1¢ per search

Exa vs Tavily

Same question, two search APIs.

We sent one question to Exa and Tavily. Exa returned the start of each page. Tavily returned passages picked for the question.

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Compare Exa and Tavily.

TaskFuel includes Exa and Tavily, tested below on one question. Direct accounts are listed for comparison. We publish this comparison and sell access through TaskFuel.

Prices as of 5 November 2026.
OptionPrice & billingChoose it forGood to knowAvailable through TaskFuel
ExaDirect provider accountProvider reference$7 / 1,000 searchesDirect provider pay-as-you-go creditsAuto search, up to 10 results. Text adds $1 per 1,000 pages.Exa’s own SDKs and monthly free credits.You manage a separate Exa account and API key. Text contents bill separately, at $1 per 1,000 pages.No
TavilyDirect provider accountProvider reference$0.008 / creditProvider credits; pay-as-you-go or a monthly planBasic search: 1 credit. Advanced: 2 credits.Tavily’s own SDKs and 1,000 free credits a month.You manage a separate Tavily account and API key. Cheaper per search than on TaskFuel today.No
ExaThrough TaskFuel$0.01 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceAuto mode, five results, 500 characters of text each.Five pages for one price, each with the first 500 characters of its text. Runs from your TaskFuel balance, with no separate account or API key.The text is the start of each page and may miss the passage that answers the question.Yes
TavilyThrough TaskFuel$0.09 / searchPer request from your TaskFuel balanceBasic depth, five results.A passage chosen for the question, with a relevance score on each result. Paid from the same TaskFuel balance.Nine times the Exa price per search on TaskFuel today. One of five results was a video.Yes

Exa vs Tavily: what your agent gets.

One question, one search per API on 5 November 2026. Tavily’s advanced depth is priced and was not run.

  • Exa search

    Neural search with up to 500 characters of text per page. Our test returned five pages, two of them on python.org.

    $0.01 / search
  • Tavily search

    Query-focused excerpts with a relevance score. Our test returned five results, scored 0.87 to 0.91.

    $0.09 / search
  • Tavily advanced search

    Tavily’s advanced depth. Priced for this guide and not run.

    $0.16 / search

One question, two search APIs, tested.

We asked what changed in Python 3.14 and sent the same question to Exa and Tavily. Each returned five results, and two URLs appeared in both.

TaskFuel test run ·

Charged $0.10

Your agent asked

Find out what changed in Python 3.14 with Exa and Tavily
Data from
Exa and Tavily

What came back

Exa
Five pages, led by What’s new in Python 3.14 on docs.python.org, each with the first 500 characters of text
Tavily
Five results with excerpts and scores from 0.87 to 0.91, led by the Python 3.14.0 release announcement
In both
docs.python.org and InfoWorld
Per search
Exa $0.01, Tavily $0.09

One question, five results per API.

Try it in your next task.

Sign in to TaskFuel and connect your existing agent. Ask it to send one question to Exa and Tavily and show the price of each before it makes the paid calls.

01

Name the task

Tell your agent what the output needs to contain.

02

See the price

Your agent shows the provider and price before spending.

03

Review the response

Check the output against your task. The call reports its cost and remaining balance.

When to use it.

Reading the start of a page

Read the opening of each page.

Your agent asks Exa for pages and reads the first characters of each, then opens the ones it needs.

Finding the answering passage

Read the passage that answers.

Your agent asks Tavily and reads the excerpt and relevance score on each result.

Cross-checking sources

Ask both and compare the URLs.

Your agent runs one question through both APIs and compares the URLs. In our test two of five appeared in both.

Good Questions.

Do I need an Exa or Tavily account?

No. Your agent pays from your TaskFuel balance, so there is nothing else to sign up for.

How do Exa and Tavily differ?

In our test Exa returned the first 500 characters of each page, and Tavily returned a passage chosen for the question with a relevance score. Their request and response fields differ.

What does Exa vs Tavily cost on TaskFuel?

Our Exa search cost $0.01 and our Tavily search $0.09 on 5 November 2026. Your agent shows the price for your own request before it pays.

Is Tavily cheaper through its own account?

Yes, today. Tavily lists a basic search at one credit, $0.008, as published on 5 November 2026. On TaskFuel the same kind of search cost $0.09. A direct plan needs your own account.

Do they return the same pages?

Not entirely. Two of the five URLs appeared in both responses: docs.python.org and InfoWorld.

Can one task use both?

Yes. One balance covers both, and each call is priced separately. Exa returns results[].text, and Tavily returns results[].content and score.

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