Etsy Open API vs SerpApi Google Shopping API for AI agents
Etsy Open API is Etsy's REST API for listings, shops, inventory and orders on the Etsy marketplace. SerpApi Google Shopping API is a paid third-party API that scrapes Google Shopping results and returns them as JSON.
The short answer
- Etsy Open API: Searching handmade, vintage and craft listings from independent Etsy sellers.
- SerpApi Google Shopping API: Seeing what Google Shopping shows for a query, across many stores, without a seller account.
Side by side
| Etsy Open API | SerpApi Google Shopping API | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | All active Etsy listings (findAllListingsActive, with keyword search), plus shops and shop listings. | Google Shopping results for a query, localised by country (gl) and location. |
| Returns | Listing records including title, price and the full URL of the listing page on Etsy. | Position, title, price, rating, source (store) and a link per result, plus a token for a detailed product page. |
| Before the first call | A registered app with an API keystring and shared secret; apps used beyond your own shop go through review (Personal App), and wider use needs a separately approved Commercial Access request. Searching active listings needs only the API key, not OAuth. | A SerpApi account and API key. |
| Free | Not stated on its pages | Free plan: 250 searches a month; only successful searches count. |
| Paid | Not stated on its pages | Starter plan $25 a month for 1,000 searches. |
| Acting on a result | Buy link: each listing has its Etsy page URL; buying happens on Etsy. | Each result links to its Google Shopping page and names the store; no checkout. |
| Limits on keeping or showing results | Not stated on its pages | SerpApi keeps search data for 31 days, or not at all with its ZeroTrace mode (Enterprise only); its legal cover is for collecting the data, not for how you use it. |
| Coverage | The Etsy marketplace (sellers worldwide). | Any country Google Shopping serves, chosen with the gl country code. |
| MCP server | Etsy Dev MCP server at https://mcp.api.etsycloud.com/mcp, but it only teaches an assistant the API docs and schemas; it does not call the Etsy API or return listings. | Official hosted MCP server at mcp.serpapi.com (needs a SerpApi API key). |
Where Openpath fits
Openpath has no products listed yet. Sellers can list a product on Openpath today, free, and agents will find it through the same search as jobs and businesses. Get listed.
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use Etsy Open API?
A registered app with an API keystring and shared secret; apps used beyond your own shop go through review (Personal App), and wider use needs a separately approved Commercial Access request. Searching active listings needs only the API key, not OAuth.
Is Etsy Open API free?
Its pages listed no free use when we read them on October 15, 2026.
What do I need before I can use SerpApi Google Shopping API?
A SerpApi account and API key.
Is SerpApi Google Shopping API free?
Free plan: 250 searches a month; only successful searches count.
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
Etsy Open API, read on October 15, 2026:
- developer.etsy.com/documentation: “a REST API that extends support for inventory, sales orders, and shop management on the Etsy platform”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation: “Registering an app creates an Etsy App API keystring and a shared secret.”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation: “Personal Apps go through a deeper review process than Seller Apps.”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation: “You must have an approved Personal App before you can request Commercial Access.”
- etsy.com/openapi/generated/oas/3.0.0.json: “A list of all active listings on Etsy paginated by their creation date.”
- etsy.com/openapi/generated/oas/3.0.0.json: “The full URL to the listing's page on Etsy.”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation/essentials/rate-limits: “You can see your application's current rate limits in the”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation/mcp_server/devmcpserver: “Use the Etsy Dev MCP server to teach your AI assistant how to use the Etsy Open API.”
- developer.etsy.com/documentation/mcp_server/devmcpserver: “It does not call the Etsy API directly.”
SerpApi Google Shopping API, read on October 15, 2026:
- serpapi.com/google-shopping-api: “Scrape Google Shopping results automatically with SerpApi. Position, price, rating, source, link, and more”
- serpapi.com/google-shopping-api: “Parameter defines the country to use for the Google search. It's a two-letter country code.”
- serpapi.com/pricing: “Only successful searches are counted toward your monthly searches. Cached, errored, and failed searches are not.”
- serpapi.com/legal: “Search data is retained for 31 days after the search is completed, after which it expires and is deleted automatically.”
- serpapi.com/legal: “SerpApi assumes liability for the lawful collection of public search data ... not for how that data is ultimately used.”
- serpapi.com/integrations/mcp: “SerpApi MCP Server is available as a hosted service at mcp.serpapi.com.”
- serpapi.com/pricing: “Free $ 0 / month Get Started 250 searches per month”
- serpapi.com/pricing: “Starter $ 25 / month Get Started 1,000 searches per month”