Exa vs SerpApi: 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.
SerpApi is an API that returns search engine results pages (Google and others) as structured JSON. Plans are priced by searches per month.
Listed A to Z, from exa.ai and serpapi.com. 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, Starter, Developer, Production, Big Data, Enterprise
- Free option
- Free: $0
- Published prices
- Free 250 searches/month, Starter $25/mo (1,000 searches), Developer $75, Production $150, Big Data $275. Month to month.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Exa checked Nov 10, 2026, SerpApi 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); SerpApi lists 6 (Free, Starter, Developer, Production, Big Data, Enterprise).
- Free option. Exa: none in the published plan table. SerpApi: Free: $0.
- How prices are quoted. Exa: “Endpoint rates (per 1,000 requests, up to 10 results)”. SerpApi: “Plans (month to month)”.
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.
SerpApi plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Searches per month | Throughput per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 | 50 |
| Starter | $25/month | 1,000 | 200 |
| Developer | $75/month | 5,000 | 1,000 |
| Production | $150/month | 15,000 | 3,000 |
| Big Data | $275/month | 30,000 | 6,000 |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | Custom |
Plans are month to month and can be cancelled anytime.
From serpapi.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: SerpApi 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 SerpApi cost?
Free 250 searches/month, Starter $25/mo (1,000 searches), Developer $75, Production $150, Big Data $275. Month to month. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Exa and SerpApi have a free option?
Exa: none in the published plan table. SerpApi: Free: $0.
Which is better, Exa or SerpApi?
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 serpapi.com (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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