{"jtbd":{"id":"agent-search","slug":"agent-search","name":"Web search tool for agents","shortName":"Web search tool for agents","problemStatement":"Give agents a search tool that returns clean results for reasoning."},"pick":{"id":"exa","slug":"exa","name":"Exa","tagline":"Depot pick for research-style agent search. Pair with Firecrawl when you need full page content.","website":"https://exa.ai","overall":8.34,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.34,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-10-19","pricingNotes":"Neural/embeddings-oriented web search API; usage-based; great for research agents.","scores":{"capabilityFit":9,"pricePerformance":8.2,"latencyReliability":8.4,"developerDx":9.2,"privacyPosture":7.5,"lockInRisk":4.5,"maturity":8,"overall":8.34,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-10-19"}},"runnersUp":[{"id":"tavily","slug":"tavily","name":"Tavily","tagline":"Depot co-default for agent web search with Exa. Pick Tavily for classic SERP-like agent search.","website":"https://tavily.com","overall":8.32,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.32,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"Search API built for AI agents; credit-based; returns clean results for RAG.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.8,"pricePerformance":8.5,"latencyReliability":8.4,"developerDx":9.2,"privacyPosture":7.5,"lockInRisk":4.5,"maturity":7.8,"overall":8.32,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"parallel","slug":"parallel","name":"Parallel","tagline":"Strong Exa peer for agent search; wins when you need Task/deep-research in one bill. Exa remains Depot…","website":"https://parallel.ai","overall":8.14,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.14,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"As of 2026-09-14 (docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing): Search turbo/fast $1 / 1k requests (10 results); basic/advanced $5 / 1k; extra results $1 / 1k. Extract $1 / 1k URLs. Task processors $5–$2,400 / 1k successful runs (lite→ultra8x). Responses $10/$50/$250 per 1k by reasoning effort. Entity Search $5 / 1k (100 results). New orgs: $5 monthly credits (~5k turbo searches).","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.8,"pricePerformance":8.4,"latencyReliability":8,"developerDx":8.8,"privacyPosture":7.4,"lockInRisk":4.2,"maturity":7.2,"overall":8.14,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"brave-search","slug":"brave-search","name":"Brave Search API","tagline":"Best privacy-forward search API with an independent index. Strong complement to Tavily/Exa.","website":"https://brave.com/search/api/","overall":8.27,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.27,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"Independent index search API; plan-based request quotas; privacy-oriented positioning.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.2,"pricePerformance":8.5,"latencyReliability":8.6,"developerDx":8.2,"privacyPosture":9.2,"lockInRisk":3.5,"maturity":8.5,"overall":8.27,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"serper","slug":"serper","name":"Serper","tagline":"Budget SERP hammer. Great for hacks; prefer Tavily/Exa for cleaner long-term agent search.","website":"https://serper.dev","overall":8.05,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.05,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-19","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"As of 2026-09-14: Low-cost Google SERP API; pay-per-query JSON results with generous free starter credits historically. Excellent budget hammer; prefer Tavily/Exa for LLM-shaped agent search long-term.