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Exa vs Google Gemini

Exa and Google Gemini are both AI assistants tools. Exa is aimed at developers and enterprise, while Google Gemini is aimed at small businesses and creators. Both have a free plan.

Exa

Web search and content API built for AI agents and LLM apps

Google Gemini

Google's AI assistant across Workspace and Android

PricingFreemiumFreemium · $5
Starting priceNot published$4.99/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopers, Enterprise, Small businessesSmall businesses, Creators, Developers
Platformswebweb, ios, android
CountryUS · 2021US · 2023
Rating——

Choose Exa if

Developers and AI teams who need a fast, controllable web search and content layer for agents, RAG or research products.

  • Free $10 monthly credit grant with no card required
  • Lite search at $4 per 1,000 requests suits high-volume agents
  • Highlights cut token usage and LLM costs compared with full pages

Look elsewhere if: Non-technical users who want a finished answer engine or chat app rather than an API (Perplexity, You.com).

Choose Google Gemini if

Google Workspace users and Android households who want AI where they already work.

  • Deep Workspace and Android integration
  • Bundled with Workspace plans and storage
  • Strong multimodal and long-context abilities

Look elsewhere if: Users outside the Google ecosystem who prefer ChatGPT's apps or Claude's writing.

Exa vs Google Gemini pricing

Exa

  • Free$0$10 in credits every month plus a one-time $10 onboarding bonus
  • Search Lite$4/1,000 requestsUp to 10 results per request; $1 per 1k extra results
  • Search Auto$7/1,000 requestsUp to 10 results per request; AI summaries $1 per 1k pages
  • Deep Search$12/1,000 requestsdeep-lite (about 4 seconds) and deep (4 to 15 seconds) types
  • Contents$1/1,000 pagesPer content type; prepaid credits, no subscription or minimum

Google Gemini

  • Free$0Flash-Lite model, Deep Research, 15 GB storage
  • Google AI Plus$4.99/moFlash model, 2x Free limits, 400 GB storage
  • Google AI Pro$19.99/moGemini 4 Argon, Pro model, 4x Free limits, 5 TB
  • Google AI Ultra$99.99/mo5x Pro limits; $199.99/mo tier with 20x
  • Gemini Enterprise Business$21/seat/moFrom; for businesses, up to 300 licenses

Exa · Key features

  • Search API with lite, auto, deep-lite and deep types on one independent index
  • Dynamic Highlights that pass only the most relevant tokens to the model
  • Contents API for full page text, highlights and AI summaries
  • Agent API for cited research, list building and enrichment with structured output
  • Coverage of people, companies, code, papers, ecommerce listings and local businesses
  • Monitors for recurring searches and Websets for verified datasets

Cons

  • No flat monthly plan, so spend rises directly with traffic
  • Websets API needs a separate paid Websets plan and credits
  • Benchmark leadership is reported by Exa itself

Google Gemini · Key features

  • Chat with Gemini Pro and Flash models, long context
  • Deep Research reports and Canvas for drafting
  • Image (Imagen) and video (Veo) generation
  • Integration in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and Android
  • Gems: custom assistants; NotebookLM for sources
  • Live voice and camera conversations on mobile

Cons

  • Feature availability varies by region and plan
  • Inconsistent experience across surfaces
  • Ultra tier is very expensive

Exa vs Google Gemini: FAQ

Do Exa and Google Gemini have a free plan?

Yes, both Exa and Google Gemini have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?