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Exa

Freemium#15 of 24 in Ai Search Tools

Exa: A flexible web-research API for AI apps, with citations, monitoring, and usage pricing. Ranked #15 of 24 in Ai Search Tools by our editors (7.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for developers adding web search and research to AI apps.

7.9/10Editor score

Visit Exa

Exa7.9 Visit Exa

At a glance

Editor score
7.9 / 10
Pricing
Free plan
Best for
Developers adding web search and research to AI apps
Free plan
Yes
Paid from
$1/unit usage-based
Search scope
Web
Facts checked
24 Sep 2026

Where it wins
- Deep research returns structured outputs with web-grounded citations
- Retrieves webpage text, highlights, and full page contents
- Monitoring adds scheduled searches and webhook updates
Where it doesn't
- API-only product rather than an end-user search interface
- Usage costs vary by endpoint and request or page volume
- Enterprise features require a custom plan and agreement

Our verdict on Exa

Exa provides cloud APIs for public-web search, page-content retrieval, deep research, and monitoring. It is designed for developers and organizations adding AI-powered search or retrieval to applications and agents. Search can return webpage text and highlights, while Deep Search supports multi-step workflows, structured outputs, and web-grounded citations. The API also covers searches for people, companies, scholarly works, and general web content.

The Free (Starter) plan includes $10 in monthly credits, a $10 onboarding bonus, no payment method requirement, MCP server access, 50+ integrations, and access to all endpoints. Paid developer pricing is usage-based: Search costs $7 per 1,000 requests, Contents costs $1 per 1,000 pages, Deep Search costs $12 per 1,000 requests, and Monitors costs $15 per 1,000 requests. Contents adds full page contents for LLM context and token-efficient highlights; Deep Search adds multi-step agent workflows and structured outputs; Monitors adds fresh-event detection, scheduled searches, and webhook updates. Enterprise uses custom pricing and includes a custom MSA and DPA, zero data retention, SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA, SSO and SCIM, a dedicated Slack channel, and enterprise SLAs.

Exa fits ecosystems that need an API layer rather than a standalone search destination. Integrations include Claude Connector, ChatGPT plugin, MCP server, n8n, OpenAI, Make, Zapier, LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Vercel AI SDK, with email, documentation, and community support. Its broad endpoint set suits teams building retrieval, research, citation, or monitoring features across small, mid-market, and enterprise deployments. Teams seeking a browser-based research experience or a conventional end-user search interface should choose a different type of product; Exa is most appropriate when developers control the application and can manage usage-based billing.

Your product? Our editors can test Exa in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Exa pricing

Plans Free planFreemium A usable free plan; paid tiers unlock the limits above. Prices checked 24 Sep 2026.

See plans on exa.ai

All 6 Exa plans and prices →

Exa fact sheet

Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$1/unit usage-based
Search scope	Web
Cited sources	Yes
Knowledge connectors	Not verified
Team access	Yes
Browser extension	No
API access	Yes
Deployment	Cloud
Compliance & security	SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML
Support	Email, Docs, Community
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate)
Integrations	50+ integrations: Claude Connector, ChatGPT plugin, MCP server, n8n, OpenAI, Make … See all →
Pricing	Free plan (source)
Website	exa.ai
Facts checked	24 Sep 2026

Exa integrations

Exa lists 50+ integrations on its own site — the 10 named here are the ones its pages call out.

Claude Connector
ChatGPT plugin
MCP server
n8n
OpenAI
Make
Zapier
LangChain
LlamaIndex
Vercel AI SDK

See all Exa integrations →

Alternatives to Exa

See all Exa alternatives →

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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Exa for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.

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Featured on iTechGuides

Exa is listed in our Ai Search Tools directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update