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# Tavily vs Exa in 2026: one SpecStream key answers both calls

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/compare/tavily-vs-exa

On Nov 10, 2026, a basic Tavily search costs $0.008 pay as you go and an advanced one two credits, $0.016. An Exa search costs $7 per 1,000 on `auto`. Each answers in its own JSON, so choosing one means writing to it.

SpecStream answers both calls. Point Tavily code at `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` and Exa code at `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`, put one SpecStream key where the old key went, and the same body returns the same JSON.

Every call costs $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, from credit that never expires. The Search API scores a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-tavily-vs-exa&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 2,000 searches.

## SpecStream, Tavily and Exa side by side

| | SpecStream | Tavily | Exa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your code | Runs as it is. `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` in place of `https://api.tavily.com`, `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` in place of `https://api.exa.ai`, and one SpecStream key for both | `POST https://api.tavily.com/search`, with the key as a Bearer token | `POST https://api.exa.ai/search`, with the key in `x-api-key` or as a Bearer token |
| Price per 1,000 searches | $5 for up to 10 results, on either route: basic or advanced, `auto` or `deep`, with page text included | $8 for basic searches pay as you go ($0.008 a credit, 1 credit each). $16 for advanced, at 2 credits each | $7 on `auto` and `fast`, $4 on `lite`, for the first 10 results. Each result above 10 adds $1 per 1,000 results |
| How you pay | From a balance, with no monthly plan. Credit you buy never expires | Monthly plans at $0.0075 to $0.005 a credit: Project is $30 a month for 4,000 credits, Growth $500 a month for 100,000. Credits reset on the first day of each month | Priced per 1,000 requests, where one request is one API call |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card. That is 2,000 searches | 1,000 credits a month, no credit card. Requests stop when they run out, until the credits reset or you upgrade | $10 in credits on sign-up, up to 2,500 Lite searches, reset to $10 on the first of every month. No payment method required |
| Results per call | Up to 20 on the Tavily route and up to 100 on the Exa route. 100 results cost $0.059 | 0 to 20, 10 by default | 1 to 100 |
| Page text | Tavily's `include_raw_content` and Exa's `contents.text` fill in each page's text at no extra cost | `include_raw_content` returns the content as markdown or text | Contents at $1 per 1,000 pages, per content type |
| What answers the call | The whole live web, read at the moment of the call. 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct) and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks | Cached copies, with pages fetched live as needed. `max_age_hours` from 1 to 720 asks for a copy fetched within that many hours | Exa's index, which tracks over 2 trillion URLs and serves 100 billion pages as of October 2026 |
| Beyond search | Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, map and crawl, and Deep Search: every match on the live web as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, rerun on a schedule if you save the request | Extract at 1 credit for every 5 successful URLs on basic. Research from 4 to 250 credits a request | Monitors at $2 per 1,000 requests. Agent from $0.012 a request at `minimal` effort to $1.00 at `xhigh` |
| For agents | The MCP server at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, and Exa's own MCP server pointed at SpecStream with `EXA_API_BASE_URL` | A remote MCP server, and the `tvly` CLI | A hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp`, and the `exa-py` and `exa-js` SDKs |

## Why teams that weigh Tavily and Exa pick SpecStream

### Both calls, one key

You do not have to choose an API or rewrite one. Tavily's call and Exa's call both run on SpecStream, each on its own path and in its own JSON. The address changes, and the key.

```
# Tavily: before
curl -X POST https://api.tavily.com/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAVILY_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "max_results": 5}'

# Tavily: after
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/tavily/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "max_results": 5}'
```

```
# Exa: before
curl -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $EXA_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "numResults": 10}'

# Exa: after
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/exa/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "open source vector databases", "numResults": 10}'
```

In the official SDKs it is one argument: `TavilyClient(api_key=SPECSTREAM_API_KEY, api_base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/tavily")` and `Exa(api_key=SPECSTREAM_API_KEY, base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/exa")`.

### What stays the same

The Tavily route reads `query`, `max_results` (0 to 20), `include_domains`, `exclude_domains`, `time_range`, `topic` `news` with `days`, `start_date`, `end_date`, `include_answer` and `include_raw_content`, and returns `results[]` with `title`, `url`, `content`, `score` and `raw_content`. The [Tavily migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/tavily?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa) lists every parameter and field.

The Exa route reads `query`, `numResults` (1 to 100), `includeDomains`, `excludeDomains`, `includeText`, `excludeText`, `startPublishedDate`, `endPublishedDate`, `contents.text` and `contents.highlights`, and returns `results[]` with `id`, `url`, `title`, `publishedDate` and `text`, plus `costDollars.total`, the price of the call. The [Exa migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa) lists every parameter and field.

### One price for every call

On SpecStream a search of up to 10 results costs $0.005 whether it is Tavily basic or advanced, Exa `auto` or `deep`, with page text or without. Each started block of 10 more results adds $0.006. 100,000 searches cost $500, from credit that never expires and with no monthly plan to renew. A busy call answers `429` with `Retry-After` and is not charged.

