Tavily Search API vs Exa Search API
Free API comparison
| Tavily Search API | Exa Search API | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI search and web reading | AI search and web reading |
| API key | Needed, free | Needed, free |
| Pricing | Free plan with 1,000 API credits per month and no credit card needed; paid plans for more. | Free with a free API key: $10 in credits every month, no payment method needed; paid per request after that. |
| From the browser | Not stated | No, call it from a server |
| Formats | JSON | JSON |
| Interface | REST, MCP | REST, MCP |
| Provider | docs.tavily.com | exa.ai |
| Last checked | Working on November 2nd, 2026 | Working on November 3rd, 2026 |
| MCP server | Yes, official | Yes, official |
Which one to choose
Both are web search made for AI apps, with an official MCP server and a free monthly allowance without a card: Tavily gives 1,000 API credits a month, Exa $10 in credits. Tavily can add a short generated answer and has extract and crawl endpoints; Exa searches by meaning and returns page text, highlights or summaries, and its MCP server also works without a key at a free rate limit. Try both on your own questions.
Each service's own page has its full description, a code example and what visitors report: Tavily Search API, Exa Search API.