> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brightdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# What is Business Search?
> Business Search is an entity search API. Learn how one request returns ranked people and company records as JSON, and when to use it over a dataset.
Business Search is in early access. Email [sales@brightdata.com](mailto:sales@brightdata.com) to request access.
An entity search returns the thing you searched for, not documents about it. Describe a person or a company and Business Search returns the matching records as structured JSON, rather than a list of pages that mention them.
One request searches an index of more than 700 million people and companies, refreshed daily. Two categories cover the two entity types: [company search](/products/business-search/company-search) and [people search](/products/business-search/people-search).
## How does a Business Search request work?
Business Search supports a range of workflows, from looking up one company to discovering every candidate in a market, so it offers three modes that trade speed, depth, cost and precision against each other. The `mode` property selects one:
* **Ludicrous** runs structured conditions you write with [Business Search query syntax](/products/business-search/query-syntax), exactly as written. It is the fastest mode and returns up to 100 records per page.
* **Instant** takes a plain-language sentence, turns it into one structured query and returns its matches. It also returns up to 100 records per page, at the same rate as Ludicrous.
* **Smart** takes the same kind of sentence, then ranks the candidates by how well each record answers the request. It is the most precise mode, the slowest and the most expensive, and returns 10 records per page.
All three modes use the same endpoints and the same response shape, so changing mode does not mean rebuilding the integration. See [What does each mode do?](#what-does-each-mode-do) below.
Every response has the same shape: a `meta` object describing the search, and the records themselves under `documents`. This is an abbreviated company response:
```json theme={null}
{
"req_id": "example_request_id",
"meta": { "matched": 42, "coverage_percent": 100, "offset": 0, "limit": 10 },
"documents": [
{
"bright_id": "example-company-id",
"data": { "name": "Example Software Company", "industry": "Software Development" }
}
]
}
```
`documents` are in ranked order. There is no score field, so preserve the order rather than re-sorting.
### What does each mode do?
Ludicrous is a lexical, structured search: you name the fields and conditions yourself with [Business Search query syntax](/products/business-search/query-syntax), text conditions match words with BM25, and no model interprets the request or reorders the results. Instant and Smart take a plain-language sentence instead, and a model turns it into one structured query. Smart then ranks the candidates by how well each record answers the request.
| Mode | Query input | Returns | Results per search (included / maximum) | Typical response time |
| ----------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| `ludicrous` | Structured JSON | A broad candidate set from conditions you control | 100 / 1,000 | \~50ms |
| `instant` | Natural-language text | A broad candidate set from a description | 100 / 1,000 | \~1 second |
| `smart` | Natural-language text | A shortlist Business Search plans and ranks | 10 / 100 | \~2 to 3 seconds |
`limit` is capped at 100 per page in Ludicrous and Instant and at 10 in Smart, so deeper result sets are paged with `offset`. See [Business Search pagination](/products/business-search/pagination).
Switching between Ludicrous and a natural-language mode changes the type of `query`, from an object to a string. A natural-language `query` is limited to 200 characters, and a longer string returns HTTP 400. If Smart's ranking step fails, the request returns the results Instant would have returned rather than an error, and it is still billed as Smart.
The same query in Instant and Smart shows what ranking changes. Captured on 2026-09-17; your results will differ as the index refreshes:
| Rank | Instant | Smart |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| 1 | Flamerix AI, Tbilisi | Augment Code, Palo Alto, California |
| 2 | Marlex Software | Skyflo, Pune, Maharashtra |
| 3 | Alayra Systems Pvt. Limited, Faisalabad, Punjab | Flukebase |
Instant orders candidates by text match. Smart reads each candidate and reorders them by how well the record answers the request.
## Where do you go next?
Send your first company search and read the response.
Choose between a broad candidate set and a ranked shortlist.
Per-1,000-search rates by mode and what counts as billable.
## Frequently asked questions
### Is Business Search an enrichment product?
No. Business Search discovers and retrieves records. To add detail to records you already have, use [Scraper API](/products/scrapers/overview) or your own stack.
### How fresh is the Business Search index?
The index refreshes daily. A record added or changed at the source appears in Business Search results after the next daily refresh.