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Exa vs Tavily. Rows marked Differs have different values.

Startup

Exa

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Startup

Tavily

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TypeStartupStartup
Categories
In one lineSearch API purpose-built for AI agents.Search and extraction API optimized for LLMs and agents.
Stage & funding——
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Pros
  • User reportsRuns its own large, independent web index (confirmed on HN by Exa's head of index) rather than reselling Google or Bing.[1]
  • User reportsIn one user's side-by-side test, LLMs preferred Exa and Tavily results over Brave and SearXNG.[1]
  • User reportsBuilt into agent tools: OpenCode supports Exa search by default, and Exa is available as a Codex plugin.[1][2]
  • DocsThe free Starter plan gives $10 of credits a month plus a $10 onboarding bonus, with no payment method needed.[1]
  • DocsSimple credit pricing: 1,000 free credits a month with no card, and a basic search costs 1 credit.[1]
  • DocsWidely adopted: Nebius cites a developer community of over a million users, and customers including IBM, Cohere and Groq.[1]
  • User reportsUsers rate its results alongside Exa's and like its easy CLI and skill.[1][2][3]
  • DocsOne API covers search, extract, map, crawl and research, and failed URL extractions are never charged.[1]
Cons
  • DocsPricier than some rivals: search starts at $4 per 1,000 requests (users quoted $7 per 1,000 plus a charge per result beyond the top 10), against $0.25-5 elsewhere.[1][2][3]
  • DocsContents cost $1 per 1,000 pages for each content type, so asking for text, highlights and summaries multiplies the cost.[1]
  • DocsZero data retention and HIPAA are Enterprise-only, which one user described as Exa charging for no retention.[1][2]
  • DocsThroughput is capped at 10 search QPS on the free plan and 25 on Developer; higher QPS and SLAs are Enterprise-only.[1]
  • DocsNebius, an AI cloud company, agreed to acquire it in February 2026, so roadmap and pricing may follow Nebius's platform priorities.[1]
  • Independent testA competitor's open NEEDLE benchmark puts Tavily below Parallel, Exa and DeepSeek search on quality.[1]
  • DocsResearch requests are priced dynamically at 15-250 credits each on the pro model, and pay-as-you-go costs $0.008 per credit.[1]
  • User reportsIt is a hosted-only API, so 'self-hosted' agent stacks that use it still need an external key.[1]
Best forAgents that need high-quality semantic web search from an independent index.Agent builders who want one simple API for search and page extraction that is cheap to start with.
Watch out forModel your costs per request and per content type, and get zero retention in writing if your queries are sensitive.Watch for pricing and roadmap changes after the Nebius deal, and cap how many credits research requests can use.
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