# Exa Search API

Category: [AI search and web reading](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/ai/search/)  
Page: https://free-web-services.com/web-services/ai/search/exa-search-api.html  
Documentation: https://exa.ai/docs/reference/search

Exa is a web search engine built for AI apps: ask in plain language and get matching pages with their text, highlights or summaries, for example to ground a chatbot answer in current sources. Requests are JSON POST calls with an x-api-key header. Free with a free API key: $10 in credits every month, no payment method needed; paid per request after that. An official MCP server at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp lets AI agents search and fetch web pages, without a key at a free rate limit.

- API key: Needed, free
- Pricing: Free with a free API key: $10 in credits every month, no payment method needed; paid per request after that.
- From the browser: No, call it from a server
- Formats: JSON
- Interface: REST, MCP
- Provider: exa.ai
- Last checked: Working on November 3rd, 2026

Example request:

```sh
curl -X POST 'https://api.exa.ai/search' \
  -H 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query":"latest research on solar panels","numResults":3}'
```

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your own key. Run the JavaScript on a server, such as Node.js 18 or newer: this API does not accept calls from web pages on other sites.