A.I. Tools › Research & Search
Exa
A web search API that gives A.I. agents the data and context they need
Exa is a search service built for A.I. agents and the developers who make them. The pages call it "the world's data for AI agents" and say it searches the largest index of public web and private information. It's made by Exa Labs Inc.
You use Exa through an API, which is a way for one piece of software to ask another for information. Developers can run web searches, pull full page contents, start deeper research runs, and set up monitors that watch the web on a schedule. Results can come back as results, answers or structured data. Exa says it works with coding agents, chatbots, news monitoring and people or company search. There's a free starter plan, plus pay-as-you-go pricing for heavier use. This is a tool for people who build software, not a chat app for everyday questions.
What it does
- Search the web with a choice of speed, from about half a second to deeper researchsource: exa.ai
- Get page excerpts built to use fewer tokens (the text units A.I. models read)source: exa.ai
- Run deep research with structured results and cited sourcessource: exa.ai
- Monitors search the web on a schedule and send updates by webhooksource: exa.ai
- Zero data retention is listed for enterprise plans, and the homepage says queries aren't stored or trained onsource: exa.ai
- Works with an MCP server, a Claude connector and a ChatGPT pluginsource: exa.ai
Our take (opinion)
Best for
- 💻 Developers building A.I. agents or chatbots that need live web search
- 🚀 Startups and students who want to try search for free before paying
- 🏢 Teams that need security features like SOC 2 Type II
Watch out for
- ⚠️ It's an API for builders, so you'll need some coding skill to use it
- 💰 Costs vary by endpoint and effort level, so check the pricing page before you scale up
- 📊 Benchmark results on the site are the company's own claims
Pricing
Free plan + paid plans. From the tool's site: “$10 credits every month plus a $10 onboarding bonus. No payment method required” source: exa.ai
Alternatives
Searchable MCP servers built from founders', CEOs' and investors' public talks and essays
Research & Search