused forum search across Reddit, Hacker News, and Naver 지식iN/카페 — with top comments inline on hero threads by default. |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/search/everywhere?query=kanye%20west" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Every response shares one JSON envelope: `{ success, platform, endpoint, data, credits_used, credits_remaining }`.

## SocialCrawl vs Per-platform integrations (DIY)

| Feature | SocialCrawl | Per-platform integrations (DIY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Platforms per call | 12 platforms (up to 15 sources in hashtag mode) with one GET | One integration per platform — a dozen separate clients to write and run |
| Authentication | Single x-api-key for the whole fan-out | Separate keys, quotas, and approval queues for each platform |
| Result fusion | Weighted reciprocal rank fusion plus LLM reranking and clustering built in | Merging, dedup, and ranking logic is yours to design |
| Streaming | JSON or typed SSE chunks as each platform settles | A streaming layer has to be built on top of every client yourself |
| Pricing | Flat 20 credits per call, auto-refunded when zero results land | A dozen separate bills and rate-limit ceilings to track |
| Maintenance | Every connector stays alive behind one stable contract | Each platform change breaks one of your dozen integrations |

## FAQ

### What is a social media search API?

A social media search API lets you query social platforms programmatically instead of searching each one by hand. SocialCrawl's GET /v1/search/everywhere fans a single query out across 12 platforms in parallel — Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, Polymarket, GitHub, Threads, Pinterest, Perplexity, and Tavily — and returns one ranked, clustered result set.

### How does the universal social search pipeline work?

An LLM planner refines your query into per-platform subqueries, the fan-out runs across up to 15 sources in parallel, results are fused with weighted reciprocal rank fusion, reranked by an LLM, and grouped into clusters. Each result carries engagement, freshness, and source-quality signals plus real top comments from the post.

### Which platforms does /v1/search/everywhere cover?

Twelve platforms: Reddit, X (via AI search), YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, Polymarket, GitHub, Threads, Pinterest, Perplexity, and Tavily. In hashtag mode, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube each add a hashtag-search sibling, bringing the fan-out to as many as 15 sources.

### How much does a universal social search cost?

A flat 20 credits per call, no matter how many of the 12 platforms fire. If every source fails or returns nothing, the 20 credits are refunded automatically. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required.

### Can I stream social search results as they arrive?

Yes. Send Accept: text/event-stream and the endpoint returns typed SSE chunks, so agents and dashboards see results as each platform settles instead of waiting for the slowest source. The default Accept: application/json returns one synchronous envelope.

### How is SocialCrawl different from Exa, Tavily, or Firecrawl?

Those APIs search the open web; SocialCrawl searches social platforms natively. Results come from actual posts with engagement signals and real people's comments — Reddit upvoted threads, YouTube top-liked comments, GitHub issue discussions — not from web pages about those platforms.

### What is the best way to search all social media platforms at once?

One fan-out call: GET /v1/search/everywhere queries 12 platforms in parallel — Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, GitHub, and more — then fuses, reranks, and clusters everything into one ranked set. It costs a flat 20 credits per call, returns JSON or SSE, and refunds automatically when nothing lands.

### Does SocialCrawl offer a universal search API?

Yes, SocialCrawl is that universal search data API. No official cross-platform search API exists, so rather than wiring up a dozen separate clients you call GET /v1/search/everywhere once and it fans a query across 12 platforms, from Reddit and YouTube to GitHub and Polymarket, then fuses, reranks, and clusters the results with real top comments attached. It costs a flat 20 credits per call and returns JSON or streamed SSE on one x-api-key.

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What is the SocialCrawl universal social search API?
- How to search 12 social media platforms with one API call
- Compare SocialCrawl search everywhere vs Exa and Tavily for social data