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8,"pricePerformance":9.5,"latencyReliability":8,"developerDx":8.8,"privacyPosture":6,"lockInRisk":4,"maturity":7.8,"overall":8.05,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"serpapi","slug":"serpapi","name":"SerpApi","tagline":"Classic SERP API when you need engine breadth. Prefer Serper for budget Google-only; Exa/Tavily/You for…","website":"https://serpapi.com","overall":8.17,"scoreBand":{"low":7.6,"mid":8.2,"high":8.8,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.6–8.8 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.17,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"As of 2026-09-14 (serpapi.com/pricing): Free $0 — 250 searches/mo. Starter $25/1k, Developer $75/5k, Production $150/15k, Big Data $275/30k (month-to-month). Structured Google/Bing/Amazon/etc SERP JSON. Legal Shield add-on available.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.6,"pricePerformance":7.4,"latencyReliability":8.8,"developerDx":8.6,"privacyPosture":7,"lockInRisk":3.5,"maturity":9,"overall":8.17,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"you-com","slug":"you-com","name":"You.com API","tagline":"Agent search peer with Answer/Research SKUs. Exa remains depot agent-search pick; You.com strong when ZDR +…","website":"https://you.com","overall":8.09,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.09,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"As of 2026-09-14 (you.com/pricing + docs): $100 free credit; free 100 Web Search queries/day without key. Web Search API $5.00/1k calls; Contents API $1.00/1k pages; Answer API $5.00/1k; Research API tiers from Lite→Exhaustive (docs show ~$12–$1,200/1k depending on depth). SOC2; ZDR available; x402/MPP machine payments supported.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.4,"pricePerformance":7.8,"latencyReliability":8.2,"developerDx":8.8,"privacyPosture":8.4,"lockInRisk":3.8,"maturity":7.4,"overall":8.09,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}},{"id":"linkup","slug":"linkup","name":"Linkup","tagline":"Agent-search runner when you want transparent per-call EU-leaning search. Depot pick stays Exa; Tavily…","website":"https://www.linkup.so","overall":8.24,"scoreBand":{"low":7.6,"mid":8.2,"high":8.8,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.6–8.8 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.24,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","pricingNotes":"As of 2026-09-14 (docs.linkup.so pricing + linkup.so/pricing): Search standard/flash **$0.005** (searchResults) / **$0.006** (sourcedAnswer/structured); deep **$0.05/$0.055**. Fetch $0.001–$0.011 by mode/JS/schema. Research S–XL $0.25–$2.50. ~$20 monthly credit top-up for eligible accounts (~4k standard searches). SOC2; ZDR on Enterprise. x402 USDC option.","scores":{"capabilityFit":8.4,"pricePerformance":8.6,"latencyReliability":8.2,"developerDx":8.8,"privacyPosture":8.6,"lockInRisk":3.5,"maturity":7.2,"overall":8.24,"kind":"curated_estimate","confidence":"high","asOf":"2026-09-14"}}],"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.34,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"whyPickOverHigherScore":{"pickId":"exa","pickName":"Exa","pickScore":8.34,"highestScoredCandidateId":"exa","highestScoredCandidateName":"Exa","highestScore":8.34,"pickHasLowerCompositeScore":false,"delta":0,"pickLeadsOnDimensions":[],"explanation":"Exa (8.34) holds both the highest composite score among ranked candidates and the editorial pick for Web search tool for agents: capability for agent payloads + dx."},"cheapest":{"providerId":"serper","providerName":"Serper","skuId":"serper-starter-1k","item":"Google SERP API, Starter top-up","plan":"Google SERP API, Starter top-up — Prepaid top-up: $50 for 50k credits = 50,000 queries ($1","unit":"usd_per_1k_searches","amountUsd":1,"isFloorPrice":false,"floorWarning":null,"skuCountInUnit":1,"isDepotPick":false,"sourceUrl":"https://serper.dev/","asOf":"2026-10-19","verifiedAsOf":"2026-10-19"},"recommendedWorkloadQuote":{"providerId":"exa","providerName":"Exa","skuId":"exa-agent-search-tool-call-usd-per-search","item":"Agent search tool call","plan":"Agent search tool call — $0","unit":"usd_per_search","amountUsd":0.005,"outputSkuId":null,"outputItem":null,"outputAmountUsd":null,"outputUnit":null,"sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-03","isFlagshipForJob":false,"differsFromFloorCheapest":false,"representativeQuote":{"skuId":"exa-agent-search-tool-call-usd-per-search","item":"Agent search tool call","plan":"Agent search tool call — $0","amountUsd":0.005,"inputOrUnitUsd":0.005,"unit":"usd_per_search","outputUsd":null,"outputUnit":null,"sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03"},"estimatedTaskCost":{"tasks":1000,"retryAndToolOverheadMultiplier":1.15,"retryToolOverheadMultiplier":1.15,"unitsPerTask":1,"baseCostPer1kTasksUsd":0.005,"totalUsd":0.0057,"estimatedTotalUsd":0.0057,"perTaskUsd":0.000006,"estimatedCostPerTaskUsd":0.000006,"formula":"$0.005 (usd_per_search) * 1.15 overhead","assumptions":"1,000 tasks in job native unit with 1.15x retry overhead."}},"representativeQuote":{"skuId":"exa-agent-search-tool-call-usd-per-search","item":"Agent search tool call","plan":"Agent search tool call — $0","amountUsd":0.005,"inputOrUnitUsd":0.005,"unit":"usd_per_search","outputUsd":null,"outputUnit":null,"sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03"},"estimatedTaskCost":{"tasks":1000,"retryAndToolOverheadMultiplier":1.15,"retryToolOverheadMultiplier":1.15,"unitsPerTask":1,"baseCostPer1kTasksUsd":0.005,"totalUsd":0.0057,"estimatedTotalUsd":0.0057,"perTaskUsd":0.000006,"estimatedCostPerTaskUsd":0.000006,"formula":"$0.005 (usd_per_search) * 1.15 overhead","assumptions":"1,000 tasks in job native unit with 1.15x retry overhead."},"freeAlternatives":[{"id":"gemini-2.5-search-grounding-free","name":"Gemini 2.5 Flash Google Search grounding free requests","kind":"free_tool","providerId":"google-ai","jtbdIds":["web-grounded-qa","agent-search"],"whatYouGet":"Grounding with Google Search is free of charge up to 500 requests per day on Gemini 2.5 Flash, shared with Flash-Lite.","cost":"free","limits":{"requestsPerDay":500,"sharedWith":"gemini-2.5-flash and gemini-2.5-flash-lite"},"sourceUrl":"https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing","notes":"Pricing page fetched twice 2026-10-24 (identical text; page footer 'Last updated 2026-10-22 UTC'): the gemini-2.5-flash free-tier Grounding with Google Search cell reads 'Free of charge, up to 500 RPD (limit shared with Flash-Lite RPD)' and the gemini-2.5-flash-lite cell reads 'Free of charge, up to 500 RPD (limit shared with Flash RPD)'. Not available for Pro on the free tier (gemini-2.5-pro cell 'Not available'). Gemini 3.x and newer tables mark Grounding with Google Search as Not available on the free tier, with a separate paid allowance of '5,000 free search requests per month (shared across all Gemini 3 and newer models), then $14 per 1,000 requests.' Those were not copied onto 2.5. Maps grounding also lists 500 RPD for 2.5 Flash and is not indexed as Search. Re-checked 2026-10-26 (v0.12.131): stored quotes still match. https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing was each fetched twice (~10 s apart, plain curl, no login, following redirects): HTTP 200, no redirect, HTML differs only inside inline scripts, tag-stripped text identical; its footer now reads 'Last updated 2026-10-26 UTC'. Every quote above string-matched the whitespace-normalized text except the older footer stamp, which is a fetch-date stamp, not a row value; limits (500 RPD shared between 2.5 Flash and Flash-Lite) and other values unchanged (Depot data decision to re-date only, approvalRef 'Ethan delegation 2026-10-21 19:41 ET t55u', decidedBy Agent Depo).","license":null,"asOf":"2026-10-26","freeType":"free_tool","substitutable":true}],"referenceDocs":[],"falsification":{"jtbdId":"agent-search","jtbdName":"Web search tool for agents","currentPickId":"exa","currentPickScore":8.34,"challengerId":"tavily","challengerScore":8.32,"currentScoreGap":0.02,"minVerifiedOutcomes":10,"requiredOutcomeMargin":0.17,"requiredSuccessRateDelta":0.15,"maxPickPriceIncreasePct":25,"whatWouldChangePick":["Tavily (tavily) outperforms Exa (exa) by >= 0.17 outcome points (or >= 15% worked-rate delta) across >= 10 Countersign-verified production outcomes.","A verified price increase > 25% on Exa's representative SKU for agent-search without a corresponding capability gain.","Live caller rail exhaustion (?exhausted=exa) or sustained >= 30% degraded/failed rate in verified production outcomes."],"frozenHoldoutPolicy":{"holdoutSplit":"20% frozen benchmark holdout tasks + 80% live production outcome receipts","requireCountersignReceipt":true,"requiredEvidenceTiers":["outcome_verified","reference_checked"],"minDistinctContributors":2,"antiGamingRule":"Unverified self-reports and seed/editorial rows never mutate picks or scores."},"triggers":[{"kind":"verified_outcomes_outperformance","challengerId":"tavily","minVerifiedOutcomes":10,"requiredOutcomeMargin":0.17,"requiredWorkedRateDelta":0.15},{"kind":"verified_price_increase","providerId":"exa","maxPriceIncreasePct":25},{"kind":"live_rail_exhaustion_or_degradation","providerId":"exa","immediateOverrideUrl":"/api/decide?jtbd=agent-search&exhausted=exa"}],"submissionSpec":{"falsifyEndpoint":"/api/falsify?jtbd=agent-search","outcomesEndpoint":"POST /api/feedback","correctionsEndpoint":"POST /api/corrections","payloadTemplate":{"agentIdentity":"agent:<your-agent-id>","jtbdId":"agent-search","providerId":"tavily","outcome":"worked","detail":"Comparative production evaluation on agent-search (n>=10 tasks) with Countersign receipt.","confidence":"high","receipt":{"countersign":{"claim_id":"cs-00000000","status":"verified","evidence_tier":"outcome_verified","counts_as_verified":true}}}}},"whatWouldChangePick":["Tavily (tavily) outperforms Exa (exa) by >= 0.17 outcome points (or >= 15% worked-rate delta) across >= 10 Countersign-verified production outcomes.","A verified price increase > 25% on Exa's representative SKU for agent-search without a corresponding capability gain.","Live caller rail exhaustion (?exhausted=exa) or sustained >= 30% degraded/failed rate in verified production outcomes."],"routePlan":{"jtbdId":"agent-search","primary":{"providerId":"exa","name":"Exa","overall":8.34,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.34,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-10-19","role":"primary","reason":"Editorial Depot Pick for Web search tool for agents; healthy/eligible under caller constraints."},"fallback":[{"providerId":"tavily","name":"Tavily","overall":8.32,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.32,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"parallel","name":"Parallel","overall":8.14,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.14,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"brave-search","name":"Brave Search API","overall":8.27,"scoreBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.27,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"serper","name":"Serper","overall":8.05,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.05,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-19","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"serpapi","name":"SerpApi","overall":8.17,"scoreBand":{"low":7.6,"mid":8.2,"high":8.8,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.6–8.8 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.17,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"you-com","name":"You.com API","overall":8.09,"scoreBand":{"low":7.5,"mid":8.1,"high":8.7,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.5–8.7 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.09,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."},{"providerId":"linkup","name":"Linkup","overall":8.24,"scoreBand":{"low":7.6,"mid":8.2,"high":8.8,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.6–8.8 (editorial prior)"},"scoreLayers":{"editorialPrior":8.24,"measuredBenchmark":null,"verifiedOutcomeScore":null,"verifiedOutcomeCount":0,"accountRuntimeState":"unprobed"},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-09-14","role":"fallback","reason":"Ranked fallback route for Web search tool for agents."