Overview

FindIP is a patent-search product with a browser playground and REST API, built for AI-assisted research and embedded workflows. It suits teams that need to search patent text, drawings, or biological sequences across five jurisdictions. The main trade-off is clear: specialized search modes and API access come with credit limits, and the corpus excludes unpublished filings.

Key features

Search by meaning, image, and sequence

Semantic search matches text by meaning rather than exact wording, which helps when a query uses different terminology from a patent. Searches can be written in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or German and span the US, China, Japan, Korea, and Europe. Full-text coverage starts in 2001, except for China, where it starts in 2010. FindIP says each result is an existing publication in its database and can be checked by publication number; that verification is useful, but it does not extend coverage to unpublished work.

Drawing search finds patents with visually similar images, and pairing an image with text can rank results toward a topic. Sequence search finds similar DNA, RNA, or protein sequences, with optional topic-based reranking. Claim analysis, patent clustering, and patent family analysis are also supported. These capabilities make FindIP more relevant to specialized IP research than a text-only search tool, though their usefulness depends on working within the covered offices and publication dates.

API, MCP, and credit use

The browser playground supports evaluation, while REST API keys are issued on request; the endpoint reference comes with the key. That gives developers a route to embedding search, but teams should account for the request process when planning integration. FindIP's shared MCP endpoint, mcp.findip.ai, officially supports Claude Desktop and Web and ChatGPT during beta.

Text searches use one credit; image search, sequence search, and trend analysis use two. Details, drawings, document fetches, and MCP resources cost no credits. The listed rate limit is 60 requests per minute on Free, Basic, and Pro, with a custom limit for Enterprise. Credit consumption therefore matters more than the headline request ceiling for teams making frequent specialized searches.

Pricing

FindIP is freemium. Free includes 30 search credits, all APIs, five jurisdictions, and reranking at 0.00 USD per free. Community support and the same 60-requests-per-minute limit make it a useful evaluation tier, but 30 credits can run down quickly: image and sequence searches consume two each.

Basic costs 45.00 USD per month, billed excluding tax, and provides 300 monthly credits, all APIs, five jurisdictions, reranking, and email support. It suits an individual with regular but moderate search needs. Team Basic is also 45.00 USD per month, billed excluding tax, but provides 300 credits per member per month, a team dashboard, unified billing, self-service seat changes, and five jurisdictions. For a team, its per-member allowance and billing tools are more relevant than Basic's individual allowance.

Pro costs 135.00 USD per month, billed excluding tax, for one user, 1,000 monthly credits, all APIs, five jurisdictions, reranking, and priority support. It is the stronger individual tier for heavier research or users who value faster support. Team Pro costs 135.00 USD per month, billed excluding tax, and includes 1,000 credits per member per month, a team dashboard, unified billing, self-service seat changes, and priority support. The team plans scale credits per member, so total cost and allowance depend on seat count.

Enterprise has custom pricing, credits, contract and billing, support, features, and infrastructure by agreement. It is the appropriate route for organizations that need negotiated terms or a custom rate limit. All paid tiers retain the listed 60-requests-per-minute limit except Enterprise, whose limit is custom.

Platforms

FindIP is available on web, Android, and iOS, alongside API access. The browser playground and mobile platforms broaden access, while the REST API and MCP connection address integration into developer and AI workflows.

Who it's for

FindIP is best suited to IP researchers, product teams, and developers who need multilingual patent search, drawing or sequence matching, or a way to bring patent search into an AI workflow. It is a poor fit when research depends on unpublished patents or jurisdictions beyond its five-office coverage. Teams should also estimate credit use before relying on image and sequence search at scale.

Pros and cons

Pros: Semantic, drawing, and biological-sequence search support research that exact-keyword search alone may miss.
Pros: Five-jurisdiction coverage and five query languages support cross-office exploration.
Pros: All APIs are included on Free, Basic, and Pro, giving developers an evaluation path before a paid commitment.
Cons: The corpus contains published office data only, so unpublished filings are out of scope.
Cons: Specialized searches consume credits at twice the text-search rate, constraining the free allowance and requiring budget planning.
Cons: API keys are issued on request, and the endpoint reference is provided with the key, adding a step before integration.

Alternatives

GoVeda is worth considering if unlimited semantic searches and worldwide patent coverage matter more than FindIP's drawing and sequence search: its OpenPatent plan is free forever and includes 220M+ patents worldwide, unlimited AI semantic searches, basic metadata filters, and AI patentability reports and summaries.

PatSnap may suit buyers seeking technical research capabilities such as AI technical Q&A, TRIZ innovation generation, and technical research reports, with a free Basic plan for limited use.

The Lens offers a free anonymous browsing option and a free Academic Workspace, making it an alternative for readers whose priority is free patent access or academic use.

AcclaimIP is an alternative for buyers considering annual, prepaid, per-seat licensing with seats that automatically renew annually.

XLSCOUT is another paid patent-search alternative with a free trial.

IPRally may fit buyers who want a paid, trial-based option and can work without API or MCP access on its single-user plan.

Patently offers a free web plan for individual use, including asset search with filters, patent-family browsing, and chat with Onardo.

Orbit Intelligence is a paid web alternative for teams whose analysis needs fit its live and saved record limits.

For a broader comparison, browse AI Patent Search Software.

Verdict

Choose FindIP if your team needs multilingual semantic search plus drawing or sequence matching, and its five-jurisdiction published-patent coverage fits the work. Its free tier makes initial evaluation accessible, while per-member team plans give growing groups a defined credit allowance. Look elsewhere if unpublished filings, broader coverage, or predictable high-volume specialized searching are essential.

	FindIP	The Lens
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	$45/mo	$83.33/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Paid from	45 /mo	—
Semantic search	Yes	—
Claim analysis	Yes	—
Patent clustering	Yes	—
Patent family analysis	Yes	—
Jurisdictions covered	5	—

FindIP vs The Lens

FindIP

The Lens