FastAF vs Exa
Short answer: choose Exa for semantic/neural web search, page contents for LLM context, deep research and people/company indexes. Choose FastAF when the agent needs live Google results and source-specific structured data (Maps, Shopping, Amazon, Walmart, Zillow, YouTube, LinkedIn/X profiles) or arbitrary page scraping, from one prepaid balance.
At a glance
| FastAF | Exa | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time packs, no subscription: $10 = 20,000 credits … $799 = 3,000,000 credits; valid 12 months. Google search = 5 credits ($2.50→$1.33 per 1,000 by pack). x402 Google search: $0.003 (promo through November 9, 2026 inclusive, then $0.005) in USDC, independent of prepaid credits (llms.txt) | Search from $4/1k (Lite), $7/1k (Auto), $12/1k (Deep); Contents $1/1k pages; Agent $0.012–$1.00/run (exa.ai/pricing, 2026-10-25) |
| Free | 2 free calls after email verification | $10 credits every month + $10 onboarding bonus, no card (pricing) |
| Signup | Optional (not needed for x402) | API key for normal use; x402 path needs no key (Exa x402 docs) |
| Pay-per-call | Yes (x402) and prepaid credits | Yes: pay-as-you-go billing and x402 |
| x402 / USDC | Yes, all 16 endpoints, USDC on Base | Yes, Search and Contents, USDC on Arc, Base, World Chain or Solana; also MPP on Tempo (docs llms.txt) |
| MCP | Hosted, 16 tools, key for tool calls | Hosted MCP; can be tried without a key at limited usage (exa.ai/llms.txt) |
| Index | Live Google + target sites fetched on request | Own web, people, company and scholarly indexes (pricing) |
When to choose Exa
- Semantic “find similar” or research-style queries over its own index.
- You want full-page contents and highlights cheaply ($1/1k pages) or deep research runs.
- Enterprise needs (SOC 2 Type II, ZDR, SSO listed on their pricing page).
When to choose FastAF
- You need the actual Google SERP, Maps, News, Shopping, Scholar, Jobs or Google AI answers.
- You need e-commerce/real-estate/social data (Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Zillow, LinkedIn, X) as JSON. See /apis/.
- Failed or empty answers are never charged; credits don’t expire monthly.
FAQ
Do both support x402? Yes. Exa: Search and Contents ($0.004–$0.015 per search over x402). FastAF: all 16 endpoints ($0.001–$0.06 per call).
Which is cheaper for a basic search? Exa Lite $4/1k; FastAF Google search $1.33–$2.50/1k on packs or $3/1k over x402 during the promo through November 9, 2026 inclusive (then $5/1k). They return different things (Exa index vs live Google).
Can I use both? Yes, many agents combine semantic search with live SERP data.
More on the FastAF blog.
Sources (all read 2026-10-25)
FastAF: https://fastaf.co/llms.txt, https://api.fastaf.co/.well-known/x402, https://api.fastaf.co/openapi.json, live unpaid GETs to https://api.fastaf.co/x402/v1/<endpoint> (HTTP 402, captured 2026-10-25 20:53 UTC).
SerpApi: https://serpapi.com/pricing ; https://serpapi.com/mcp
Exa: https://exa.ai/pricing ; https://exa.ai/docs/llms.txt ; https://exa.ai/docs/integrations/payments/x402/quickstart.md ; https://exa.ai/llms.txt
Tavily: https://www.tavily.com/pricing ; https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits ; https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/machine-payments/x402.md ; https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/keyless.md ; https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/mcp
Firecrawl: https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing ; https://docs.firecrawl.dev/mcp-server ; https://www.firecrawl.dev/agents ; https://docs.firecrawl.dev/llms.txt