}],"disqualified":[],"expectedRegret":{"scoreDeltaVsUnconstrainedPick":0,"unconstrainedPickId":"exa","activePrimaryId":"exa","summary":"0.00 score regret: unconstrained editorial pick satisfies all caller constraints."},"evidenceAgeDays":{"editorialScoreAgeDays":8,"pricingVerifiedAgeDays":0,"editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-10-19","pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27"},"confidenceBand":{"low":7.7,"mid":8.3,"high":8.9,"halfWidth":0.6,"basis":"editorial_prior","display":"7.7–8.9 (editorial prior)"},"constraintsApplied":false,"constraintBundle":{"task":null,"jtbd":"agent-search","quotaExhausted":[],"degraded":[],"healthy":[],"budgetUsd":null,"maxLatencyMs":null,"region":null,"privacy":null,"exit":[],"existing":[]}},"pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-10-19","tie":true,"scoreGap":0.02,"decidingFactor":"capabilityFit (9 vs 8.8)","tieNote":"Scores are within 0.10 on a curated_estimate 0-10 scale (8.34 vs 8.32); treat as a statistical tie and decide on decidingFactor or whenNotTopPick.","rationale":"capability for agent payloads + dx.","whenNotTopPick":"Keyword SERP style preferred — Tavily/Serper; need Task/deep-research in one API — Parallel; privacy — Brave.","skipTopPick":false,"skipReason":null,"matchedConstraints":[],"pricingSummary":"Neural/embeddings-oriented web search API; usage-based; great for research agents.","cite":"Depot Pick for agent-search: exa (asOf 2026-10-19). See GET /api/jtbds/agent-search + GET /api/methodology.","nextActions":[{"step":1,"title":"Inspect full JTBD + embeds","href":"/api/jtbds/agent-search?embed=providers","why":"Confirm pick, runners-up, and methodology notes."},{"step":2,"title":"Quote sourced SKUs","href":"/api/quote?jtbd=agent-search","why":"Depot Pick SKUs plus the cheapest sourced SKU whose unit matches this job. Does not change the pick. Does not blend input and output or borrow a chat rate for a non-chat job."},{"step":3,"title":"Open provider detail","href":"/api/providers/exa","why":"Scores, pricingNotes, strengths/weaknesses, communitySignals (claims only)."},{"step":4,"title":"Cite methodology","href":"/api/methodology","why":"Required when publishing a Depot Pick citation."},{"step":5,"title":"Grab badge SVG","href":"/api/badge?type=depot-pick&jtbd=agent-search","why":"Embed in README / agent passport."},{"step":6,"title":"Post production insight","method":"POST","href":"/api/insights","why":"Unverified until curated; never auto-mutates official scores."}],"honesty":["Do not invent scores or benches.","Insights are claims until curated/reviewed; they never silently mutate official scores.","lockInRisk higher = more lock-in (worse).","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens is set only for a single sourced token row. Otherwise null, with a machine-readable reason. Do not coerce GPU, minute, or per-1k search units.","Runners-up are not Depot Picks.","Depot overall is editorial_weighted, not Arena Elo and not an Artificial Analysis index."],"asOf":"2026-10-19","depth":{"whenNotToUse":{"text":"Keyword SERP style preferred — Tavily/Serper; need Task/deep-research in one API — Parallel; privacy — Brave.","source":"editorial `whenNotTopPick` (data/jtbds.json)"},"whenNotToUseReason":null,"runnerUp":{"providerId":"tavily","name":"Tavily","overallForJob":8.32,"pickOverallForJob":8.34,"beatsPickOn":["pricePerformance"],"source":"first resolvable entry of the job's editorially ranked `runnersUpIds`; scores are stored job-weighted scores"},"runnerUpReason":null,"lockIn":{"pickLockInRisk":4.5,"runnerUpLockInRisk":4.5,"scale":"0–10 stored curated estimate; higher = more lock-in (worse)","pickExitSignals":[],"runnerUpExitSignals":[],"pickNotes":[],"selfHostFallback":[],"migration":null,"migrationReason":"no_stored_migration_data","derivedFrom":"stored lockInRisk scores, provider tags (oss, self-host, openai-compat, open-models), free rows that list this job, and verbatim provider notes. No migration guide was invented."