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Web search API for agents

The best search API for AI agents is Tavily because it scores highest on our published formula (75.5/100): Search API built for agents, with a free Researcher plan.

The job: “My agent needs to search the web and read results.” · Last checked

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Tavily

Search API built for agents, with a free Researcher plan.

Not for: Massive-volume crawling (see web scraping).

Pricing: Researcher plan free; pay-as-you-go $0.008/credit; Project $30/mo. source, checked 2026-10-19

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75.5
/ 100
Runner-up

Exa

Search and contents API with $10 of free credit each month.

Not for: Teams that want flat monthly pricing.

Pricing: Free $10 credits/mo (+$10 bonus); search from $4 per 1k requests. source

61.7
/ 100

Score breakdown

ToolFit (editorial) ×0.4Adoption (GitHub stars) ×0.25Momentum (release freshness) ×0.2Attention (HN, 30d) ×0.15Score
Tavily 5/5 → 1 n/a (closed source) n/a 1 pts → 0.102 75.5
Exa 4/5 → 0.75 n/a (closed source) n/a 5 pts → 0.264 61.7

Missing signals are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized. See methodology. Signals fetched Oct 19, 2026.

FAQ

What is the best search API for AI agents?

The best search API for AI agents is Tavily because it scores highest on our published formula (75.5/100): Search API built for agents, with a free Researcher plan.

What is the best alternative to Tavily?

Our runner-up is Exa (61.7/100). Search and contents API with $10 of free credit each month. Not for: Teams that want flat monthly pricing.

Who should not use Tavily?

Massive-volume crawling (see web scraping).

How much does Tavily cost?

Researcher plan free; pay-as-you-go $0.008/credit; Project $30/mo. (checked 2026-10-19, source: https://www.tavily.com/pricing)

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