Exa
Real-time AI search engine and web search API for live data.
VS
Perplexity AI
AI-powered answer engine for real-time, cited information and advanced research.
Detailed comparison
Criteria
Exa
Perplexity AI
Pricing
Freemium
Freemium
Plans & pricing
Free: Free, Enterprise: Custom
Free Plan: Free, Perplexity Pro: $16.67/mo, Education Pro: $10/mo, Perplexity Max: $166.67/mo, Perplexity Enterprise Pro: $33.33/mo, Perplexity Enterprise Max: $270.83/mo, API Pricing: Custom
Free trial
No
No
Audience
B2B
b2c
Platforms
—
Web
API
—
No
Open Source
—
Proprietary
Categories
SEO, Dev Tools
SEO, Education
Popularity
High
Very High
Description
Exa is a real-time AI search engine offering a powerful web search API, web crawling API, and SERP API. It provides deep research tools to search and ...
Perplexity AI is a research-oriented answer engine that integrates large language models with live web search, transparent citations, document analysi...
Pricing
Exa
Freemium
Perplexity AI
Freemium
Plans & pricing
Exa
Free: Free, Enterprise: Custom
Perplexity AI
Free Plan: Free, Perplexity Pro: $16.67/mo, Education Pro: $10/mo, Perplexity Max: $166.67/mo, Perplexity Enterprise Pro: $33.33/mo, Perplexity Enterprise Max: $270.83/mo, API Pricing: Custom
Free trial
Exa
No
Perplexity AI
No
Audience
Exa
B2B
Perplexity AI
b2c
Platforms
Exa
—
Perplexity AI
Web
API
Exa
—
Perplexity AI
No
Open Source
Exa
—
Perplexity AI
Proprietary
Categories
Exa
SEO, Dev Tools
Perplexity AI
SEO, Education
Popularity
Exa
High
Perplexity AI
Very High
Description
Exa
Exa is a real-time AI search engine offering a powerful web search API, web crawling API, and SERP API. It provides deep research tools to search and ...
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is a research-oriented answer engine that integrates large language models with live web search, transparent citations, document analysi...
Features
Exa
Real-time AI search engine
Powerful Web Search API
Web Crawling API
SERP API
Deep research tools
Extract structured content from live data
Perplexity AI
Real-time answers with cited sources
Perplexity Computer for autonomous, multi-model AI workflows
Access to advanced AI models (GPT-5.1, Claude Opus 4.5, o3-pro, etc.)
File upload and analysis (PDFs, spreadsheets, reports)
Comet AI-native browser for integrated web assistance
Focus Modes for targeted searches (Web, Academic, Social, Health, Finance)
Key differentiators
Exa
Perplexity AI
- Real-time answers with cited sources
- Agentic AI workflows (Perplexity Computer)
- Document analysis & specialized focus modes
Other comparisons
FAQ: Exa vs Perplexity AI
Exa: Real-time AI search engine and web search API for live data.. Perplexity AI: AI-powered answer engine for real-time, cited information and advanced research.. Both tools take different approaches to address similar needs.
Both offer a free or freemium plan. Exa is freemium and Perplexity AI is freemium.
The best choice between Exa and Perplexity AI depends on your specific needs. Compare their features, pricing, and target audience on this page to find the tool that best fits your use case.
Exa is primarily designed for businesses and professionals, while Perplexity AI is built for individuals.
Exa offers: Real-time AI search engine, Powerful Web Search API, Web Crawling API, SERP API. Perplexity AI offers: Real-time answers with cited sources, Perplexity Computer for autonomous, multi-model AI workflows, Access to advanced AI models (GPT-5.1, Claude Opus 4.5, o3-pro, etc.), File upload and analysis (PDFs, spreadsheets, reports).
Based on our data, Perplexity AI currently enjoys greater popularity. However, popularity isn't the only factor — compare features to find the right tool for your needs.