# Exa Research API alternative in 2026: rows with a source per value Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/exa-research-api-alternative Exa replaced its `/research` endpoint with `/search` and `type: "deep-reasoning"` in April 2026, at $15 per 1,000 requests. Since Oct 19 that type is legacy, and Exa sends list building to `deep` or to Exa Agent, billed per run. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. Deep Search takes a question in plain words and returns every match as structured rows, with the source URL and read time on every value, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row. [Describe your data](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-exa-research-api-alternative&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fask%3Fq%3DClimate%2520software%2520startups%2520in%2520Europe%2520that%2520raised%2520a%2520seed%2520round%2520in%25202026%252C%2520with%2520the%2520round%2520size%2520and%2520the%2520lead%2520investor) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. Reading and pricing a request cost nothing. ## SpecStream and Exa's research options side by side | | SpecStream | Exa | |---|---|---| | Where /research went | Deep Search, on the same key as the Search API and the Extract API, through the REST API, MCP, Python and TypeScript SDKs and a CLI | `/search` with `type: "deep-reasoning"`, a legacy type since Oct 19, 2026. Exa recommends `deep`, or Exa Agent for long-running research, list building and multi-hop enrichment | | What you send | A request in plain words. SpecStream reads it back as the conditions every row must meet and the facts to bring back, and you can edit each one before it runs | A `query` and an `outputSchema`. On `deep`, the schema holds at most 10 properties in total, counted across every level, and 2 levels of nesting | | A wide table | Name every fact the row needs. The row rate follows how much each row needs: 5¢, 15¢ or $1 | More than 10 fields means several `deep` requests with focused schemas, or Exa Agent | | The source of each value | Source URL and read time on every value. Each condition shows the page that states it, or that no page states it yet | `output.grounding` with field-level citations and a confidence | | Price | 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row, plus 5¢ for a person's email and 15¢ for a phone | $15 per 1,000 requests on `deep-reasoning` and $12 on `deep`. Exa Agent: $0.012 to $1.00 a run at a fixed effort, or metered up to a $5 cap on `auto` | | The price before the run | The most the run can cost, quoted before it starts. Nothing runs until you approve it, and reading and pricing a request cost nothing | A price per request by type. Metered Agent runs take `budget.maxCostDollars` from $1 to $100 | | How long it runs | Until it reaches the count you asked for, up to four hours on the largest lists | `deep` 4 to 15 seconds and `deep-reasoning` 12 to 40 seconds. Agent Ultra takes a time budget of 5 minutes to 3 hours | | What an empty result costs | Nothing. A run that finds nothing costs nothing, and duplicates and rows a page contradicts are not charged | Each API call is a request, priced per 1,000 requests | | Keeping it current | A saved request reruns hourly to yearly, each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching. An unchanged row costs 1¢ | Monitors run scheduled searches at $2 per 1,000 requests | | Where the rows go | Sheets, Excel, Notion, Airtable, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, Slack, Teams, webhooks, Zapier, Make, n8n, the API, SDKs and MCP | JSON in `output.content` from `/search`, or in `output.structured` from Exa Agent | ## Why /research users move to SpecStream ### What happened to /research Exa's April 1, 2026 notice replaced `/research` with `/search` and `type: "deep-reasoning"`. On Oct 19, 2026 Exa made `deep-reasoning` a legacy type: it keeps its $15 per 1,000 price, and Exa points new requests to `deep` at $12, or to Exa Agent for long-running research, list building and multi-hop enrichment. Code that called one research task now picks between a search type and an agent priced per run. ### A table as wide as the job A `deep` request holds at most 10 properties in its `outputSchema`, nested objects and array items included, so a list of companies with 4 facts each already uses 5. Past 10, Exa suggests several requests or Exa Agent. On SpecStream you name the facts, and the quote prices the row by how much it needs: 5¢, 15¢ or $1. ### A source on every value Exa returns `output.grounding` with citations and a confidence per field, and its guide asks you to verify important claims against their sources. On SpecStream every value has its page: the URL it was read on and the time it was read. Each condition of your request shows the page that states it, or that no page states it yet, and `get_find_decisions` returns the answer, the reason, the value, the source and the time. ### Priced per row, before the run A `deep-reasoning` call costs $0.015 whatever its output holds, and an Agent run bills compute and searches as it goes. SpecStream prices the delivered row and shows the most the run can cost before it starts. Duplicates, rows you already own and rows a page contradicts are not charged, and what the run does not use goes back to your balance. See [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative) and the [pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative) page. ## Other