kitio.aiExa vs Ai2 Asta
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Ai2 Asta is completely free, while Exa is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Semantic web search
- Full page contents
- Research API
- Websets
- Similar page search
- Paper finding agent
- Literature summaries
- Data analysis
- Semantic Scholar corpus
- MCP access
| Feature | Exa | Ai2 Asta |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets | Free agentic research assistant for scientists from Ai2 |
| Category | Research & search | Research & search |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | See pricing page | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | Exa Labs | Allen Institute for AI |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Ai2 Asta is completely free, while Exa is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Starter
Free
- $10 free credits every month
- $10 onboarding bonus
- All endpoints, 10 QPS
Search
From $4 / 1K requests
- Web search for agents
- Up to 10 results per request
Contents
$1 / 1K pages
- Full page contents for LLMs
- Configurable livecrawl
Agent
$0.012–$1.00 / run
- Async deep research runs
- Structured outputs with citations
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Exa
- Built for AI use cases
- Returns full content
- Websets finds niche lists
- Mainly for developers
- Usage costs add up at scale
Ai2 Asta
- Free and nonprofit-backed
- Large scientific corpus
- Transparent benchmarks
- Still evolving quickly
- Interface less polished than paid tools
Which one should you choose?
Choose Exa if you want:
- Built for AI use cases
- Returns full content
- Websets finds niche lists
Watch out: mainly for developers.
Choose Ai2 Asta if you want:
- Free and nonprofit-backed
- Large scientific corpus
- Transparent benchmarks
Watch out: still evolving quickly.
Exa vs Ai2 Asta FAQ
What is the difference between Exa and Ai2 Asta?
Exa: Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets. Ai2 Asta: Free agentic research assistant for scientists from Ai2. Both are research & search tools.
Is Exa or Ai2 Asta cheaper?
Ai2 Asta is completely free, while Exa is freemium.
Do Exa and Ai2 Asta have free plans?
Exa: Yes. Ai2 Asta: Yes, fully free.
Who makes Exa?
Exa is made by Exa Labs, based in United States.
Who makes Ai2 Asta?
Ai2 Asta is made by Allen Institute for AI, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Exa or Ai2 Asta?
Choose Exa if you value built for ai use cases and returns full content. Choose Ai2 Asta if you value free and nonprofit-backed and large scientific corpus.