Exa vs WisPaper
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Exa starts at See pricing page and WisPaper starts at $5/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
- Deep Search
- AI Survey summaries
- Personalized AI Feeds
- Research agents
- Paper storage
| Feature | Exa | WisPaper |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets | Academic search engine with deep search, feeds and research agents |
| Category | Research & search | Research & search |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Made by | Exa Labs | WisPaper |
| 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 WisPaper starts at $5/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
Plus
$5/mo
- 20,000 credits a month
- 10 GB storage
Pro
$20/mo
- 200,000 credits a month
- 50 GB storage
- Daily agent tasks
Max
$100/mo
- 1,000,000 credits a month
- 250 GB storage
- Frequent agent tasks
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
WisPaper
- Low-cost entry plan
- Feeds keep you up to date
- Agents handle longer literature tasks
- Unused credits expire monthly
- Heavy agent use needs the $100 plan
- Plans are for individual use only
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 WisPaper if you want:
- Low-cost entry plan
- Feeds keep you up to date
- Agents handle longer literature tasks
Watch out: unused credits expire monthly.
Exa vs WisPaper FAQ
What is the difference between Exa and WisPaper?
Exa: Search engine built for AI apps, with deep research and Websets. WisPaper: Academic search engine with deep search, feeds and research agents. Both are research & search tools.
Is Exa or WisPaper cheaper?
Exa starts at See pricing page and WisPaper starts at $5/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Exa and WisPaper have free plans?
Exa: Yes. WisPaper: No.
Who makes Exa?
Exa is made by Exa Labs, based in United States.
Who makes WisPaper?
WisPaper is made by WisPaper.
Which should I choose, Exa or WisPaper?
Choose Exa if you value built for ai use cases and returns full content. Choose WisPaper if you value low-cost entry plan and feeds keep you up to date.