Exa Research API alternatives ### Exa Agent Exa's own answer for list building and multi-hop enrichment: $0.012 to $1.00 a run at a fixed effort, or metered at $0.10 per compute unit and $0.005 per search up to a $5 cap on `auto`, plus $0.02 per email and $0.07 per phone found. SpecStream prices the delivered row instead, with the maximum approved before the run. ### Parallel Task API Research runs priced per 1,000 by processor, from $5 on `lite` to $2,400 on `ultra8x`, one charge per run whatever the output fields. Every output carries citations, reasoning and confidence. On SpecStream one request returns every match as its own row, each priced and checked. ### Tavily Research A research endpoint with a JSON Schema output, billed between 4 and 110 credits a request on mini and 15 to 250 on pro, at $0.008 a credit pay as you go. SpecStream names the most a run can cost before it starts, and the charge never goes past it. ### Exa Websets Exa's list-building API, billed in Websets credits kept apart from Search API credits, with the Free plan stopping a webset at 25 verified results. The [Exa Websets comparison](https://specstream.ai/alternatives/exa-websets?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative) sets it beside SpecStream row by row. ## How to move from /research 1. Write what your research task asked for as one request in plain words: the records you want, the conditions each must meet, and each field of your `outputSchema` as a fact to bring back. 2. Connect your agent to `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, or create a key under Agents & API in the workspace. New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. At 5¢ a row, that is up to 200 rows. 3. `compile` reads the request back as editable parts and `quote_capacity_work` prices it. Show the reading and the maximum to the person who pays, then `authorize_capacity_work` starts the run under that maximum. `list_find_rows` reads the rows with their sources. Or send the request from code with no account. This call spends nothing: the `402` reply shows how SpecStream read the request, the columns and the most it can cost. ``` curl -i -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/agent/lists \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"request": "Climate software startups in Europe that raised a seed round in 2026, with the round size and the lead investor", "count": 50}' ``` Pay by card with MPP or in USDC with x402, send the same request again, and read the rows at the `status_url`. The [agent payments guide](https://specstream.ai/docs/agent-payments?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative) has each step. For plain search calls, the [Exa migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=exa-research-api-alternative) moves `/search` with one line. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Exa Research API deprecated? Yes. Exa's April 1, 2026 notice replaced the `/research` endpoint with `/search` and `type: "deep-reasoning"`, and on Oct 19, 2026 Exa made `deep-reasoning` a legacy type that keeps its price of $15 per 1,000 requests. ### What replaces Exa's /research endpoint? Exa points new requests to `type: "deep"` on `/search`, at $12 per 1,000 requests, or to Exa Agent for long-running research, list building and multi-hop enrichment, at $0.012 to $1.00 a run at a fixed effort. SpecStream's Deep Search returns the research as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. ### How many fields can an Exa deep search return? 10 properties in total in its `outputSchema`, counted across every level, with at most 2 levels of nesting. For more, Exa suggests several `deep` requests with focused schemas, or Exa Agent. ### How much does a research row cost on SpecStream? 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row, by how much the row needs, plus 5¢ for a person's email and 15¢ for a phone. 200 rows at 15¢ cost at most $30, and the quote shows the maximum before the run starts. ### Does SpecStream give a source for each value? Yes. Every value carries the URL of the page it was read on and the time it was read, and `get_find_decisions` returns each condition's answer with its reason, value, source and time. ### Does SpecStream answer Exa's search call? Yes. Set the base address to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa`, and `POST /exa/search` answers in Exa's JSON for $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, or $5 on a `deep` type. ## Sources SpecStream wrote this page. Each rival figure comes from that company's own page. - [Exa changelog](https://exa.ai/docs/changelog.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa Deep Search](https://exa.ai/docs/search/deep-search.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa Agent quickstart](https://exa.ai/docs/agent/quickstart.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa Agent best practices](https://exa.ai/docs/agent/best-practices.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa Websets overview](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/websets-overview), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel pricing](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel Task quickstart](https://docs.parallel.ai/task-api/task-quickstart), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Tavily credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 12, 2026