Exa vs Serper: search by meaning over its own index or Google results as JSON, cheaply
Exa is a web search API for AI that runs its own crawl and index, with search modes from instant to deep research. Serper is a low-cost API that returns Google search results as JSON.
The short answer
- Exa: Semantic, meaning-based discovery of pages, plus full page text, from an index built for AI.
- Serper: The cheapest way on this list to get raw Google results in JSON.
Side by side
| Exa | Serper | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | Exa's own web-scale index (it says it crawls billions of documents per day). | Google results: web, images, news, maps, places, videos, shopping, scholar, patents, autocomplete. |
| Returns | JSON results with title, URL, published date and author; optional full page text, highlights and summaries; deep modes can return a synthesized structured output. | JSON shaped like a Google results page: organic results with title, link and snippet, knowledge graph, People Also Ask, related searches; places with address, rating and phone. |
| Before the first call | An account and an API key (Bearer or x-api-key header). | An account and an API key; no credit card for the free queries. |
| Free | $10 in credits every month, plus a $10 onboarding bonus; no payment method required. | 2,500 free queries, no credit card (the page does not say they renew monthly). |
| Paid | Search from $4 per 1,000 requests; page contents $1 per 1,000 pages. | $50 for 50,000 credits ($1.00 per 1,000), credits valid 6 months; down to $0.30 per 1,000 at volume. |
| Acting on a result | Through the web page each result links to | Through the web page each result links to |
| MCP server | Official MCP server: https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp (code: https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server) | No official server listed |
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use Exa?
An account and an API key (Bearer or x-api-key header).
Is Exa free?
$10 in credits every month, plus a $10 onboarding bonus; no payment method required.
What do I need before I can use Serper?
An account and an API key; no credit card for the free queries.
Is Serper free?
2,500 free queries, no credit card (the page does not say they renew monthly).
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
Exa, read on October 15, 2026:
- exa.ai/docs/reference/search: “The full content text of the search result.”
- exa.ai: “Search the largest index of public web and private information.”
- exa.ai: “crawl billions of documents per day”
- exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp: “https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp”
- exa.ai/pricing: “Search From $4 /1k requests”
- exa.ai/pricing: “Contents $1 /1k pages per content type”
- exa.ai/pricing: “Starter Free $10 credits every month plus a $10 onboarding bonus”
- exa.ai/pricing: “No payment method required”
Serper, read on October 15, 2026:
- serper.dev: “Get 2,500 free queries”
- serper.dev: “No credit card required”
- serper.dev: “50k credits ($1.00/1k)”
- serper.dev: “Credits valid for 6 months”
- serper.dev: “The World's Fastest & Cheapest Google Search API”