{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "exa-mcp",
      "name": "Exa API + MCP",
      "vendor": "Exa",
      "vendorUrl": "https://exa.ai",
      "kind": "mcp",
      "category": "search",
      "summary": "Exa's REST API over its own web index, with the official MCP server in front of it.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/exa-mcp.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server",
      "license": "MIT",
      "transports": [
        "stdio",
        "streamable-http",
        "http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "exa-js"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "exa-py"
        },
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "exa-mcp-server"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "mixed",
      "authNotes": "API key as `Authorization: Bearer` or `x-api-key` header, created at dashboard.exa.ai. POST /search and /contents also accept an x402 `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE` header instead of a key. MCP server: Anonymous use with rate limits; optional API key via ?exaApiKey=, Authorization: Bearer or x-api-key header; OAuth login at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "$10 free credit a month (resets on the 1st) plus a one-time $10 sign-up bonus, no card. Pay as you go per 1,000 requests, instant search $4, fast and auto $7, deep-lite and deep $12, deep-reasoning $15, each with up to 10 results and $1 per 1,000 extra results. Contents $1 per 1,000 pages per content type, answer $5 per 1,000, monitors $15 per 1,000. Agent API $0.012 to $1.00 a run by effort. Enterprise volume pricing by quote (https://exa.ai/pricing).",
      "priceSummary": "$0.007 / call",
      "where": "both",
      "x402": {
        "level": "yes",
        "evidence": "Official 'Pay with x402' guide. POST /search and /contents accept x402 with USDC on Base (eip155:8453) or Solana. An unpaid POST /search returned 402 on 2026-09-30 (https://exa.ai/docs/integrations/payments/x402/quickstart.md)",
        "endpoints": [
          {
            "url": "https://api.exa.ai/search",
            "priceUsd": 0.007,
            "network": "eip155:8453"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://api.exa.ai/contents",
            "priceUsd": 0.001,
            "network": "eip155:8453"
          }
        ]
      },
      "toolCount": 4,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 4900,
        "npmWeekly": 1076635,
        "pypiWeekly": 1406207,
        "asOf": "2026-09-30"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://exa.ai/docs",
      "llmsTxt": "https://exa.ai/docs/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://exa.ai/docs/exa-spec.yaml",
      "registryName": "ai.exa/exa",
      "capabilities": [
        "web.search",
        "web.fetch",
        "web.extract",
        "search.answer",
        "search.research",
        "search.news"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "official",
        "hosted",
        "local",
        "open-source",
        "x402",
        "freemium",
        "llms-txt",
        "no-card",
        "openapi",
        "python",
        "typescript",
        "enterprise",
        "webhooks",
        "mcp"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-10-01",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 66,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 225,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 629,
        "categoryRank": 6,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 96,
          "maintenance": 88,
          "payments": 90,
          "reliability": 67,
          "schema": 86,
          "security": 43,
          "transparency": 63
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-01"
        },
        "negative": -9,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "2026-04-15. Exa's own fix (#292) says Agnost analytics on the hosted MCP captured headers, query parameters and full URLs from every request and sent them to api.agnost.ai, which leaked user API keys passed as `x-api-key` or `?exaApiKey=`. Fixed the same day, but disclosed only in the commit message, with no advisory or rotation notice that we found. Decayed for the fix, so -6 (https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server/commit/49797a5376217da506853b12163f21db9f9c95b8)",
          "2026-10-01. The MCP server calls Agnost's `trackMCP` on startup in both the hosted and the npm stdio builds, with no README mention and no opt-out. Inputs, outputs and errors are switched off, so the events are tool names and timings. -3 (https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server/blob/main/src/mcp-handler.ts)"
        ],
        "verdict": "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.",
        "bestFor": "Agents that search in natural language and want short highlights or page text in the same call, and for keyless or wallet-paid use.",
        "strengths": [
          "x402 on /search and /contents in USDC on Base or Solana, so an agent can pay per call with no account",
          "Two default MCP tools with about 1,250 characters of descriptions, and every tool marked read-only and idempotent",
          "Keys can be minted by API with their own rate limit and budget",
          "Public OpenAPI, llms.txt, an error-codes page and current Python and TypeScript SDKs",
          "$10 of credit a month with no card"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits",
          "Agnost usage analytics in the MCP server with no disclosure or opt-out",
          "The privacy policy says query data trains Exa's models and gives no retention period",
          "No security.txt, no SECURITY.md and no prompt-injection guidance",
          "Agents API had 4 hours 56 minutes of elevated run failures on 21 to 22 September"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Send the key as `x-api-key` or a Bearer header, never `?exaApiKey=` in the MCP URL",
