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Firecrawl vs Exa · a page reader that searches, or a search engine that reads
The short answer
Pick Firecrawl if your AI agent reads web pages and pulls data out of them more than it searches. An AI agent is an app that uses an AI model to do a job in steps, like searching and then reading. Firecrawl charges in credits, the unit it spends on each job, and one page is 1 credit. Pick Exa if your agent searches more than it reads and search quality comes first. Exa scored 80 on the Artificial Analysis search test, with data from October 19, 2026, against Firecrawl’s 73 from August 17, 2026. Firecrawl started as a scraper, a tool that copies the text of web pages, and added search. Exa started as a search engine, and it can also return the text of the pages it finds.
our pick
Our pick
Pick Firecrawl if your agent reads more pages than it searches, or runs at high volume. Pick Exa if your agent searches more than it reads, quality comes first, or your volume is low.
What each tool does
Firecrawl
Search APIsFirecrawl reads web pages for your code and can also run searches. Both share one balance of credits.
Exa
Search APIsExa is an AI search API, a way for your own code to search the web and get answers back. It is built to answer questions, a different job from a plain list of Google results.
How the two tools compare
| Firecrawl | Exa | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A tool that reads web pages and returns clean text. It can also search. | A search engine built for AI apps. It can also return page text. |
| How you pay | A monthly plan of credits. A page is 1 credit, and a search with 10 results is 2. | Pay as you go, per 1,000 searches and per 1,000 pages read. |
| Free plan | 1,000 credits a month. | $10 of credit a month, plus a $10 bonus at signup. |
| Entry paid plan | Hobby: $16 a month billed yearly, for 5,000 credits. | Developer: pay as you go, with no monthly fee. |
| 1,000 pages read | About $0.83 on Standard, $83 a month billed yearly for 100,000 credits. | $1 with Contents, Exa’s page text product, pay as you go. |
| 1,000 searches, 10 results each | 2,000 credits, about $1.66 on Standard billed yearly. | $4 on Lite or $7 on Auto, pay as you go. |
| Free start in an AI assistant | Its MCP server, a small add-on that lets an AI assistant like Claude use Firecrawl, works with no account or API key, the password-like code that links an app to your account. Daily limits apply. | Its MCP server works with no API key, at a limited rate. |
| Artificial Analysis search score | 73, measured August 17, 2026. | 80 on Auto and 79 on Lite, data from October 19, 2026. |
How to pick one if you only have 10 seconds
- The math: on October 22, 2026 prices, Firecrawl Standard is $83 ÷ 100,000 credits = $0.00083 a credit, so 1,000 pages cost about $0.83 and 1,000 searches cost about $1.66. On Exa, 1,000 pages cost $1 and 1,000 Lite searches cost $4.
- Firecrawl’s low prices assume you use nearly all of the plan’s credits. Exa charges only for what you use, so at low volume Exa’s bill is smaller.
- Firecrawl’s Artificial Analysis score is two months older than Exa’s. A new test of Firecrawl could move it either way.
- On Artificial Analysis, total cost per 1,000 tasks was close: about $42.57 for Firecrawl and $44.38 for Exa Lite, our sum of search and model cost. The AI model’s cost was a big part of both.
- Vals tested Exa with four AI models in its Web Search Index, updated October 21, 2026. Vals didn’t test Firecrawl.
- The two tests name different winners, so run your own questions through both tools before you commit.
Who should buy each one
Pick Firecrawl if
- If your agent reads pages or pulls data from them more than it searches.
- If you run enough volume to use a monthly plan of credits.
- If you want one pool of credits for search and page reading.
Pick Exa if
- If your agent searches more than it reads and quality comes first.
- If your volume is low and you want to pay only for what you use.
Common questions
Is Firecrawl better than Exa?▾
For reading pages, Firecrawl costs less once you use its plan. For search quality, Exa scored higher on the Artificial Analysis test, 80 against 73, though Firecrawl’s score dates from August 17, 2026.
Is Exa cheaper than Firecrawl?▾
At low volume, yes. Exa charges only for what you use. For one search plus one page read each, Firecrawl Standard gets cheaper above about 16,600 a month, on October 22, 2026 prices.
Can Firecrawl search the web?▾
Yes. A search with 10 results costs 2 credits, from the same credits Firecrawl uses to read pages.
Can Exa scrape pages?▾
Exa’s Contents returns the text of a page for $1 per 1,000 pages, pay as you go.
Which is better for AI agents?▾
It depends on the agent’s main job. Firecrawl suits agents that read pages, and Exa suits agents that search.
what to do next
What to do next
Count what your agent did last week: the searches it ran and the pages it read. If it reads more pages than it searches, or runs more than about 16,600 searches with a page read each a month, start Firecrawl on its free 1,000 credits a month. If it searches more than it reads, at low volume, Exa’s free $10 a month is the cheaper test. Prices are from Firecrawl pricing and Exa pricing, both checked October 22, 2026. Scores are from Artificial Analysis, data from October 19, 2026, and the Vals Web Search Index, updated October 21, 2026. Try Firecrawl Next · Exa pricing shows the full Exa price list · Firecrawl vs Tavily compares Firecrawl with another search tool · Apify vs Firecrawl compares two scrapers.