Exa vs Firecrawl: web scraping API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
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.
Firecrawl is a web scraping and crawling API that turns pages into clean Markdown or JSON for AI apps. Every endpoint draws on one monthly credit balance.
Listed A to Z, from exa.ai and firecrawl.dev. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- 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.
- Main price table
- Free, Hobby, Standard, Growth, Scale, Enterprise
- Free option
- Free: $0
- Published prices
- Free 1,000 credits/month, Hobby $16/mo, Standard $83, Growth $333, Scale $599 billed annually. 1 credit = 1 page.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Exa checked Nov 10, 2026, Firecrawl 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. Exa lists 6 entries (Lite Search, Auto Search, Deep Search, Contents, Monitors, Answer); Firecrawl lists 6 (Free, Hobby, Standard, Growth, Scale, Enterprise).
- Free option. Exa: none in the published plan table. Firecrawl: Free: $0.
- How prices are quoted. Exa: “Endpoint rates (per 1,000 requests, up to 10 results)”. Firecrawl: “Plans”.
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.
Firecrawl plans and prices
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Credits per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1,000 |
| Hobby | $16/month | $19/month | 5,000 |
| Standard | $83/month | $99/month | 100,000 |
| Growth | $333/month | $399/month | 500,000 |
| Scale | $599/month | $749/month | 1,000,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Paid plans can add credits pay as you go in $5 increments, up to a monthly limit you set. Credits roll over only on Scale (one month) and Enterprise.
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Scrape or crawl, basic page | 1 per page |
| Map call | 1 |
| Search | 2 per 10 results |
| Interact (browser) | 2 per browser minute |
| JSON, Question or Highlight format | +4 per page |
| Monitor (deterministic extraction) | 7 per page per check |
From firecrawl.dev, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Firecrawl pricing.
FAQ
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).
How much does Firecrawl cost?
Free 1,000 credits/month, Hobby $16/mo, Standard $83, Growth $333, Scale $599 billed annually. 1 credit = 1 page. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Exa and Firecrawl have a free option?
Exa: none in the published plan table. Firecrawl: Free: $0.
Which is better, Exa or Firecrawl?
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: exa.ai (checked Nov 10, 2026) and firecrawl.dev (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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