The affordable Exa alternative
Serpex is a web search API for AI agents that returns search results and the full page content behind them as LLM-ready markdown in a single request. Exa is an embeddings-based search API for AI applications, with a separate contents endpoint for page text. Exa lists $7.00 standard, up to $15.00 for deep search per 1,000 searches; Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 — about 14× lower.
Pricing verified against Exa’s public pricing page on 2026-08-16. Source. Prices change — check theirs before deciding.
Pricing compared
| Serpex | Exa | |
|---|---|---|
| Search, per 1,000 | $0.50 – $0.65 | $7.00 standard, up to $15.00 for deep search |
| Page content | Included on the same request | $1 per 1,000 pages per content type — text, highlights and summary are billed separately, so text + summary is $2 per 1,000 |
| Search + content, 10 results, per 1,000 | $2.50 – $3.25 | ~$17 |
| Free tier | Free credits on signup, no card required | $20 in credits on signup (about 2,800 searches), plus $10 in credits each month |
Where Serpex is different
- Search and page content come back in one request, not two
- Roughly 10× lower cost per search, and around 7× lower once content is included
- No separate contents call to orchestrate or pay for
Where Exa is the better choice
- Neural/embeddings search finds pages by meaning, not keywords — genuinely better for open-ended research queries
- Pure pay-as-you-go with no subscription and no minimum spend
- Deep search and answer endpoints for research-style questions, which we do not offer
- Mature filtering: date ranges, domain include/exclude, category filters
Pick Exa if your queries are open-ended research questions where semantic recall matters more than cost, or you are still prototyping inside their free tier.
What the Serpex request looks like
One call returns the results and the page content behind them. There is no second request to orchestrate.
curl -X POST https://api.serpex.dev/api/search \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SERPEX_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"query": "how does retrieval augmented generation work",
"include_content": true,
"content_results": 5
}'Frequently asked questions
Is Serpex cheaper than Exa?
Yes. Exa lists $7.00 standard, up to $15.00 for deep search per 1,000 search requests. Serpex lists $0.50 – $0.65 per 1,000 — roughly 14× lower at list price. Verified against their public pricing page on 2026-08-16.
What is the main difference between Serpex and Exa?
Exa is an embeddings-based search API for AI applications, with a separate contents endpoint for page text. Serpex returns search results and the full page content behind them as LLM-ready markdown in a single API call, which is the difference that matters for most retrieval pipelines.
When should I use Exa instead of Serpex?
Your queries are open-ended research questions where semantic recall matters more than cost, or you are still prototyping inside their free tier.
Can I get both search results and page content in one request?
With Serpex, yes — set include_content on a normal search call and each result comes back with the page converted to markdown. That costs $2.50 – $3.25 per 1,000 requests for 10 results with content, against roughly ~$17 for the equivalent on Exa.
Try it against your own queries
Free credits on signup, no card required. Compare the output with Exa on the queries you actually run.