}},"citation":{"text":"Agent Provider Depot (v0.12.149), Depot Pick for agent-search: exa, scores as of 2026-10-19, retrieved 2026-10-27. https://getagentdepot.com/jtbds/agent-search","markdown":"[Agent Provider Depot](https://getagentdepot.com/jtbds/agent-search) (v0.12.149) — Depot Pick for `agent-search`: **exa** (scores as of 2026-10-19, retrieved 2026-10-27)","fields":{"publisher":"Agent Provider Depot","version":"0.12.149","role":"depot_pick","jtbdId":"agent-search","providerId":"exa","scoreAsOf":"2026-10-19","retrievedOn":"2026-10-27","page":"https://getagentdepot.com/jtbds/agent-search","api":"https://getagentdepot.com/api/decide?jtbd=agent-search"},"howToCite":"Cite Depot as an editorial, dated recommendation, not a benchmark: name the job, the Depot Pick (or runner-up), the score asOf date and the day you retrieved it, and link the job page. Format: “Agent Provider Depot (v{version}), Depot Pick for {jobId}: {providerId}, scores as of {scoreAsOf}, retrieved {retrievedOn}. {baseUrl}/jtbds/{jobId}”. Quote prices only with their own sourceUrl and asOf. If the pick's score is stale (freshness.pick.score.stale), say so."},"freshness":{"pick":{"score":{"asOf":"2026-10-19","ageDays":8,"stale":false,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"lastReviewed":{"asOf":"2026-10-19","ageDays":8,"stale":false,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"sourceCheck":{"checkedAt":"2026-10-27","sourceUrls":1,"sourcesReachable":1,"pricingRows":16,"pricingRowsReconfirmed":5,"note":"A source re-check confirms the page is reachable and, for pricing rows, that the stored amount and SKU name appear on it. It does not re-derive or change the score.","reason":null}},"scoreAsOf":"2026-10-19","editorialPriorAsOf":"2026-10-19","pricingLastVerifiedAt":"2026-10-27","pickLastReviewed":"2026-10-19","runnersUpScoreAsOf":["2026-09-14","2026-09-14","2026-09-14","2026-09-14","2026-09-14","2026-09-14","2026-09-14"],"contractAsOf":"2026-10-03","pricingShape":"sourced_rows","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch"},"pricingContract":{"normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch","shape":"sourced_rows","filterable":false,"priceSortEligible":false,"priceSortKeyUsdPerMillionInputTokens":null,"rows":[{"id":"exa-search-instant-base-up-to-10-results-usd-per-1k-requests","providerId":"exa","sku":"Search instant base up to 10 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10","unit":"usd_per_1k_requests","amountUsd":1,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_1k_requests","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"per 1k requests, instant/fast/deep/monitors"},{"id":"exa-contents-usd-per-1k-pages","providerId":"exa","sku":"Contents","unit":"usd_per_1k_pages","amountUsd":1,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_1k_pages","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"per 1k pages per content type"},{"id":"exa-ai-page-summaries-usd-per-1k-pages","providerId":"exa","sku":"AI page 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call","unit":"usd_per_search","amountUsd":0.005,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_search","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"$0.005 / search"},{"id":"exa-agent-effort-minimal-usd-per-request","providerId":"exa","sku":"Agent effort minimal","unit":"usd_per_request","amountUsd":0.012,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_request","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"Fixed effort mode. Ultra is usage-based and was not given a single figure. The headline range $0.012–$1.00 was not stored as one rate."