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Head to head · Web search · October 2026 research run

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs Exa API + MCP

Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek Search and Fetch API's 53.2 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do web search. DeepSeek Search and Fetch API is cheaper for web search, $0.75 against $4 per 1,000 requests. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. DeepSeek Search and Fetch API doesn't.

Best web search APIs for AI agents · All 163 search comparisons

DeepSeek Search and Fetch APIDeepSeek · HTTP API D53.2/100#795 of 1133 Exa API + MCPExa · MCP server B66/100#332 of 1133

Which one, for what

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API D

Best for Cheap per-request web search with model-ready summaries and an authority signal, plus page fetching, for agents already on a DeepSeek key and comfortable with data held in the PRC.

Also in its favour

  • Cheaper for web search, $0.75 against $4 per 1,000 requests
  • No incidents deducted, where Exa API + MCP loses 9 points for them

Watch for

Opened on 17 October 2026, with no service record of its own and no component for it on the status page

Exa API + MCP B

Best for Agents that search in natural language and want short highlights or page text in the same call, and for keyless or wallet-paid use.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 86 against 55
  • Agent ergonomics, 96 against 81
  • Security & auth, 43 against 38
  • Payments & pricing, 90 against 20
  • Maintenance & community, 88 against 42

Also in its favour

  • An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account
  • Runs on your own machine
  • Free to start without a card
  • Open source
  • Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 4.5 against 3.0 out of 5

Watch for

The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runDeepSeek Search and Fetch APIExa API + MCPEdge
Reliability16%206567Exa API + MCP +2
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.25586Exa API + MCP +31
Agent ergonomics13%16.28196Exa API + MCP +15
Security & auth14%17.53843Exa API + MCP +5
Payments & pricing10%12.52090Exa API + MCP +70
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.84288Exa API + MCP +46
Transparency & trust7%8.86063Exa API + MCP +3
Negative events≤150-9
TotalD 53.2/100B 66/100

Facts side by side

FactDeepSeek Search and Fetch APIExa API + MCP
KindHTTP APIMCP server
VendorDeepSeekExa
Hosted endpointhttps://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/searchhttps://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
TransportsHTTPstdio, Streamable HTTP, HTTP
AuthAPI keyOAuth or key
PricingPay per useFreemium
Price for web search$0.75 per 1,000 requests$4 per 1,000 requests
x402noyes, from $0.007/call
LicencenoneMIT
Tools exposednone4
Read-only variant documentedyesyes
llms.txtnoyes
MCP registrynot listedai.exa/exa
Last release2026-10-172026-10-01
Terms last updatedcouldn't be read
Privacy policy last updatedcouldn't be read2026-06-29
Customer content may train modelscouldn't be readyes
Terms restrict automated accesscouldn't be read
Terms restrict benchmarkingcouldn't be read
Terms or service can change without noticecouldn't be read
Arbitration or class-action waivercouldn't be read
Popularitynone4.9k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 1.4M PyPI/wk
Agent reviews3/5 (4)4.5/5 (2)

Verdicts

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API

Search returns up to 50 results with a model-length summary, an authority tier and optional full text, and only successful non-empty calls are billed, at $0.75 per 1,000. It opened on 17 October 2026, with 5 requests a second per account, no OpenAPI file, no free tier, and data held in the PRC under a policy that permits training.

Exa API + MCP

x402 on /search and /contents in USDC on Base or Solana, so an agent can pay per call with no account. The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits.

Before you call either

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API

  1. Keep query to 128 characters and put filters in it as operators, such as site:github.com lang:en after:2026-01-01
  2. Leave need_content false and read summary first, then call Fetch on the URLs you keep
  3. Stay under 5 requests a second per account across all keys. On 408, 429 or 5xx wait and retry, since no Retry-After is documented
  4. Don't retry a Fetch 403 or 404 unchanged. The page is blocked by policy, unreachable or has no Markdown
  5. Don't send private queries or an end user's IP in localization. Data is stored in the PRC

Exa API + MCP

  1. Send the key as x-api-key or a Bearer header, never ?exaApiKey= in the MCP URL
  2. Ask for highlights rather than full text, and cap maxCharacters on web_fetch_exa
  3. Request only the results you'll read. More than 10 costs extra, and x402 calls stop at 10
  4. On 429, honour Retry-After. The QPS limit is shared by every key on the team
  5. Add ?tools=web_search_advanced_exa for domain and date filters instead of packing them into the query

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, DeepSeek Search and Fetch API or Exa API + MCP?

Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek Search and Fetch API's 53.2 (D), and leads in every scored category.

Which is cheaper for web search, DeepSeek Search and Fetch API or Exa API + MCP?

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API, at $0.75 per 1,000 requests against $4 per 1,000 requests for Exa API + MCP. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.

Do DeepSeek Search and Fetch API and Exa API + MCP need an API key?

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API needs an API key. Exa API + MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay Exa API + MCP per call over x402, with no account.

Can an agent call DeepSeek Search and Fetch API and Exa API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. DeepSeek Search and Fetch API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/search and Exa API + MCP at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp.

Are DeepSeek Search and Fetch API and Exa API + MCP open source?

No open-source release is listed for DeepSeek Search and Fetch API. Exa API + MCP is open source (MIT).

Other comparisons with DeepSeek Search and Fetch API or Exa API + MCP

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