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Exa alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Exa: not a consumer search engine, and usage costs add up for high-volume agents. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Exa, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. You.com currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1You.com logoYou.comFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 366.5
2Brave Search logoBrave SearchFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android4 of 462.6
3Mojeek logoMojeekFreeNoWeb4 of 459.6
4Perplexity logoPerplexityFree plan + paidNoWeb, Windows, macOS +23 of 357.2
  1. You.com logo

    1. You.comTop pick

    Best for: Developers who need web search and research APIs for AI agents

    Free plan + paidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Exa

    Comparable search, contents and research APIs with per-call pricing.

    Pros

    • Search, contents, answer and research APIs in one place
    • Free tier for trying web search via MCP
    • Usage-based pricing without a monthly minimum

    Cons

    • No longer aimed at everyday consumer searching
    • Costs scale with call volume
    • Research API calls are slower than plain search
    Visit You.com Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is You.com a good Exa alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Web Search API
    $5 per 1,000 calls (Standard)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Yes, via MCP server
    Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Contents API
    $1 per 1,000 pages
    Checked Oct 25, 2026you.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Mojeek logo

    3. Mojeek

    Best for: People who want genuinely independent results and a different view of the web

    FreeWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Exa

    Simple, independent web search API with no tracking.

    Pros

    • Own crawler and index, not a Bing or Google reseller
    • No tracking and no personalised results
    • Web Search API available for developers

    Cons

    • Smaller index means thinner results on niche topics
    • Few rich features such as maps or shopping
    • Weak on very recent news
    Visit Mojeek Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Mojeek a good Exa alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Index size
    Over 9 billion pages
    Checked Oct 25, 2026mojeek.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Tracking
    None
    Checked Oct 25, 2026mojeek.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Hosting
    UK green data centre
    Checked Oct 25, 2026mojeek.com(opens source in a new tab)
    API price
    From £2 per 1,000 requests
    Checked Oct 25, 2026mojeek.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Perplexity logo

    4. Perplexity

    Best for: Researching questions where you want a sourced summary instead of a list of links

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Exa

    If you want answers for yourself rather than an API.

    Pros

    • Answers cite their sources inline
    • Real-time web search with follow-up questions
    • Choice of leading AI models on paid plans

    Cons

    • Summaries can misread or over-generalise sources
    • Weak for navigational, shopping and local searches
    • Best features sit behind a subscription
    Visit Perplexity Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Perplexity a good Exa alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    How it works
    Real-time web search, summarised with citations
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise security
    SOC 2 Type II
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise customers
    50,000+ organizations
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)

The best Exa alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

You.com logo

Best Exa alternative for most people

You.com

Comparable search, contents and research APIs with per-call pricing.

Mojeek logo

Best Exa alternative for a free option

Mojeek

Simple, independent web search API with no tracking.

Brave Search logo

Best Exa alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Brave Search

Keyword search API on a large independent index, with monthly free credit.

Perplexity logo

Best Exa alternative for Mac

Perplexity

If you want answers for yourself rather than an API.

Perplexity logo

Best Exa alternative for Windows

Perplexity

If you want answers for yourself rather than an API.

Brave Search logo

Best Exa alternative for iPhone and Android

Brave Search

Keyword search API on a large independent index, with monthly free credit.

You.com logo

Best Exa alternative for working in the browser

You.com

Comparable search, contents and research APIs with per-call pricing.

Exa alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Exa?

You.com ranks first right now. Comparable search, contents and research APIs with per-call pricing. Brave Search and Mojeek follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Exa?

Yes. You.com (free plan + paid), Brave Search (free plan + paid), Mojeek (free) and Perplexity (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Exa?

None of the 4 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from Exa?

The complaints we hear most: not a consumer search engine; usage costs add up for high-volume agents; semantic results can miss exact-keyword matches.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Exa, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.