<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/web-search/khoj -->
# Khoj web search: the variables that point it at SpecStream

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/web-search/khoj

Khoj searches the web through 5 providers in a fixed order, and its docker-compose.yml runs a SearXNG container for the default. SpecStream answers three of them, SearXNG, Exa and Firecrawl, so Khoj searches with no container and no Serper plan.

Set `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_KEY` on the Khoj server and restart. For search and page reading on one key, set `EXA_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/exa` with the key in `EXA_API_KEY`.

SpecStream scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions. A search of up to 10 results costs $0.005, with no daily limit. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 2,000 searches.

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

## The web search providers Khoj offers, from each company's own pages on Nov 10, 2026

| | SpecStream | Serper | Exa | Firecrawl | SearXNG, self-hosted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role in Khoj | Search through `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL`, `EXA_API_URL` or `FIRECRAWL_API_URL`, and page reading through the Exa or Firecrawl web scraper, on one key | Search only. Tried first when `SERPER_DEV_API_KEY` is set | Search and web scraper | Search and web scraper | Search only. Tried last, and the default in Khoj's docker-compose.yml |
| Price of a search | $5 per 1,000 searches, with up to 10 results a search | $1.00 per 1,000 in the pack of 50,000 credits | $7 per 1,000 requests on auto, $4 per 1,000 on lite | 2 credits per 10 results | No fee. You run the server, and the engines it queries may enforce CAPTCHAs or ban its IP address |
| Price of reading pages | $0.80 per 1,000 pages through `/exa/contents` or `/firecrawl/v2/scrape`, and a page with no text is not charged | Not a web scraper in Khoj | $1 per 1,000 pages per content type | The free plan reads 1,000 pages a month. The Hobby plan is $19 a month | Not a web scraper in Khoj |
| How you start | $10 of credit, no card. It covers 2,000 searches | 2,500 free queries, no credit card | $10 in credits on sign up, no payment method required | A free plan of 500 searches or 1,000 pages | A working Docker or Podman installation |
| How long credit lasts | Credit you buy never expires | Credits are valid for 6 months | The free balance resets to $10 on the first of every month | Monthly plans, from $19 a month for Hobby | No credit to buy |
| Address setting in Khoj | `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL`, `EXA_API_URL`, `FIRECRAWL_API_URL`, and the WebScraper `api_url` in Django admin | None. Khoj's code fixes `SERPER_DEV_URL` at `https://google.serper.dev/search` | `EXA_API_URL`, default `https://api.exa.ai` | `FIRECRAWL_API_URL`, default `https://api.firecrawl.dev` | `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL`, `http://search:8080` in docker-compose.yml |

## Why Khoj admins point its search variables at SpecStream

### The environment before and after

Khoj reads `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL` from the server's environment and asks SearXNG for its HTML results page. SpecStream answers `format=html` with SearXNG's own markup at `https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/<key>`, with the key as a part of the address, so Khoj's parser reads it as it is.

```
# docker-compose.yml, server environment, before
      - KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL=http://search:8080

# after: no search container
      - KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY
```

Khoj tries Serper, Exa, Firecrawl and Google before SearXNG, so leave their keys unset. The `search` service can go from `docker-compose.yml` once search answers.

```
curl "https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/$SPECSTREAM_API_KEY/search?q=latest+Khoj+release&format=html"
```

### Search and read pages with the Exa variables

Set `EXA_API_URL` and `EXA_API_KEY` and Khoj sends its searches to `/search` on that address with the key in `x-api-key`. With no WebScraper row in Django admin, the same two variables set Khoj's Exa web scraper, which reads pages at `/contents`. Both run on SpecStream. The [Exa migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj) and the [Exa contents guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/exa-contents?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj) list every field.

```
# before
      - EXA_API_KEY=your_exa_api_key

# after
      - EXA_API_KEY=YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY
      - EXA_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/exa
```

```
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/exa/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "latest Khoj release", "numResults": 10}'
```

### A WebScraper row in Django admin

When the admin panel already has WebScraper rows, Khoj uses them and not the variables. `EXA_API_URL` only fills in a new row. Open the Exa row, set `api_url` to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` and the API key to your SpecStream key, and save.

### Already on Firecrawl? Change one URL

Set `FIRECRAWL_API_URL` to `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl`, with no version: Khoj adds `/v2/search` for a search and `/v2/scrape` for a page, and sends the key as a Bearer token. The [Firecrawl migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/firecrawl?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj) lists every field.

```
# before
      - FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-...

# after
      - FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY
      - FIRECRAWL_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl
```

### What stays the same

Khoj's own search and scraper code reads each reply, unchanged. The SearXNG route returns SearXNG's results page, 10 results a search. The Exa route returns `results[]` with `url`, `title`, `publishedDate` and `text`, and the Firecrawl route `data.web[]`. Every parameter is in the [SearXNG migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/searxng?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj).

### $0.005 a search and $0.0008 a page

A search of up to 10 results costs $0.005, which is $5 per 1,000, with no daily limit. Each page read through the Firecrawl scrape or Exa contents route costs $0.0008, which is $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text costs nothing.

