Exa expands free tier to 1,000 monthly requests, revamps pricing
What happened
Between the Feb 23, 2026 and Mar 2, 2026 captures of Exa's pricing page, Pulse recorded 4 changes: Search pricing restructured from tiered results (1-25: $5, 26-100: $25, Deep: $15) to flat rates ($7/1k for 10 results standard, $12/1k for Effort: Base); Free tier expanded from $10 in free credits to 1,000 requests free every month; Custom tier renamed to Enterprise; Enhanced Startup and Education program with $1000 grant [Renamed from 'Discounts' to 'Grants'; specified $1000 credit value]. Pulse files it as a pricing change (package change, freemium change, plan renamed, discount change) with a neutral direction. Pulse's latest capture (Oct 5, 2026) lists Search at $7 per 1k requests, up to 10 results + $1 per 1k page AI summaries, Agent at $0.01 per search tool call + $0.1 per request (Medium effort), Contents at $1 per 1k pages, per content type + $1 per 1k page AI summaries, Deep Search at $12 per 1k requests, up to 10 results + $1 per 1k requests, additional result above 10 and Deep-Reasoning Search at $1 per 1k page AI summaries + $1 per 1k requests, additional result above 10.
It lands 15 days after Exa's previous change, "Exa drops neural search, launches sub-200ms Instant mode" (Feb 16, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "Exa Restructures Search API Pricing, Adding Deep Search at $15 per 1k Requests and Removing Keyword Search Option" (Jan 11, 2026). Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.
In the same window Google and You.com also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- Search · PackagingPackage change
Search pricing restructured from tiered results (1-25: $5, 26-100: $25, Deep: $15) to flat rates ($7/1k for 10 results standard, $12/1k for Effort: Base)
- — · Free tierFreemium change
Free tier expanded from $10 in free credits to 1,000 requests free every month
- Enterprise · PlanRenamedCustom tierEnterprise
- — · DiscountRewordedDiscountsGrants
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Packaging | Search pricing restructured from tiered results (1-25: $5, 26-100: $25, Deep: $15) to flat rates ($7/1k for 10 results standard, $12/1k for Effort: Base) | Package change | |
| — | Free tier | — | 1,000 requests | Freemium change |
| Enterprise | Plan | Custom tier | Enterprise | Renamed |
| — | Discount | Discounts | Grants | Reworded |
Values as written on Exa's public pricing page in the two captures Pulse compared; where the page states no number, the cells give the wording before and after.
Evidence
The two captures Pulse comparedFull-page captures of Exa's pricing page (exa.ai) from Feb 23, 2026 and Mar 2, 2026; the change is marked near the top of the page, where "Custom tier" becomes "Enterprise".
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The two full-page captures with this change marked up are free with an account.
Exa, the last 90 days
Full history- Apr 4, 2026packagingExa Raises Search API Pricing 40% and Drops Pay-As-You-Go Plan
- Mar 17, 2026packagingExa Clarifies Contents API Pricing, Adds Search Text Highlights
- Mar 10, 2026improvedExa Restructures Search Pricing With Tiered Per-Result Model
- Mar 3, 2026packagingExa expands free tier to 1,000 monthly requests, revamps pricing · this change
- Feb 16, 2026improvedExa drops neural search, launches sub-200ms Instant mode
- Jan 11, 2026packagingExa Restructures Search API Pricing, Adding Deep Search at $15 per 1k Requests and Removing Keyword Search Option
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- GoogleOct 12Google Workspace swaps Gems for AI skills, rewords Gemini on Starter plan
- GoogleSep 7Google Workspace: promo discount cut from 50% to 30%/20% off
- You.comAug 4You.com: Web Search API now freemium (free 100/day + $5/1k after)
- GoogleJul 6Google Vertexai delays Agent Gateway billing to July 13, extends free window
- GoogleJul 3Google Workspace: new Workspace Studio feature; AI Ultra Access dropped
Questions about this change
Did Exa raise prices in March 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Feb 23, 2026 and Mar 2, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a pricing change: package change, freemium change, plan renamed, discount change.
What changed on Exa's pricing page between Feb 23, 2026 and Mar 2, 2026?
Search pricing restructured from tiered results (1-25: $5, 26-100: $25, Deep: $15) to flat rates ($7/1k for 10 results standard, $12/1k for Effort: Base); Free tier expanded from $10 in free credits to 1,000 requests free every month; Enterprise plan: Custom tier → Enterprise, renamed; discount: Discounts → Grants, reworded. Pulse compared the captures it took on Feb 23, 2026 and Mar 2, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does Exa change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 2 other pricing-page changes for Exa in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "Exa drops neural search, launches sub-200ms Instant mode" on Feb 16, 2026; Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.