Brave Search API vs Exa: search and web data API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
The Brave Search API gives apps and AI agents results from Brave's own web index, plus LLM-ready context and summarized answers. It uses prepaid credits, no subscription.
Exa is a web search API built for AI agents. It is billed pay as you go per request, with a different rate for each endpoint and search type, and an Enterprise plan for custom limits.
Listed A to Z, from brave.com and exa.ai. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Search, Answers, Enterprise
- Free option
- Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month
- Published prices
- Search $5 per 1,000 requests, Answers $4 per 1,000 plus $5 per million tokens; $5 free credits monthly.
- Main price table
- Lite Search, Auto Search, Deep Search, Contents, Monitors, Answer
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- Search from $4 per 1,000 requests, contents $1 per 1,000 pages, Monitors $2 per 1,000 requests, Agent runs from $0.012, plus its x402 route.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Brave Search API checked Nov 10, 2026, Exa checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Brave Search API lists 3 entries (Search, Answers, Enterprise); Exa lists 6 (Lite Search, Auto Search, Deep Search, Contents, Monitors, Answer).
- Free option. Brave Search API: Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month. Exa: none in the published plan table.
- How prices are quoted. Brave Search API: “Plans”. Exa: “Endpoint rates (per 1,000 requests, up to 10 results)”.
Brave Search API plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Free credits | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | $5 per 1,000 requests | $5 every month | 50 queries per second |
| Answers | $4 per 1,000 requests + $5 per million input/output tokens | $5 every month | 2 queries per second |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | - | Custom |
Search includes Goggles (custom reranking and filtering), extra alternate snippets and schema-enriched results. Answers adds citations, streaming and OpenAI SDK compatibility. Enterprise adds full-funnel Zero Data Retention, custom agreements and invoicing. The page headline says up to $20 in free calls every month.
From brave.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Brave Search API pricing.
Exa plans and prices
| Endpoint | Base price | Each extra result above 10 | AI page summaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite Search | $4 | $1 per 1k requests | $1 per 1k pages |
| Auto Search | $7 | $1 per 1k requests | $1 per 1k pages |
| Deep Search | $12 | $1 per 1k requests | $1 per 1k pages |
| Contents | $1 per 1k pages | – | $1 per 1k pages |
| Monitors | $2 | $1 per 1k requests | $1 per 1k pages |
| Answer | $5 | – | – |
| Effort or component | Price |
|---|---|
| Minimal / Low / Medium effort | $0.012 / $0.025 / $0.10 per request |
| High / X-high effort | $0.50 / $1.00 per request |
| Ultra effort | Usage-based |
| Agent compute units | $0.10 per ACU |
| Search tool calls | $0.005 per search |
| Email / phone contact enrichment | $0.02 per email / $0.07 per phone number |
By default the Agent uses effort “auto”, where compute and tool usage scale to the task; a fixed effort gives a predictable price per request.
From exa.ai, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Exa pricing.
FAQ
How much does Brave Search API cost?
Search $5 per 1,000 requests, Answers $4 per 1,000 plus $5 per million tokens; $5 free credits monthly. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Exa cost?
Search from $4 per 1,000 requests, contents $1 per 1,000 pages, Monitors $2 per 1,000 requests, Agent runs from $0.012, plus its x402 route. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Brave Search API and Exa have a free option?
Brave Search API: Search and Answers each include $5 in free credits every month. Exa: none in the published plan table.
Which is better, Brave Search API or Exa?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: brave.com (checked Nov 10, 2026) and exa.ai (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
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