> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkup.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fast Depth

> _Released: February 2026_

We're excited to introduce `"fast"`, a new `depth` value for the Linkup [**Search**](/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview) endpoint. `"fast"` is our sub-second search mode, optimized to provide accurate results and snippets in the lowest possible time. `"fast"` works best with focused queries, where you're looking for one specific piece of information.

### What's new

`"fast"` uses a simpler, more direct search pipeline than `"standard"` or `"deep"`. The key difference is scope:

* **`"fast"`**: one piece of information, one direct answer. Best for short, focused prompts. Only search results and relevant content snippets are returned.
* **`"standard"`**: best to handle several topics, data sources (general web search, financial data, LinkedIn public data), or retrieve fully scraped content of a URL provided in the query.

This makes `"fast"` ideal for **conversational use cases**, real-time lookups, and high-volume pipelines where latency is critical.

### How to use

A simple rule of thumb: if your prompt is short and you're looking for **one specific thing**, use `"fast"`. If your prompt is longer or spans multiple topics, use `"standard"`.

| Use `"fast"` | Use `"standard"` |
| - | - |
| "Who is the CEO of OpenAI?" | "Find the pricing, features, and customer reviews for Notion" |
| "Current EUR/USD exchange rate" | "Current EUR/USD exchange rate and analysts analysis" |
| "What is Linkup's website?" | "What is Linkup's website and LinkedIn URL" |

Set `depth` to `"fast"` in your API request:

<CodeGroup>
  ```shell curl theme={"system"}
  curl --request POST \
    --url https://api.linkup.so/v1/search \
    --header 'Authorization: Bearer {{LINKUP_API_KEY}}' \
    --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    --data '{
    "q": "weather in Paris today",
    "depth": "fast",
    "outputType": "sourcedAnswer"
  }'
  ```

  ```python python theme={"system"}
  from linkup import LinkupClient

  client = LinkupClient(api_key="{{LINKUP_API_KEY}}")

  response = client.search(
      query="weather in Paris today",
      depth="fast",
      output_type="sourcedAnswer"
  )
  print(response)
  ```

  ```javascript js theme={"system"}
  import { LinkupClient } from 'linkup-sdk';

  const client = new LinkupClient({
    apiKey: '{{LINKUP_API_KEY}}',
  });

  client.search({
    query: "weather in Paris today",
    depth: "fast",
    outputType: "sourcedAnswer",
  }).then(console.log);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### When to use each depth

| Depth | Best for |
| - | - |
| `"fast"` | Simple, focused queries: one piece of information, low latency |
| `"standard"` | General queries, multiple topics or sources |
| `"deep"` | Sequential queries: search for info, then scrape or search again based on results |

### Pricing

`"fast"` depth costs **\$0.005 per call** (with `outputType: "searchResults"`), the same as `"standard"`.

For more details, see [Concepts](/pages/documentation/endpoints/search/overview).


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