API only (barely) works occasionally -- essentially useless

[teknowledgist]

The results of any query are nowhere close to an actual Google search. Not even in the same universe!

Occasionally, there will be an organic result or two (never pages of results), but often, it is just a translate link. There are often "related questions" if you attempt a multi-word query. Other than those, the results are essentially empty. No ads, no "top stories", no knowledge graph.

Is this a function of trying a free plan? I certainly hope nobody is paying for this!