kitio.aiExa vs Tavily
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Exa starts at See pricing page and Tavily starts at $30/mo. 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
- Agent-ready search results
- Page extraction
- Crawling
- Research endpoint
- Framework integrations
| Feature | Exa | Tavily |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets | Web search and extraction API built for AI agents |
| Category | Research & search | Research & search |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $30/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Exa Labs | Tavily |
| 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 Tavily starts at $30/mo. 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
3 plans
Free
Free
- 1,000 API credits per month
- No credit card required
Pay As You Go
$0.008 / credit
- Pay only for what you use
- Cancel anytime
Project
$30/mo
- 4,000 API credits per month
- Higher rate limits
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
Tavily
- Easy to plug into agents
- Free monthly credits
- Wide framework support
- For developers only
- Costs grow with heavy use
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 Tavily if you want:
- Easy to plug into agents
- Free monthly credits
- Wide framework support
Watch out: for developers only.
Exa vs Tavily FAQ
What is the difference between Exa and Tavily?
Exa: Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets. Tavily: Web search and extraction API built for AI agents. Both are research & search tools.
Is Exa or Tavily cheaper?
Exa starts at See pricing page and Tavily starts at $30/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Exa and Tavily have free plans?
Exa: Yes. Tavily: Yes.
Who makes Exa?
Exa is made by Exa Labs, based in United States.
Who makes Tavily?
Tavily is made by Tavily.
Which should I choose, Exa or Tavily?
Choose Exa if you value built for ai use cases and returns full content. Choose Tavily if you value easy to plug into agents and free monthly credits.