# Exa Deep search alternative in 2026: a cited report from $0.10 Compared on Nov 13, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/exa-deep-search-alternative Exa's `deep` search type costs $12 per 1,000 requests and answers in 4 to 15 seconds. `deep-reasoning` is a legacy type at $15, and Exa sends long-running research to Exa Agent, at $0.012 to $1.00 a request. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. `POST /v1/research` returns a written report with the page, read time and passage behind each cited sentence, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00. Exa's `/search` call costs $1 per 1,000 on the same key. [Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-exa-deep-search-alternative&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 100 quick reports, 33 standard reports or 10 deep reports. ## SpecStream and Exa's research options side by side | | SpecStream | Exa | |---|---|---| | A written research report | `POST /v1/research`: $0.10 quick, $0.30 standard, $1.00 deep, one flat price per depth | Exa Agent for long-running research: $0.012, $0.025, $0.10, $0.50 or $1.00 a request at a fixed effort, or metered up to a $5 cap on `auto` | | A search with a synthesized answer | Search API at $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, and $1 on the fast tier | `deep` and `deep-lite` at $12 per 1,000 requests, `deep-reasoning` (legacy) at $15 | | Your Exa /search code | Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`. `POST /exa/search` answers in Exa's shape at $1 per 1,000 searches | `/search` at $4 per 1,000 requests on `lite` and $7 on `auto` | | How long it takes | A report: about one minute quick, four minutes standard, five minutes deep | `deep-lite` about 4 seconds, `deep` 4 to 15 seconds, `deep-reasoning` 12 to 40 seconds | | What comes back | `report.content` with `[1]` markers, `report.citations` with the page, the read time and the passage of each cited sentence, and `report.sources` with every page read | The selected results under `results`. With an `outputSchema`, `output.content` and field-level citations in `output.grounding` | | JSON in place of text | `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}` with your JSON Schema | `outputSchema` on the `/search` request | | The price before the run | The reply to the `POST` shows `price_usd`. On MCP, `start_research` runs only with that price approved as `confirm_max_cents` | A price per request by type. A metered Agent run bills actual usage up to its cap | | When you pay | Once, when the report is delivered. A cancelled report is not charged | Per request, from credits you load | | Pages and rows on the same key | Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and Deep Search rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 each | Contents at $1 per 1,000 pages. Agent adds $0.02 per email and $0.07 per phone number | | Starting credit | $10 of credit on a new account, no card: 100 quick reports or 10,000 searches through the Exa address | $10 in credits on the Free Tier the day you sign up | ## Why Exa Deep users move to SpecStream ### A report where a deep request returns results A `deep` request is a search: it returns the selected results, and a synthesized answer when you add an `outputSchema`. For long-running research Exa points to Exa Agent, a second product with its own prices. On SpecStream the research answer is one call. `POST /v1/research` reads the web for about one to five minutes and returns the written report with its citations. ### Three prices, known when the report starts Exa Agent has five fixed efforts from $0.012 to $1.00 a request, and its default `auto` mode bills usage up to a $5 cap. A SpecStream report costs $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 by depth, and the reply to the `POST` shows it as `price_usd`. The price is taken once, when the report is delivered. ### Each cited sentence shows its page and when it was read Exa returns `output.grounding` with citations per field. SpecStream's `report.citations` gives each cited sentence the URL of its page, the time SpecStream read it and the passage that supports it, and `report.sources` lists every page read in the run. Your reviewer opens the page and finds the passage in seconds. ### The same /search call at $1 per 1,000 Requests that need ranked pages keep their code. Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`, and `POST /exa/search` answers in Exa's shape for $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, against $12 on `deep` and $7 on `auto`. The same key runs the Search API, which scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions, and the Extract API at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. The [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative) page shows each run. See [research reports](https://specstream.ai/research?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative) and [Exa pricing](https://specstream.ai/exa-pricing?