Quick answer
Tavily - Tavily is the simpler free tier to plan around, with a flat 1,000 API credits a month instead of a rolling credit balance.
How the free tiers compare
Exa meters its free tier in dollars rather than a fixed request count: a $20 credit on signup, worth about 2,800 searches, plus $10 in credits added every month after that. The Starter plan also caps throughput at 5 search queries a second and 3 concurrent agent requests. Tavily instead gives a flat 1,000 API credits every month, with email support included. Because Exa's allowance is a dollar credit and Tavily's is a fixed credit count, the two are not measuring usage the same way.
Exa vs Tavily free tier, side by side
| ExaFTV 50 | TavilyFTV 54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly allowanceExa meters in dollars; Tavily meters in a fixed credit count. | $10 in credits added every month | 1,000 API credits per month |
| Signup bonus | $20 credit, about 2,800 searches | Not specified |
| Search throughput | 5 queries per second | Not specified |
| Agent concurrency | 3 concurrent requests | Not specified |
| Support | Not specified | Email support included |
| Credit card required | Not specified | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
Exa's Developer plan is pay-as-you-go once the free credits run out. Tavily's next plan is also pay-as-you-go, billed at $0.008 per credit.
When to pick each one
Pick Exa when…
- You want a larger one-time credit to burn through up front while testing.
- Your usage is bursty and benefits from a dollar balance rather than a hard monthly reset.
- You need the concurrency and throughput limits Exa states for its Starter plan.
Pick Tavily when…
- You want a flat, predictable monthly credit count instead of a dollar balance.
- You want email support included on the free plan.
- You would rather plan usage against a fixed number than a per-search dollar cost.
Bottom line
Pick Exa if you want a bigger signup credit and can work within its throughput limits. Pick Tavily if you want a flat monthly credit count and support included from day one.
Read the full listings: Exa and Tavily. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.