An alternative to Google Programmable Search

Site Search 360 indexes your website, PDFs and Office documents and gives you a search with no ads and no Google branding. You don't need a developer or a Google Cloud project, and you can start on the free plan.

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The detective shouting through a megaphone

What changes at Google on January 1, 2027

Google is ending the Custom Search JSON API. It's already closed to new customers, and existing users have until January 1, 2027 to move to something else.

Search engines that cover more than 50 domains, or the entire web, have to move by the same date. For those, Google asks you to contact its sales team about a paid full web search product.

For the JSON API, Google suggests Vertex AI Search. Website search needs its Enterprise edition, which costs $4 per 1,000 queries (as of October 2026) and runs in a Google Cloud project.

If you use Google's free search element on 50 domains or fewer, nothing changes. You can keep it, or switch if you want results without Google ads or branding, your own design, and analytics that show what visitors search for.

Side by sideYour options after January 1, 2027

Google's details come from its own announcement, documentation and pricing pages, as of October 2026.

Site Search 360 logoGoogle search element (free)Google Vertex AI Search
Keeps working after January 1, 2027Blue Check iconUp to 50 domainsBlue Check icon
No ads in search resultsBlue Check iconOnly for verified nonprofits, schools and governmentBlue Check icon
No Google brandingBlue Check iconRed Cross iconDepends on your setup
No developer or Google Cloud project neededBlue Check iconBlue Check iconRed Cross icon
PriceFree plan; paid plans from $9/monthFree$4 per 1,000 queries
Email supportIncluded in every paid planCommunity forumGoogle Cloud support plans

Results you control

Add synonyms, pin the right page to the top for a search, and hide pages you don't want found. You do it all in the Control Panel, without code.

Analytics shows what visitors search for and which searches find nothing, so you know which pages to write or fix.

Search results page with filters and result thumbnails

Set up without a developer

Enter your homepage or sitemap, and the crawler indexes your pages, PDFs and Office documents. Then add the search box with our WordPress plugin, through Google Tag Manager, or by pasting one code snippet into your site.

Built your own results page on Google's JSON API? Our search API returns results as JSON on every plan, including Free, so you can keep your page and change where it gets results from.

Our guide to moving from Google Programmable Search covers each step, from indexing your site to testing before you switch Google off.

Site Search 360 integrations

Fits your site's design

Change the colors, layout and results page in the Search Designer, or style everything with your own CSS.

Suggestions appear as visitors type, with images if you want them.

Help from people who answer

Every paid plan includes email support from our team. We usually reply within 4 hours, and always within 24. Customers rate us 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra (46 reviews, as of October 2026).

Now it's over to you

Test Site Search 360 for your domain and take a free trial to see for yourself how effortless excellent site search can be.