Yes.
Every time you make a search request to an Algolia index, we count one search request.
By default, Algolia shows search results as soon as users land on a page, and it happens by performing a search with an empty query. Empty query searches show up in your analytics on your dashboard as <empty search>.
In search-as-you-type implementations (i.e. InstantSearch), a search happens at each keystroke.
However, it is possible to set up your search so that a search request is only triggered after the user has entered a certain number of characters in order to save on search requests and cost.
Please note that this may cause users to perceive the search to be lagging. Here is an example: https://codesandbox.io/s/limit-string-length-for-search-nbxbw?file=/src/app.js
To prevent this, you could display some placeholder content.
See here for more detail: https://support.algolia.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406210392209