kitio.aiExa vs ContextWire
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Exa starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
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
- Multi-engine web search
- Full page reading
- LLM answer extraction
- Academic paper search
- MCP server
- API playground
| Feature | Exa | ContextWire |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets | Search and answer API that gives AI apps sourced facts from 100+ engines |
| Category | Research & search | Research & search |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Exa Labs | ContextWire |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Exa starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
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
ContextWire
- 1,000 free queries a month
- Sources returned with every answer
- Ready-made MCP integration
- Paid plan details not shown in the evidence
- Relies on free-tier models for extraction
- Small provider with little track record
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 ContextWire if you want:
- 1,000 free queries a month
- Sources returned with every answer
- Ready-made MCP integration
Watch out: paid plan details not shown in the evidence.
Exa vs ContextWire FAQ
What is the difference between Exa and ContextWire?
Exa: Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets. ContextWire: Search and answer API that gives AI apps sourced facts from 100+ engines. Both are research & search tools.
Is Exa or ContextWire cheaper?
Exa starts at See pricing page and ContextWire starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Exa and ContextWire have free plans?
Exa: Yes. ContextWire: Yes.
Who makes Exa?
Exa is made by Exa Labs, based in United States.
Who makes ContextWire?
ContextWire is made by ContextWire.
Which should I choose, Exa or ContextWire?
Choose Exa if you value built for ai use cases and returns full content. Choose ContextWire if you value 1,000 free queries a month and sources returned with every answer.