Tavily - The API-powered Alternative to Perplexity?

Perplexity is yet another fascinating innovation in the AI space, and it has been around for a while now. It has managed to establish itself as a real and imho better alternative to Google (even Google AI) by offering more control over the search itself (like choosing the model, the depth of the AI search, and so on).

However, Perplexity is more focused on the user interface and experience (UI/UX). When it comes to integrating with other tools—such as workflows on make.com or n8n, agents, or chatbots—you typically need an API. Although Perplexity does have an API, it is mainly for AI LLM inference.

In its simplest form, the API should simply answer questions using internet search and AI.

And here is where Tavily steps in. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re the driving force behind the open source research gpt.

With GPT Researcher, you can do exactly what you would expect: AI-powered research using facts from the internet or even on-premise documents, powered by LLMs. It has become incredibly powerful. It’s worth taking a look at.

So what is Tavily about?

In simple terms, Tavily is a search service (like Serper or serpapi) with one big advantage: it is built from the ground up for LLM search. Put plainly, you can just ask a question and it can search the internet for you, then answer that specific question. Best of all, it’s entirely accessible via an API.

Here’s an example scenario you can try in the playground:

Let’s say you don’t have time to follow all the news, and you just want a summary from the last week.

You could simply do something like:

what are the latest news form the us administration?  summarize  in 500 words.

You can simply ask the question and:

…ask it to provide an answer (not just the search results).

Then select the days back, for example from the last week.

And here you go:

Here is the entire answer…

As of February 13, 2025, the latest news from the US administration under President Trump's second term includes several significant actions and controversies. President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to collaborate with the US Doge Service to reduce their workforces and limit future hiring, a move that has been criticized as an attempt to undermine federal oversight and accountability. This executive order comes amidst the firing of the independent inspector general for USAID, whose office had recently warned about the risk of $500 million in food assistance being spoiled or diverted due to an aid freeze implemented by the Trump administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also weighed in, suggesting that courts and judges should defer to the administration's decisions, arguing that they should respect the constitutional order. Additionally, Trump signed another executive order to revert federal support for paper straws, opting instead for plastic straws, despite environmental concerns. This decision has sparked backlash from environmentalists who argue that it undermines efforts to reduce plastic waste. Meanwhile, a union representing foreign service officers at USAID has accused the administration of not complying with a temporary restraining order to prevent the dismantling of the agency, and a group of nonprofit organizations has sought a federal judge's intervention to block the administration's 90-"

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