          "Ask for highlights rather than full text, and cap `maxCharacters` on `web_fetch_exa`",
          "Request only the results you'll read. More than 10 costs extra, and x402 calls stop at 10",
          "On 429, honour `Retry-After`. The QPS limit is shared by every key on the team",
          "Add `?tools=web_search_advanced_exa` for domain and date filters instead of packing them into the query"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 2,
        "avgRating": 4.5,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 66
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 96,
          "maintenance": 88,
          "payments": 90,
          "reliability": 67,
          "schema": 86,
          "security": 43,
          "transparency": 44
        },
        "provenanceScore": 81
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl -s -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"query\":\"recent techniques for improving retrieval in RAG systems\",\"type\":\"auto\",\"contents\":{\"highlights\":true}}'",
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "exa": {
              "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
            }
          }
        },
        "x402": "curl -s https://api.exa.ai/search -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"query\":\"x402 facilitators\",\"numResults\":5}' -i\n# HTTP/1.1 402 Payment Required\n# PAYMENT-REQUIRED: \u003cbase64 JSON: accepts[{scheme:\"exact\",network:\"eip155:8453\",amount:\"7000\",asset:USDC,payTo:...}]\u003e\n# retry with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE: \u003cbase64 signed authorization\u003e"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/web.search",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/exa-mcp"
      },
      "area": "web-data",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "Search, fast and auto",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 7,
          "note": "up to 10 results"
        },
        {
          "item": "Search, instant",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 4
        },
        {
          "item": "Search, deep",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 12
        },
        {
          "item": "Contents",
          "unit": "1k-pages",
          "usd": 1,
          "note": "per content type"
        },
        {
          "item": "Answer",
          "unit": "1k-requests",
          "usd": 5
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Exa Labs Inc.",
        "domain": "exa.ai",
        "domainRegistered": "2017-12-16",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://exa.ai/assets/Exa_Labs_Terms_of_Service.pdf",
        "privacy": "https://exa.ai/privacy-policy",
        "statusPage": "https://status.exa.ai",
        "changelog": "https://exa.ai/docs/changelog",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-09-30",
        "score": 81
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "exa-mcp",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
          "method": "mcp-initialize",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:46.109053782Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 200,
          "lastMs": 227,
          "lastNote": "initialize answered",
          "authRequired": false,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 99.74,
          "p50ms24h": 198,
          "p95ms24h": 264,
          "samples24h": 272,
          "samples30d": 3089,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-09-27",
              "probes": 132,
              "ok": 132
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-28",
              "probes": 285,
              "ok": 285
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-29",
              "probes": 286,
              "ok": 286
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-30",
              "probes": 286,
              "ok": 286
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-01",
              "probes": 276,
              "ok": 276
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-02",
              "probes": 248,
              "ok": 248
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-03",
              "probes": 271,
              "ok": 271
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-04",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 266
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-05",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 270
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-06",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-07",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 217,
              "ok": 217
            }
          ],
          "outages": [
            {
              "start": "2026-10-04T18:58:14.45236595Z",
              "end": "2026-10-04T19:19:43.996268604Z",
              "note": "HTTP 503 server error"
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.exa.ai",
          "indicator": "unknown",
          "summary": "no machine-readable status found",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T17:50:38.205528862Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "mcp-registry",
            "name": "ai.exa/exa",
            "version": "3.4.1",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T02:42:52.272076636Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "exa-js",
            "version": "2.25.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:11:01.234768535Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "exa-mcp-server",
            "version": "3.4.2",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:11:04.895836796Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "exa-py",
            "version": "2.25.0",