### The most accurate web search API in the world, in about one second

The SpecStream Search API scores a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, with 978 correct. On WideSearch it scores 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official tasks, and the Extract API scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The scores and the method are at [specstream.ai/benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa).

A call of up to 10 results without page text runs the fast search. On November 9, 2026 production answered 718 of 720 fast searches: the median was 0.82 s at 1 search a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second, and the 95th percentile stayed between 1.09 and 1.73 s. There is no limit per key and no daily limit.

### Zero retention on any key

Create the key with `zero_retention` and a search made with it keeps no request text and no answer after the reply. `spend_cap_cents` is the most the key can spend.

```
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/account/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "production", "scopes": ["account:read", "finds:spend"], "spend_cap_cents": 500000, "zero_retention": true}'
```

### Search, pages and rows on one key

The same key reads up to 20 pages or documents a call with the [Extract API](https://specstream.ai/extract-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text is not charged. Tavily Extract and Exa Contents calls answer on the same routes. [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa) takes a request in plain words and returns every match on the live web as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. The most a run can cost is approved before it starts.

## Other search APIs teams price against Tavily and Exa

### Brave Search API

$5 per 1,000 requests, with $5 in free credits every month and 50 queries a second. SpecStream answers Brave's `GET /res/v1/web/search` in Brave's JSON with the same key that answers Tavily and Exa.

### Serper

Google results in prepaid packs from $1.00 to $0.30 per 1,000 credits, valid for 6 months. SpecStream answers Serper's call at `https://api.specstream.ai/serper/search`, in Serper's JSON, from credit that never expires.

### Parallel Search API

From $1 per 1,000 requests. SpecStream answers Parallel's `POST /v1/search` at `https://api.specstream.ai/parallel`, in Parallel's JSON, on the same key and balance.

### Firecrawl

Hobby costs $19 a month, and a search costs 2 credits per 10 results. SpecStream answers Firecrawl's search, scrape, map and crawl calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl`, with search at $5 per 1,000 and pages at $0.80 per 1,000.

## How to move Tavily or Exa code to SpecStream

1. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches.

2. In Tavily code, set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` and send the SpecStream key as the Bearer token.

```
import os, requests

BASE = "https://api.specstream.ai/tavily"  # was https://api.tavily.com

reply = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/search",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SPECSTREAM_API_KEY']}"},
    json={"query": "Who founded Mistral AI and when?", "max_results": 10},
    timeout=30,
).json()

for result in reply["results"]:
    print(result["title"], result["url"], result["score"])
```

3. In Exa code, set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` and put the same key in `x-api-key`.

```
const res = await fetch("https://api.specstream.ai/exa/search", { // was https://api.exa.ai
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SPECSTREAM_API_KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query: "open source vector databases", numResults: 10 }),
});
const data = await res.json();
for (const result of data.results) console.log(result.title, result.url, result.publishedDate);
```

4. Leave the rest. Both routes bill each call of up to 10 results at $0.005 from one balance, and a `429` comes with `Retry-After` and charges nothing.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tavily better than Exa?

For a team that has written to either one, SpecStream is the better choice: since Nov 9, 2026 it answers both calls in their own JSON at $5 per 1,000 searches, and scores a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions. Tavily answers from cached copies fetched live as needed; Exa answers from its own index.

### Tavily vs Exa pricing: what does each cost?

Tavily costs $0.008 a credit pay as you go, 1 credit a basic search and 2 an advanced one, or $0.0075 to $0.005 a credit on monthly plans. Exa costs $7 per 1,000 searches on `auto`, $4 on `lite`, plus $1 per 1,000 results above 10. SpecStream costs $5 per 1,000 for any of them.

### Can I use both Tavily and Exa?

Yes, on one SpecStream key since Nov 9, 2026. Tavily code calls `https://api.specstream.ai/tavily` and Exa code calls `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`, each in its own JSON, on one balance and one request history.

### Do Tavily and Exa have a free tier?

Tavily gives 1,000 credits a month with no credit card, and Exa gives $10 in credits that reset on the first of every month. SpecStream gives $10 of credit with no card, which covers 2,000 searches on either route.

### Do I have to rewrite my Tavily or Exa code to move?

No. You change one base address and the key. In the Python SDKs that is `api_base_url` on `TavilyClient` and `base_url` on `Exa`, and the parser reads the same fields.

### Which returns more results per call?

Exa returns 1 to 100 results a call and Tavily 0 to 20. SpecStream returns up to 100 on the Exa route, and 100 results cost $0.059.

### Which is the most accurate search API for an AI agent?

SpecStream, with a 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct) and 64.0 item F1 on all 200 WideSearch tasks. The scores and the method are on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-vs-exa) page.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure for Tavily, Exa and the other APIs comes from that company's own page.

- [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily pricing](https://tavily.com/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily search reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Tavily MCP](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/mcp.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Exa search reference](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/search.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Exa FAQ](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/faqs.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Serper](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Parallel pricing](https://parallel.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Firecrawl pricing](https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 10, 2026