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Linkup vs Valyu

Linkup scores higher on the AgentReady, 67/100 against 62/100. They differ on 4 of the 41 signals. Which ones decides whether an agent can adopt them without a person watching.

What each one is

Linkup. Web Search API for AI with industry-leading accuracy, providing web search built for AI applications via one API call or deployed inside your own cloud.

Valyu. Search and deep research API for AIs doing knowledge work.

Where Linkup is ahead

Linkup passes authentication documented, and Valyu does not. That is understand, whether an agent can read the docs and work out how the API behaves before calling it.

It also holds adopt: agent-compatible signup flow. Valyu misses it.

And on operate, observable execution. Valyu misses it.

Where Valyu is ahead

Valyu passes limits / constraints documented, and Linkup does not. That is understand, whether an agent can read the docs and work out how the API behaves before calling it.

What neither does

Both fail structured api reference, openapi / spec quality, request examples provided, response examples provided, errors and status codes documented, programmatic credential creation, machine-readable errors, retry behavior documented, idempotency support, rate-limit behavior predictable, agent compatibility verified. If your agent needs any of those, you will be building it yourself either way.

Score, pillar by pillar

The AgentReady splits into four pillars, scored separately, because a product can be easy to find and still impossible to adopt.

Understand. Both sit at 31/100 here. Linkup misses structured api reference, openapi / spec quality, request examples provided, response examples provided, errors and status codes documented, limits / constraints documented; Valyu misses structured api reference, openapi / spec quality, authentication documented, request examples provided, response examples provided, errors and status codes documented.

Adopt. Linkup leads 90 to 80. Linkup misses programmatic credential creation; Valyu misses agent-compatible signup flow, programmatic credential creation.

Operate is whether an agent can run against it in production and recover when a call fails. Linkup leads 47 to 35. Linkup misses machine-readable errors, retry behavior documented, idempotency support, rate-limit behavior predictable, agent compatibility verified; Valyu misses machine-readable errors, retry behavior documented, idempotency support, rate-limit behavior predictable, observable execution, agent compatibility verified.

Pricing

Linkup starts at $0.001 and has a free tier. Valyu starts at $29/mo and has a free tier.

Signal by signal

Which to pick

Linkup clears more of the signals an agent needs, so it is the safer default for unattended use. Full profiles: Linkup and Valyu. Alternatives to each: Linkup, Valyu.

An agent can fetch this as data: POST /v1/compare {"slugs": ["linkup", "valyu"]}