},{"id":"exa-agent-effort-low-usd-per-request","providerId":"exa","sku":"Agent effort low","unit":"usd_per_request","amountUsd":0.025,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_request","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"Fixed effort mode. Ultra is usage-based and was not given a single figure. The headline range $0.012–$1.00 was not stored as one rate."},{"id":"exa-agent-effort-medium-usd-per-request","providerId":"exa","sku":"Agent effort medium","unit":"usd_per_request","amountUsd":0.1,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_request","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"Fixed effort mode. Ultra is usage-based and was not given a single figure. The headline range $0.012–$1.00 was not stored as one rate."},{"id":"exa-agent-effort-high-usd-per-request","providerId":"exa","sku":"Agent effort high","unit":"usd_per_request","amountUsd":0.5,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_request","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"Fixed effort mode. Ultra is usage-based and was not given a single figure. The headline range $0.012–$1.00 was not stored as one rate."},{"id":"exa-agent-effort-x-high-usd-per-request","providerId":"exa","sku":"Agent effort x-high","unit":"usd_per_request","amountUsd":1,"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://exa.ai/pricing","asOf":"2026-10-03","normalizationStatus":"unit_mismatch","normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens":null,"normalizationReason":"unit_mismatch_per_request","priceSortEligible":false,"qualifier":"Fixed effort mode. Ultra is usage-based and was not given a single figure. The headline range $0.012–$1.00 was not stored as one rate."}],"notesExcerpt":"Neural/embeddings-oriented web search API; usage-based; great for research agents.","notesCheck":{"status":"no_known_contradiction","pairs":[],"review":null,"note":null},"lastReviewed":"2026-10-19","scoreAsOf":"2026-10-19","website":"https://exa.ai","doNotParse":"Do not parse pricingNotes. Use rows only. normalizedUsdPerMillionTokens is a single number only when this provider has exactly one sourced token row. Input/output, context tiers, and non-token units stay null at this level.","gap":"Partial coverage. Providers without a fetched SKU are omitted. See GET /api/pricing."},"links":{"jtbd":"/jtbds/agent-search","jtbdApi":"/api/jtbds/agent-search","leaderboard":"/api/leaderboards?jtbd=agent-search","methodology":"/api/methodology","badge":"/api/badge?type=depot-pick&jtbd=agent-search","decide":"/api/decide?jtbd=agent-search","humanPage":"/jtbds/agent-search","alternatives":"/api/alternatives?provider=exa","canonical":"/api/canonical","quote":"/api/quote?jtbd=agent-search","falsify":"/api/falsify?jtbd=agent-search"},"constraintBundle":{"task":null,"jtbd":"agent-search","quotaExhausted":[],"degraded":[],"healthy":[],"budgetUsd":null,"maxLatencyMs":null,"region":null,"privacy":null,"exit":[],"existing":[]},"stackContext":{"host":null,"framework":null,"repo":null,"lang":null,"existing":[],"volume":null,"sender":null,"detectedFromTask":[]},"keep":null,"contextAdvice":null,"communityFeedback":{"pickOnThisJob":{"failed":0,"degraded":0,"worked":0,"insights":1,"withVerifiedReceipt":0,"failureModes":{},"latestAt":"2026-09-07T08:45:00.000Z","note":"Agent-reported claims (unverified unless a receipt is verified by Depot's re-check). They never change scores or picks."},"outcomes":{"job":{"n":0,"worked":0,"degraded":0,"failed":0,"failureModes":{},"verifiedReports":0,"contributors":0,"excluded":{"seed_editorial":1,"test":0,"notFeedback":0},"reason":"no_submitted_outcome_reports_yet"},"pick":{"providerId":"exa","n":0,"worked":0,"degraded":0,"failed":0,"failureModes":{},"evidenceTiers":{"agent_claim":0,"self_declared":0,"reference_checked":0,"outcome_verified":0},"reason":"no_submitted_outcome_reports_yet"},"scoresMutated":false,"more":"/api/outcomes?jtbd=agent-search"},"report":"POST /api/feedback {agentIdentity, outcome: failed|degraded|worked, detail, providerId, jtbdId, failureModeId?, receipt?}"}}