Locus product guide · Updated November 10, 2026

Exa AI pricing: search, contents and Agent API costs

Exa is pay as you go with no subscription. Search costs $4 per 1,000 requests in Lite mode, $7 in Auto mode and $12 to $15 for Deep search, each covering up to 10 results. Contents cost $1 per 1,000 pages per content type, Answer $5 per 1,000 and Agent runs $0.012 to $1.00. The free tier gives $10 of credit every month plus a one-time $10 bonus. Prices checked November 10, 2026.

What plans does Exa offer?

Exa has three tiers. All of them draw on a prepaid dollar balance at the same per-request rates. Details come from the Exa pricing page and billing docs. Prices checked November 10, 2026.

What plans does Exa offer?
Plan	How you pay	Free credit	Search rate limit
Free	No payment method needed	$10 a month, plus a one-time $10 onboarding bonus	10 queries a second
Pay as you go	Prepaid credits by card or bank, no minimum	Keeps the $10 monthly grant	10, rising to 25 after $1,000 of purchases in 30 days
Enterprise	$12,000 a year upfront, or a custom contract	$12,000 of API credits on the annual plan	25 queries a second, or custom

How much does each Exa endpoint cost?

Each request has a base price that covers up to 10 results. Results above 10 and AI page summaries cost extra. Prices are per 1,000 requests unless noted, so $7 per 1,000 is $0.007 a call.

Agent efforts cost $0.012 (minimal), $0.025 (low), $0.10 (medium), $0.50 (high) and $1.00 (xhigh) a run.
Agent in auto mode is metered: $0.10 per compute unit and $0.005 per search, capped at $5 a run by default. Ultra uses the same rates with a $20 default cap.

How much does each Exa endpoint cost?
Endpoint	Base price per 1,000	Extra charges
Search, Lite mode	$4	$1 per 1,000 results above 10
Search, Auto mode	$7	Extra results $1 per 1,000; summaries $1 per 1,000 pages
Deep search	$12, or $15 for deep-reasoning	Same add-ons as standard search
Contents	$1 per 1,000 pages, per content type	Summaries $1 per 1,000 pages
Answer	$5	None listed
Monitors	$2	Results above 10 and summaries, $1 per 1,000 each
Agent, fixed effort	$12 to $1,000 ($0.012 to $1.00 a run)	Contact enrichment: $0.02 an email, $0.07 a phone

What does Exa cost at 1,000 and 100,000 searches a month?

Take Auto searches with the default 10 results. 1,000 of them cost $7, which the $10 free grant covers. 100,000 cost $700, or $690 after the grant. Asking for 20 results adds $0.01 a request, so 100,000 searches then cost $1,700 before the grant. Lite mode cuts the base to $400 per 100,000. Prices checked November 10, 2026.

What does Exa cost at 1,000 and 100,000 searches a month?
Monthly workload	List price	After the $10 free grant
1,000 Auto searches	$7	$0
100,000 Auto searches	$700	$690
100,000 Auto searches with 20 results	$1,700	$1,690
100,000 Lite searches	$400	$390

What limits and extra charges should you expect from Exa?

The rates are simple. The limits around them are where costs and surprises hide.

The free $10 resets on the first of each month and does not build up. Only a user’s first team gets it.
When credits run out, requests return 402 Payment Required.
Contents bills each content type on its own. One page with text and highlights counts as two pages.
Deep search is limited to 5 queries a second. Standard search starts at 10.
The 25 queries a second limit lasts 90 days after you buy $1,000 of credits in a 30-day window.
Zero data retention needs the Enterprise plan, which starts at $12,000 paid upfront.

Can you call Exa through Locus Pro?

Yes, as listings published by the seller. Exa search and contents appear in the Locus catalog, but Locus has not reviewed them and cannot promise they stay available. Both are priced at call time, so send max_credits to cap the charge.

Your agent pays from one prepaid credit balance shared with search, scraping and enrichment providers, with no Exa account or extra key to manage. A monthly hard limit stops new calls, and on Enterprise you can bill your own customers for their agents’ searches.

If Exa is your main search provider, searches can cost less per call with your own Exa account and API key, and that account gets the free monthly grant.

Which Exa option should you choose?

Pick the search mode first, then the way you pay.

Latency-sensitive agent loops: Lite at $4 per 1,000.
General agent search: Auto at $7 per 1,000.
Multi-step research with structured output: Deep search, or Agent at a fixed effort.
Under about 1,400 Auto searches a month: the free tier.
Exa alongside many other paid tools on one bill: Locus Pro.

Frequently asked questions

How many free searches does Exa include?

The $10 monthly grant covers up to 2,500 Lite searches or about 1,400 Auto searches. A one-time $10 bonus for finishing onboarding does not expire.

Why did my Exa contents call cost twice the listed rate?

Contents bills each content type separately. Asking for text and highlights on one page counts as two pages at $1 per 1,000.

How do I raise my Exa rate limit to 25 queries a second?

Buy $1,000 of credits within any 30-day window. Your team then gets 25 queries a second for 90 days. Higher limits need an Enterprise contract.

Is Exa through Locus Pro reviewed by Locus?

No. Exa search and contents are listings published by the seller. Locus shows the price before each call but has not reviewed the listings.

Implementation references

Use these first-party references for current request contracts and account requirements. Tool availability, prices, and negotiated terms can change.

Sources

Third-party details were checked on November 10, 2026. Vendors change pricing and features often, so confirm on their site before you decide.