PacketStreamCompare · AI web search and fetch
PacketStream Search API vs. DeepSeek Search API
PacketStream and DeepSeek both sell a web search API for AI agents. PacketStream returns live Google results as JSON or Markdown, for web, news, shopping, places, autocomplete, Google Scholar, and AI Mode searches, from the country, city, and language you choose. DeepSeek’s Search API, launched on October 17, 2026, returns a list of web pages from DeepSeek’s own search engine, and DeepSeek’s privacy policy says it collects, processes, and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China.
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At a glance
| Feature | PacketStream | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Where results come from | Live Google results, fetched when you search | DeepSeek’s in-house search engine |
| Search types | Web, news, shopping, places, autocomplete, Google Scholar, and Google AI Mode | One search type: a ranked list of web pages. No news, shopping, places, autocomplete, or scholarly search. |
| Extra result blocks | Google’s AI overview, knowledge panel, People also ask, local map results, related searches, and sitelinks, when Google shows them | None documented. Each result is a single web page. |
| Location targeting | Any two-letter country code, a city or region by Google location name, an interface language, and a Google domain such as google.co.uk | No country, city, or region field. The documented way to localize results is to pass an IP address. |
| Device | Search as desktop or mobile | No device option documented |
| Result pages | Pages 1 to 10, and a numbered position on every result | No page or offset field, and no position field |
| Response format | JSON, or Markdown ready for a model prompt | JSON |
| MCP server | Remote MCP server with search and page-reading tools, for Claude, Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code, and other MCP clients | None documented. DeepSeek describes Search as a raw JSON API. |
| What is stored | PacketStream records each search’s ID, type, outcome, latency, and charge. It does not store your query text or the results. | Its privacy policy says DeepSeek collects, processes, and stores personal data, including your inputs, in the People’s Republic of China, and keeps input data for as long as you have an account. |
| Governing law | California law, with disputes in the courts of Los Angeles County | The law of mainland China, with disputes in a court where DeepSeek’s operating company has its registered office |
How they differ
Whose results you get. PacketStream’s Search API runs each query on Google when you send it and returns Google’s results, with the AI overview, knowledge panel, People also ask, local map results, and related searches when Google shows them. DeepSeek’s Search API returns pages from DeepSeek’s own search engine, as one ranked list.
What you can search. One PacketStream endpoint covers web, news, shopping, places, autocomplete, Google Scholar, and Google AI Mode. You choose the country, a city or region, the interface language, the device, and the Google domain. DeepSeek’s Search API has one search type and no country or city field.
Search plus reading. An agent usually opens the pages it finds. The same PacketStream key and balance cover the Fetch API, which reads a page live through PacketStream’s residential network, and the MCP server, which gives Claude, Cursor, Codex CLI, and other clients both tools. For page reading, see PacketStream Fetch API vs. DeepSeek Fetch API.
What is stored. The PacketStream Search API does not store your query text or the results. DeepSeek’s privacy policy says it collects, processes, and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China, and its Open Platform terms are governed by the law of mainland China.
For US government and defense work. As of October 2026, a Department of Homeland Security order requires federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products, including third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations, and section 1532 of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act bars Defense Department contractors from using DeepSeek-developed artificial intelligence on their Defense Department contracts. If you sell to these buyers, these rules may reach the tools in your stack.
Why choose PacketStream
- You need Google’s results, not a different search engine’s. PacketStream runs each search on Google live and returns Google’s results.
- Your agent needs more than web links: news, shopping offers, places, autocomplete, Google Scholar, or a Google AI Mode answer, all through one endpoint.
- You need results for a specific country or city. Set
country,location,language, orgoogle_domaininstead of supplying an IP address. - You don’t want your queries kept. PacketStream records each search’s ID, type, outcome, latency, and charge, and does not store your query text or the results.
- Your agent also reads the pages it finds. The same key and balance cover the Fetch API and the MCP server.
Frequently asked questions
Does the DeepSeek Search API return Google results?
No. DeepSeek says its Search API is powered by its in-house search engine. PacketStream’s Search API runs each search on Google live and returns Google’s results and rich blocks, such as the AI overview, knowledge panel, and People also ask.
Can I choose the country or city of my search results?
With PacketStream, yes. Set country to any two-letter country code, and location to a Google location name such as Austin,Texas,United States. On October 29, 2026, DeepSeek’s Search API documented no country or city field; its documented way to localize results was to pass an IP address.
Where does DeepSeek store my data?
DeepSeek’s Open Platform terms apply its privacy policy to the personal information you provide. That policy, last updated February 10, 2026, says DeepSeek collects, processes, and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. It counts your inputs as personal data and keeps account, input, and payment data for as long as you have an account. PacketStream’s Search API records each request’s ID, type, outcome, latency, and charge for billing and support, and does not store your query text or the results.
Do US government rules restrict DeepSeek?
As of October 2026, yes, for some buyers. A Department of Homeland Security order, published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026, excludes DeepSeek products from federal civilian agency procurements and requires those agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their IT systems, including third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations. Separately, section 1532 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Public Law 119-60) has, since January 17, 2026, barred Department of Defense contractors from using artificial intelligence developed by DeepSeek in performing a Defense Department contract, unless the Secretary of Defense grants a waiver.
Which AI clients work with the PacketStream MCP server?
Any MCP client that can send a custom Authorization header. Claude custom connectors can sign in with your PacketStream account instead of a key. PacketStream publishes set-up guides for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop through mcp-remote, and Claude custom connectors.
Sources, checked 2026-10-29
- PacketStream: Search API
- PacketStream: Search API parameters
- PacketStream: Search API responses
- PacketStream: MCP client setup
- PacketStream: Privacy Policy
Facts are as published on the date shown and may have changed since. DeepSeek is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify its products. PacketStream facts come from our Search API documentation, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
Search Google from your app or agent.
Also compare: SerpApi, Firecrawl, DeepSeek Fetch API.