# Exa

> Web search API built for AI agents

Source: https://dailyaitools.ai/tools/exa/ (dailyaitools, a tracker of AI tools; no ratings or reviews)

## Key facts

- Category: Search
- Price: Free plan, then $0.01 usage-based
- Free plan: Yes, free plan, then $0.01 usage-based
- Works on: Web, API
- Website: https://exa.ai
- Verification: Under review since October 19, 2026: the last check did not confirm every detail.

## What it is

The platform indexes web content, GitHub repositories, and software documentation to serve context directly to LLMs. Developers configure requests using configurable effort modes ranging from minimal to x-high depending on task complexity. Automated monitors allow users to run recurring searches at set schedules and send push updates via webhooks. Pricing relies on a usage-based fee structure per thousand requests or compute units alongside a recurring free monthly credit allowance.

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Free-plan limit or note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free Tier | Free | $10 credits per month |
| Free | Free | $20 credits on sign-up with $10 credits every month |
| Starter | Free |  |
| Agent | $0.01 usage-based |  |
| Contents | $1 usage-based |  |
| Search | $7 usage-based |  |
| Deep Search | $12 usage-based |  |
| Monitors | $15 usage-based |  |
| Enterprise | Custom | custom pricing |
| Pay as you go | Custom |  |
| Developer | Custom |  |
| Custom | Custom |  |

Prices as printed on https://exa.ai/pricing. Nothing is converted or annualized.

## Features

- Configurable search latency from 180ms to 1s
- Token-efficient web text and highlight extraction
- Asynchronous deep research with structured JSON schema outputs
- Scheduled web monitors with webhook updates

## Good fit for

- Providing real-time documentation and repository context to coding agents
- Gathering structured research data with cited web sources
- Monitoring web updates and fresh events on a set schedule

## Questions

### Is Exa free?

Yes, Exa has a free plan ($10 credits per month). Paid plans start at $0.01 usage-based.

### How much does Exa cost?

Exa lists 12 plans: Free Tier, Free, Starter (free), Agent at $0.01 usage-based, Contents at $1 usage-based, Search at $7 usage-based, Deep Search at $12 usage-based, Monitors at $15 usage-based, Enterprise (custom pricing), Pay as you go (custom pricing), Developer (custom pricing), Custom (custom pricing).

### What output formats does Exa support for research tasks?

Exa delivers responses as structured JSON objects matched to custom schemas, complete with web-grounded citations.

### How does Exa reduce token usage when fetching webpage text?

Exa extracts specific webpage highlights and targeted text summaries, reducing context token requirements by up to 90 percent.

### What latency options are available for Search API calls?

Search API requests feature configurable latency settings ranging from 180 milliseconds to 1 second for latency-sensitive agent loops.

## Recorded pricing changes

- 2026-08-17: Exa added the Custom plan at custom pricing.
- 2026-08-17: Exa added the Developer plan at custom pricing.
- 2026-08-17: Exa added the Starter plan at free.
- 2026-08-17: Exa added the Pay as you go plan at custom pricing.
- 2026-07-27: Exa added the Free plan at free.
- 2026-07-27: Exa added the Agent plan at $0.01.
- 2026-07-27: Exa added the Contents plan at $1.
- 2026-07-27: Exa added the Deep Search plan at $12.
- 2026-07-27: Exa added the Monitors plan at $15.

## Sources

- https://exa.ai/llms.txt
- https://exa.ai
- https://exa.ai/pricing

Listed July 26, 2026, updated August 17, 2026.