There is no monthly plan, no credit pack that expires and no reset on the first of the month. Credit you buy never expires.

### The most accurate web search API in the world

On SimpleQA Verified the SpecStream Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official questions, 978 of them correct. On WideSearch it scores 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official tasks. The Extract API scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. Every score and its method is on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj) page.

### About one second a search, measured under load

Every drop-in route runs on the fast search. On November 9, 2026 production took 1, 5, 10 and 20 searches a second through it and answered 718 of 720. 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. One account can send up to 26,666 searches a minute; a call over that gets a `429` with `Retry-After` and is not charged.

### You decide what is kept, on each key

Give Khoj a key with `zero_retention` and a search made with it keeps no request text and no answer after the reply. It is not in the history and its log lines carry neither. The charge keeps the account, the key, the request ID, the price and the time. `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=web-search-khoj) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text is not charged. [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=web-search-khoj) takes a request in plain words and returns every match on the live web as structured rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with a source URL on every value.

## The other providers in Khoj, and what each costs

### Serper

Search sold in credit packs: $1.00 per 1,000 in the pack of 50,000, with credits valid for 6 months and 2,500 free queries to start. Khoj fixes Serper's address in its code and tries it first. SpecStream searches the live web at $5 per 1,000 on credit that never expires, and reads the pages too.

### Exa

Search at $7 per 1,000 requests on auto and $4 on lite, and page contents at $1 per 1,000 pages per content type. Set `EXA_API_URL` to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` and the same calls cost $0.005 a search and $0.0008 a page.

### Firecrawl

Search at 2 credits per 10 results, on a free plan of 500 searches or 1,000 pages and paid plans from $19 a month for Hobby. Set `FIRECRAWL_API_URL` to `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl` and search and page reads run on SpecStream, on one key.

### SearXNG, self-hosted

The `search` container in Khoj's docker-compose.yml. An engine that answers too many requests is suspended for 3,600 seconds, and one that shows a CAPTCHA for 86,400. SpecStream answers the same HTML call at $0.005 a search, with no container to run.

### Google Custom Search

Khoj fixes Google's address at `https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1`, and Google gives existing Custom Search JSON API customers until January 1, 2027 to move. SpecStream answers through `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL` or `EXA_API_URL` today, with 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions.

## How to set SpecStream as Khoj's web search

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

2. In the Khoj server's environment, remove `SERPER_DEV_API_KEY` and the Google keys if they are set, and set the Exa variables.

```
EXA_API_KEY=YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY
EXA_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/exa
```

3. Or, to keep the SearXNG path, set the SearXNG variable alone.

```
KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_SPECSTREAM_KEY
```

4. If Django admin has WebScraper rows, set the Exa row's `api_url` to `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` with your SpecStream key.

5. Restart Khoj and send a chat with the `/online` prefix. Each search and each page shows up in your SpecStream request log with its price.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I set up web search in self-hosted Khoj?

Set one variable on the server: `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/YOUR_KEY`, or `EXA_API_URL=https://api.specstream.ai/exa` with the key in `EXA_API_KEY`. A search costs $0.005, with no container to run.

### How do I point Khoj at a different SearXNG?

Change `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL`, which is `http://search:8080` in Khoj's docker-compose.yml. Set it to `https://api.specstream.ai/searxng/` followed by your key, and SpecStream answers the HTML results page Khoj reads.

### Why is Khoj online search not working?

Most often the SearXNG container is down or its engines are suspended, for 3,600 seconds after too many requests and 86,400 after a CAPTCHA. Point `KHOJ_SEARXNG_URL` at SpecStream and restart; a wrong key gets a `401`.

### Which search API does Khoj use first?

Serper, then Exa, Firecrawl, Google and SearXNG, in that order of 5. Khoj uses the first one whose key or address is set and that returns results, so leave the others unset when SpecStream answers.

### Can Khoj read web pages through SpecStream?

Yes, at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. Khoj's Exa and Firecrawl web scrapers read pages through the same two addresses, `https://api.specstream.ai/exa` and `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl`, on the same key as search.

### Is there a free search API for Khoj?

A new SpecStream account gets $10 of credit with no card, which covers 2,000 searches. After that a search costs $0.005, and credit you buy never expires.

### Which web search API is best for Khoj?

SpecStream, with 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions at $5 per 1,000 searches, and about one second a search under load.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Khoj's settings come from its source on GitHub and its docs, and each provider's figure from that company's own page.

- [Khoj online_search.py](https://github.com/khoj-ai/khoj/blob/master/src/khoj/processor/tools/online_search.py), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Khoj database adapters](https://github.com/khoj-ai/khoj/blob/master/src/khoj/database/adapters/__init__.py), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Khoj docker-compose.yml](https://github.com/khoj-ai/khoj/blob/master/docker-compose.yml), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Khoj online search docs](https://docs.khoj.dev/features/online_search/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Serper](https://serper.dev/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Firecrawl pricing](https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SearXNG own instance](https://docs.searxng.org/own-instance.html), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SearXNG search settings](https://docs.searxng.org/admin/settings/settings_search.html), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SearXNG Docker installation](https://docs.searxng.org/admin/installation-docker.html), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Google Custom Search JSON API](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), 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