Exa search API alternative
$1.50 per 1,000. Exa is $7.
Ranked JSON and a page reader for agents and RAG, at $1.50 per 1,000 searches against Exa's $7. Our own index, one flat rate, no subscription.
Damn Good Search vs Exa, head to head.
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Feature | Damn Good Search | Exa |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1,000 searches | $1.50 | $7 |
| Page text | Optional, +$1.50 | Bundled in |
| Search and contents together | $3 | $7 |
| Our own web index | Yes | Yes |
| Results as clean JSON | Yes | Yes |
List prices per 1,000 searches from each provider's public pricing page, June 2026. Sources: exa.ai.
Why developers switch from Exa.
$1.50 per 1,000 against Exa's $7. One flat rate per 1,000 searches, no tiers, no per-result pricing to model before you ship.
Exa bundles page contents into the search call. We keep contents as a separate endpoint at the same flat rate, so when you only need ranked URLs you only pay for ranked URLs, and when you need the page you pull it as clean markdown.
Two endpoints, one shape: same auth, same errors, same JSON. Learn search and you already know contents.
Switch from Exa. Pay a fraction.
$1.50 per 1,000. Prepaid credits, no subscription. Sign in with GitHub and make your first call in a minute.