Browserbase vs Exa: browser automation pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Browserbase runs headless cloud browsers for AI agents, plus Search and Fetch APIs, a model gateway and a runtime. Plans are monthly and every plan keeps running past its included usage at the plan’s rate rather than capping you.
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 browserbase.com and exa.ai. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Free, Developer, Startup, Scale
- Free option
- Free: $0 / month
- Published prices
- Free $0 (1 browser hour); Developer $20/mo (100 hrs, then $0.12/hr); Startup $99/mo (500 hrs, then $0.10/hr); Scale custom.
- 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: Browserbase 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. Browserbase lists 4 entries (Free, Developer, Startup, Scale); Exa lists 6 (Lite Search, Auto Search, Deep Search, Contents, Monitors, Answer).
- Free option. Browserbase: Free: $0 / month. Exa: none in the published plan table.
- How prices are quoted. Browserbase: “Published plans”. Exa: “Endpoint rates (per 1,000 requests, up to 10 results)”.
Browserbase plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Concurrent browsers | Browser hours | Agent runs | Proxies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 / month | 3 | 1 hour; 15 minutes per session | 3 | — |
| Developer | $20 / month | 25 | 100 hours, then $0.12 per browser hour | 15 | 1 GB, then $12 / GB |
| Startup | $99 / month | 100 | 500 hours, then $0.10 per browser hour | 50 | 5 GB, then $10 / GB |
| Scale | Custom (contact sales) | 250+ | 500+ hours, usage-based | Custom | 5+ GB, usage-based |
Free also lists $5 in model tokens. Developer and above list auto captcha solving; Scale adds HIPAA (BAA), DPA and SSO. Data retention: 7 days on Free, 30 days on Developer and Startup, 30+ on Scale.
| API | Free | Developer | Startup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search calls included | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Search after included | — | $1/1k Parallel Fast; $5/1k Parallel Advanced; $7/1k Exa Fast; $12/1k Exa Deep | Same as Developer |
| Fetch calls included | 1,000 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| Fetch after included | — | $1/1k calls; $4/1k with proxies or Extract; $7/1k with both | $0.5/1k calls; $4/1k with proxies or Extract; $7/1k with both |
Search is 2 requests per second per project and Fetch 5 per second on Free, Developer and Startup; Scale is custom. Quoted from the plan comparison table on browserbase.com/pricing (Nov 6, 2026).
From browserbase.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Browserbase 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 Browserbase cost?
Free $0 (1 browser hour); Developer $20/mo (100 hrs, then $0.12/hr); Startup $99/mo (500 hrs, then $0.10/hr); Scale custom. (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 Browserbase and Exa have a free option?
Browserbase: Free: $0 / month. Exa: none in the published plan table.
Which is better, Browserbase 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: browserbase.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)
Spot something out of date? Email hello@youraitools.co and we’ll fix it.