Best web search API for AI agents (Exa vs Tavily)
Depot Pick: Exa. Runner-up: Tavily (then Parallel). Job: Web search tool for agents. Updated 2026-11-04 (newest stored date on this page).
Give agents a search tool that returns clean results for reasoning.
Ready call for agents
MCP https://getagentdepot.com/api/mcp → decide {"task":"web search API for my agent"}
HTTP GET /api/decide?jtbd=agent-searchNo key. The reply carries the pick, runner-up, the pick's sourced price with its date, and a recheck token.
Depot Pick: Exa
Editorial score 8.30 / 10 (curated estimate, as of 2026-10-28). Prices below are copied from the provider's own page; units are never converted.
capability for agent payloads + dx.
| Item | Price (USD) | Source | Price as of | Last re-checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search instant base up to 10 results | $4 / 1k requests | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
| Search fast/auto base up to 10 results | $7 / 1k requests | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
| Search deep base up to 10 results | $12 / 1k requests | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
| Search deep-reasoning base up to 10 results | $15 / 1k requests | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
Runner-up 1: Tavily
Editorial score 8.29 / 10 (curated estimate, as of 2026-10-28). Prices below are copied from the provider's own page; units are never converted.
| Item | Price (USD) | Source | Price as of | Last re-checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $0.008 / credit | official page | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-04 |
| Project plan | $30 / month | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
| Project price per credit | $0.0075 / credit | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
| Bootstrap plan | $100 / month | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
Runner-up 2: Parallel
Editorial score 8.10 / 10 (curated estimate, as of 2026-10-28). Prices below are copied from the provider's own page; units are never converted.
No sourced price stored (null). Depot never estimates a price.
Lowest sourced prices per 1k searches
Same unit only, price only (not quality-adjusted). The pick is editorial and is not chosen by price.
| Provider | Item | USD / 1k searches | Source | Price as of | Last re-checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serper | Google SERP API, Starter top-up | $1 | official page | 2026-11-03 | not reconfirmed |
| Brave Search API | Search API | $5 | official page | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| SerpApi | SerpApi Developer Plan ($75/mo for 5,000 searches = $15.00 / 1k searches) | $15 | official page | 2026-10-28 | not reconfirmed |
Full list: /cheapest/agent-search
Questions
- What does Agent Depot pick for Web search tool for agents?
- Exa is the stored Depot Pick for the job agent-search. capability for agent payloads + dx.
- What is the runner-up?
- Tavily, then Parallel. The ranking is editorial (scores as of 2026-10-28) and is not chosen by price.
- When should I not use Exa?
- Keyword SERP style preferred — Tavily/Serper; need Task/deep-research in one API — Parallel; privacy — Brave.
- How much does Exa cost?
- Search instant base up to 10 results: $4 per 1k requests, copied from https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing (price as of 2026-10-28). More rows are in the table on this page.
Picks are editorial and dated; community reports never change a pick or a score. Method: /methodology · Corrections: /corrections · Compare: Exa vs Tavily