Exa: Free tier switched to credit-based model ($20 signup + $10/mo)
What happened
Between the Jul 13, 2026 and Jul 20, 2026 captures of Exa's pricing page, Pulse recorded one change: Free tier changed from a fixed monthly request quota (up to 20,000 requests/month) to a credit-based model ($20 credit on sign-up plus $10 in credits per month). Pulse files it as a packaging change (freemium 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 halves Agent per-run price ceiling to $1.00, matching X-high tier" (Jul 6, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "Exa launches Connect GA, taps leading external data providers" (Jun 30, 2026), "Exa: Free tier limit increased 1,000 → 20,000 requests/month" (Jul 2, 2026) and "Exa launches Agent endpoint for async research at $0.025–$2.00/run" (May 26, 2026). Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.
In the same window Google also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- — · Free tierFreemium change
Free tier changed from a fixed monthly request quota (up to 20,000 requests/month) to a credit-based model: $20 credit on sign-up plus $10 in credits per month.
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Free tier | — | 20,000 requests/month | Freemium change |
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 Jul 13, 2026 and Jul 20, 2026; the change is marked near the top of the page.
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Exa, the last 90 days
Full history- Sep 28, 2026packagingExa: Free plan first-month credits cut from $30 to $20
- Sep 7, 2026improvedExa boosts Starter agent concurrency 3→50 and doubles QPS limits
- Aug 3, 2026decreaseExa: Answer endpoint overage + AI-summary fees removed
- Jul 20, 2026packagingExa: Free tier switched to credit-based model ($20 signup + $10/mo) · this change
- Jul 6, 2026decreaseExa halves Agent per-run price ceiling to $1.00, matching X-high tier
- Jun 30, 2026improvedExa launches Connect GA, taps leading external data providers
- Jul 2, 2026improvedExa: Free tier limit increased 1,000 → 20,000 requests/month
- May 26, 2026packagingExa launches Agent endpoint for async research at $0.025–$2.00/run
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- GoogleJul 6Google Vertexai delays Agent Gateway billing to July 13, extends free window
- GoogleJul 3Google Workspace: new Workspace Studio feature; AI Ultra Access dropped
- GoogleJul 3Google Cloud: AI Commerce Search pricing revealed ($2.50-$6.00/1000 queries)
- GoogleJun 24Google Workspace drops 50%-off promo from Starter, Standard, Plus
- GoogleJun 8Google Cloud reveals AI Commerce Search pricing at $2.50/1K
Questions about this change
Did Exa raise prices in July 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Jul 13, 2026 and Jul 20, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: freemium change.
What changed on Exa's pricing page between Jul 13, 2026 and Jul 20, 2026?
Free tier changed from a fixed monthly request quota (up to 20,000 requests/month) to a credit-based model: $20 credit on sign-up plus $10 in credits per month. Pulse compared the captures it took on Jul 13, 2026 and Jul 20, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does Exa change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 4 other pricing-page changes for Exa in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "Exa halves Agent per-run price ceiling to $1.00, matching X-high tier" on Jul 6, 2026; Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.