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative). ## Other Exa Deep search alternatives ### Linkup Research SpecStream writes a cited report for $0.10 to $1.00 in about one to five minutes. Linkup Research costs $0.25, $0.50, $1.50 or $2.50 a request by depth, and its pricing page gives 1 to 10 minutes a request. A SpecStream standard report costs $0.30, under Linkup's `M` depth at $0.50. ### Parallel Task API Parallel prices Task runs per 1,000 by processor, from $5 to $2,400. Its deep research runs on `pro` at $100 per 1,000 runs, in 2 to 10 minutes, and on `ultra` at $300, in 5 to 25 minutes. A SpecStream quick report costs the same $0.10 as a `pro` run and takes about a minute. ### Tavily Research Tavily Research bills 4 to 110 credits a request on `mini` and 15 to 250 on `pro`, at $0.008 a credit pay as you go. That is $0.032 to $0.88 on `mini` and $0.12 to $2.00 on `pro`, known after the run. A SpecStream report has one price per depth, shown as `price_usd` when the report starts. ## How to move from Exa Deep 1. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card. 2. For a research answer, send your `query` as `input` to `POST /v1/research` and choose `depth`: `quick`, `standard` or `deep`. The call answers `202` at once with the report's `id`. ``` curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"input": "Compare how major database vendors support vector, keyword, and hybrid retrieval", "depth": "standard"}' # 202 at once, with the report's id and price_usd. Then read it: curl https://api.specstream.ai/v1/research/ \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" ``` 3. Read `status` until it is `completed`, or follow `GET /v1/research/{id}/events`. The text is in `report.content` and the cited sentences are in `report.citations`. Where your request has an `outputSchema`, send it as `"output": {"type": "json", "schema": {...}}`. 4. For plain search calls, keep the Exa SDK and change one argument: ``` from exa_py import Exa exa = Exa(api_key=SPECSTREAM_KEY, base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/exa") result = exa.search("vector database hybrid retrieval", num_results=10) ``` From an agent, connect the MCP server at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`: `research_price` shows the price of each depth, `start_research` starts the report, and `get_research` reads it. The [research reports guide](https://specstream.ai/docs/research?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative) has every field, and the [Exa migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-deep-search-alternative) has each step for the Exa address. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does Exa Deep search cost? $12 per 1,000 requests on `deep` and `deep-lite`, which is $0.012 a request, and $15 per 1,000 on the legacy `deep-reasoning` type. The base price covers up to 10 results. ### Is Exa deep-reasoning deprecated? It is a legacy type since October 19, 2026, and it keeps its price of $15 per 1,000 requests. Exa points new requests to `deep`, or to Exa Agent for long-running research, list building and multi-hop enrichment. ### What is the best Exa Deep alternative for research? SpecStream, at $0.10, $0.30 or $1.00 a report. Each report comes back in about one to five minutes, and each cited sentence carries the URL of its page, the time it was read and the passage. ### How long does a SpecStream research report take? About 1 minute for a quick report, 4 minutes for a standard report and 5 minutes for a deep report. The call answers `202` at once, and `GET /v1/research/{id}/events` streams the progress. ### What does a failed or cancelled report cost on SpecStream? $0. The price is taken once, when the report is delivered, and a cancelled report is not charged. ### Does SpecStream answer Exa's search call? Yes, at $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results. Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`, and `POST /exa/search` answers in Exa's shape with the key in `x-api-key` or as a Bearer token. ### Does SpecStream have an MCP server for research? Yes, at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, with 3 tools for reports: `research_price`, `start_research` and `get_research`. `start_research` runs only after your person approves the price as `confirm_max_cents`. ## Sources SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure about another provider comes from that company's own page, read on the date shown. - [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Exa Deep Search](https://exa.ai/docs/search/deep-search.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Exa changelog](https://exa.ai/docs/changelog/pricing-update.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Linkup pricing](https://www.linkup.so/pricing), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Linkup pricing docs](https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/development/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Parallel pricing](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [Tavily API credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream research reports](https://specstream.ai/docs/research), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 13, 2026 - [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 13, 2026