Exa drops Deep-Reasoning Search tier and renames Instant to Lite Search
What happened
Between the Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 26, 2026 captures of Exa's pricing page, Pulse recorded 3 changes: With the Exa 3.0 launch, Exa removed the $15/1k Deep-Reasoning Search tier (Deep Search now a flat $12/1k), renamed Instant Search to Lite Search and Fast/Auto to Auto Search at unchanged prices, and raised the Search latency floor from 180ms to 450ms. In detail: Search tiers renamed: Instant Search → Lite Search ($4/1k unchanged) and Fast / Auto Search → Auto Search ($7/1k unchanged); Search endpoint configurable latency range changed from 180ms-1s to 450ms-1s; Deep-Reasoning Search tier ($15/1k requests) removed from endpoint pricing; Deep Search card now $12/1k requests (was $12–15/1k). Pulse files it as a packaging change (plan renamed, feature change, plan removed) with a downward direction. Pulse's latest capture (Oct 27, 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 Monitors at $1 per 1k requests, additional result above 10 + $1 per 1k page AI summaries.
It lands 21 days after Exa's previous change, "Exa launches $4/1k Instant Search, cutting Search entry price from $7" (Oct 5, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "Exa: Free plan first-month credits cut from $30 to $20" (Sep 28, 2026), "Exa boosts Starter agent concurrency 3→50 and doubles QPS limits" (Sep 7, 2026) and "Exa: Answer endpoint overage + AI-summary fees removed" (Aug 3, 2026). Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.
In the same window You.com and 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.
- Search · PlanPlan renamed
Search tiers renamed: Instant Search → Lite Search ($4/1k unchanged) and Fast / Auto Search → Auto Search ($7/1k unchanged).
- Search · FeatureChanged180ms-1s450ms-1s
- Deep Search · PlanPlan removed
Deep-Reasoning Search tier ($15/1k requests) removed from endpoint pricing; Deep Search card now $12/1k requests (was $12–15/1k).
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Plan | Search tiers renamed: Instant Search → Lite Search ($4/1k unchanged) and Fast / Auto Search → Auto Search ($7/1k unchanged). | Plan renamed | |
| Search | Feature | 180ms-1s | 450ms-1s | Changed |
| Deep Search | Plan | — | $12 | Plan removed |
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 Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 26, 2026; the change is marked around the middle of the page, where "180ms-1s" becomes "450ms-1s".
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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- Oct 26, 2026packagingExa drops Deep-Reasoning Search tier and renames Instant to Lite Search · this change
- Oct 5, 2026packagingExa launches $4/1k Instant Search, cutting Search entry price from $7
- 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
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- You.comOct 26You.com adds Inference Router API to run open-weight models via one endpoint
- 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)
Questions about this change
Did Exa raise prices in October 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 26, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: plan renamed, feature change, plan removed.
What changed on Exa's pricing page between Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 26, 2026?
Search tiers renamed: Instant Search → Lite Search ($4/1k unchanged) and Fast / Auto Search → Auto Search ($7/1k unchanged); Search feature: 180ms-1s → 450ms-1s, changed; Deep-Reasoning Search tier ($15/1k requests) removed from endpoint pricing; Deep Search card now $12/1k requests (was $12–15/1k). Pulse compared the captures it took on Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 26, 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 launches $4/1k Instant Search, cutting Search entry price from $7" on Oct 5, 2026; Exa has been tracked since 2024-11-17.