            "released": "2026-10-01",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:11:04.700875255Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 5095,
        "npmWeekly": 1168320,
        "pypiWeekly": 1500570,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://exa.ai/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:33.272344985Z"
        },
        "llmsTxt": {
          "url": "https://exa.ai/docs/llms.txt",
          "ok": true,
          "status": 200,
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:24.161344383Z"
        },
        "domain": {
          "domain": "exa.ai",
          "registered": "2017-12-16",
          "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/exa.ai",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:07:21.135051369Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://exa.ai/docs/changelog",
            "kind": "deprecations",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:12.364135256Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-09-28T13:07:17.414087539Z",
            "fingerprint": "a71308f03083"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://exa.ai/pricing",
            "kind": "pricing",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:14.508949386Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-09-29T13:08:44.895658486Z",
            "fingerprint": "8e3e8655bf54"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://exa.ai/privacy-policy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:16.642632026Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:16.642632026Z",
            "fingerprint": "c4e103d9e07c"
          }
        ],
        "mcpTools": {
          "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-07T21:26:36.342532556Z",
          "status": "ok",
          "protocol": "2025-11-25",
          "tools": [
            {
              "name": "web_search_exa",
              "description": "Search the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content.\n\n      Best for: Finding current information, news, facts, people, companies, or answering questions about any topic.\n      Returns: Clean text content from top search results.\n\n      Query tips:\n      describe the ideal page, not keywords. \"blog post comparing React and Vue performance\" not \"React vs Vue\".\n      Use category:people / category:company to search through Linkedin profiles / companies respectively.\n      If highlights are insufficient, follow up with web_fetch_exa on the best URLs.",
              "inputSchema": {
                "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "properties": {
                  "numResults": {
                    "description": "Number of search results to return (default: 10).",
                    "type": "number"
                  },
                  "objective": {
                    "description": "Goal for this search turn; say which documents should rank first, which should be excluded, and what specific facts or figures to pull from them.",
                    "maxLength": 4096,
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "type": "string"
                  },
                  "query": {
                    "description": "Natural language search query. Should be a semantically rich description of the ideal page, not just keywords. Optionally include category:\u003ctype\u003e (company, people) to focus results — e.g. 'category:people John Doe software engineer'.",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "type": "string"
                  }
                },
                "required": [
                  "query",
                  "objective"
                ],
                "type": "object"
              },
              "annotations": {
                "destructiveHint": false,
                "idempotentHint": true,
                "openWorldHint": true,
                "readOnlyHint": true
              }
            },
            {
              "name": "web_fetch_exa",
              "description": "Read a webpage's full content as clean markdown. Use after web_search_exa when highlights are insufficient or to read any URL.\n\nBest for: Extracting full content from known URLs. Batch multiple URLs in one call.\nReturns: Clean text content and metadata from the page(s).",
              "inputSchema": {
                "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "properties": {
                  "maxCharacters": {
                    "description": "Maximum characters to extract per page (default: 3000)",
                    "minimum": 1,
                    "type": "number"
                  },
                  "urls": {
                    "description": "URLs to read. Batch multiple URLs in one call.",
                    "items": {
                      "type": "string"
                    },
                    "type": "array"
                  }
                },
                "required": [
                  "urls"
                ],
                "type": "object"
              },
              "annotations": {
                "destructiveHint": false,
                "idempotentHint": true,
                "openWorldHint": true,
                "readOnlyHint": true
              }
            }
          ],
          "schemaTokens": 593,
          "changedAt": "2026-09-28T21:55:38.894181746Z",
          "check": {
            "checker": "anchor-check/1.0",
            "totalTokens": 593,
            "counts": {
              "error": 0,
              "note": 1,
              "warn": 0
            },
            "findings": [
              {
                "rule": "TC24",
                "severity": "note",
                "message": "2 of 2 tools have no outputSchema",
                "fix": "Declare outputSchema for tools that return structured data, and return structuredContent that matches it."
