You.com vs ContextWire
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. You.com starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Web Search API
- Contents API
- Research API depth levels
- Finance Research API
- Inference Router
- Zero data retention option
- Multi-engine web search
- Full page reading
- LLM answer extraction
- Academic paper search
- MCP server
- API playground
| Feature | You.com | ContextWire |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Web search, research and inference APIs for AI applications | Search and answer API that gives AI apps sourced facts from 100+ engines |
| Category | Research & search | Research & search |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | You.com | ContextWire |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
You.com starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Contents API
$1 / 1K pages
- Full page contents
- 1–10 seconds per page
Web Search API
$5 / 1K calls
- Live web results
- About 0.4s median latency
- $10 free credit to start
Research API
From $12 / 1K calls
- Lite to Frontier depth levels
- Multi-source cross-checking
- Background mode for long jobs
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Higher rate limits
- Enterprise security
- Dedicated support
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
You.com
- Free credit to start building
- Clear per-call pricing
- Research depth matched to the task
- Zero data retention available
- Deep research calls get expensive
- No longer a consumer search app first
- Enterprise terms need a sales call
ContextWire
- 1,000 free queries a month
- Sources returned with every answer
- Ready-made MCP integration
- Paid plan details not shown in the evidence
- Relies on free-tier models for extraction
- Small provider with little track record
Which one should you choose?
Choose You.com if you want:
- Free credit to start building
- Clear per-call pricing
- Research depth matched to the task
Watch out: deep research calls get expensive.
Choose ContextWire if you want:
- 1,000 free queries a month
- Sources returned with every answer
- Ready-made MCP integration
Watch out: paid plan details not shown in the evidence.
You.com vs ContextWire FAQ
What is the difference between You.com and ContextWire?
You.com: Web search, research and inference APIs for AI applications. ContextWire: Search and answer API that gives AI apps sourced facts from 100+ engines. Both are research & search tools.
Is You.com or ContextWire cheaper?
You.com starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do You.com and ContextWire have free plans?
You.com: Yes. ContextWire: Yes.
Who makes You.com?
You.com is made by You.com, based in United States.
Who makes ContextWire?
ContextWire is made by ContextWire.
Which should I choose, You.com or ContextWire?
Choose You.com if you value free credit to start building and clear per-call pricing. Choose ContextWire if you value 1,000 free queries a month and sources returned with every answer.