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:46.109053782Z"
      }
    },
    "answer": "Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "grep-ai",
      "name": "Grep AI",
      "vendor": "Parcha Labs, Inc.",
      "vendorUrl": "https://grep.ai",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "search",
      "summary": "Grep is a hosted platform from Parcha Labs for building and running research agents that return cited reports and structured output. Outside agents reach it through a REST API, a remote MCP server, an A2A endpoint and two SDKs.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/grep-ai.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/Parcha-ai/grepai-skills",
      "license": "Proprietary service under Parcha Labs' terms of service. The grep-research-skills package on npm is MIT. The @parcha/agentrun and parcha-agentrun SDK packages state no licence in their registry metadata",
      "transports": [
        "http",
        "streamable-http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "@parcha/agentrun"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "parcha-agentrun"
        },
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "grep-research-skills"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "mixed",
      "authNotes": "A Bearer credential on every call except the public agent list and publicly shared runs. Self-serve API keys (`parcha-` prefix) are created in the developer dashboard or at POST /api/v2/keys, and can be listed and revoked. The MCP server and delegated integrations take OAuth access tokens issued by Descope, with scopes research:read, research:write, billing:read, experts:read and experts:write. An agent with an AgentMail inbox can sign in through AgentID with an Ed25519 key and no human account. No partner or sales approval is documented for the self-serve plans.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "Credits, with a medium-effort task counted as 20. The Free Trial has 100 one-time credits and the pricing table marks it without API access. Pay As You Go tops up a wallet from $20, also marked without API access. Pro is $200 a month for 1,500 credits and Ultra $500 for 4,500, both with API access. Team plans go through sales. The page says $20 buys 200 credits and its Markdown twin says 100. Whether signup needs a card isn't stated (https://grep.ai/pricing, checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "$200 / mo",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "Not available. The changelog entry of 8 May 2026 announces x402 and MPP payments for API research, but GET and POST requests to https://api.grep.ai/mpp/v1/api returned 503 `gateway_disabled` on 8 October 2026, and the grep-research-skills README says the wallet path returns once the gateway is generally available (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": 82,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": null,
        "npmWeekly": 334,
        "pypiWeekly": 52,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://grep.ai/developers",
      "llmsTxt": "https://grep.ai/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/openapi.json",
      "capabilities": [
        "search.research",
        "search.answer",
        "kyc.business",
        "kyc.screening",
        "kyc.documents"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "freemium",
        "mcp",
        "oauth",
        "openapi",
        "llms-txt",
        "python",
        "typescript",
        "async-jobs",
        "webhooks",
        "status-page"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-30",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 64.4,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 252,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 629,
        "categoryRank": 9,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 70,
          "maintenance": 74,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 80,
          "security": 65,
          "transparency": 59
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "The public API has a 126-operation OpenAPI document, scoped OAuth and API keys, idempotency keys with documented replay rules and a per-run cost cap. No rate limit is published, the MCP server lists 82 tools, and the pricing page limits API access to the $200 a month Pro plan and above.",
        "bestFor": "Agents that hand off a long research or due-diligence job and want a cited report or structured fields back, including business verification and sanctions screening through built-in agents.",
        "strengths": [
          "Public OpenAPI document with 126 operations, llms.txt and a Markdown twin of every developer page",
          "OAuth with five scopes, plus API keys that can be minted, scoped and revoked through the API",
          "`Idempotency-Key` on run creation, with body-hash matching, a 24-hour replay window and named 409 codes",
          "`max_cost_usd` per run, quota pre-flight and batch cost estimates before billable work starts",
          "Documented agent sign-in through AgentID with no human account, and 500 free credits for an owner's first agent"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "No rate limit numbers in the reviewed documentation, and no published SLA",
          "The MCP server card lists 82 tools, 31 of them deprecated aliases, with one-line descriptions and no annotations",
          "The pricing table marks API access as Pro and Ultra only, from $200 a month",
          "The pricing page says $20 buys 200 credits and its Markdown twin says 100. Free credits are stated as 100, 500 and 1,000 on different pages",
          "The 8 May 2026 changelog entry announces x402 and MPP payments, but the gateway answered 503 `gateway_disabled` on 8 October 2026",
          "No security.txt, trust page, subprocessor list or retention period found. SOC 2 Type II appears only as a footer and FAQ claim"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Send a fresh `Idempotency-Key` with every POST /api/v2/runs. After a timeout, poll the returned run ID and do not post again",
          "Set `effort` and `max_cost_usd` on every run. The floor is $0.50 for low, $2.50 for medium and build, $5.00 for high",
          "Call GET /api/v2/quota/check before a run. A 402 means no credits and retrying won't help, while a 429 carries `Retry-After`",
          "Use the `run_*` and `agent_*` MCP tools. The `research_*` and `expert_*` names are deprecated aliases of the same calls",
          "Treat report text and cited sources as untrusted web content, and verify one load-bearing claim against a primary source"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 64.4
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 70,
          "maintenance": 74,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 80,
          "security": 65,
          "transparency": 36
        },
        "provenanceScore": 82
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "npm install @parcha/agentrun",
        "http": "curl -X POST \"https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/research\" \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $GREP_API_KEY\" \\\n  -H \"Idempotency-Key: 8b9c1f24-3c1e-4a8d-9f7b-2a6e1c4d5b8e\" \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"question\":\"Due diligence on Stripe\",\"effort\":\"medium\"}'",
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http grep https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/mcp\nclaude mcp login grep",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "grep": {
              "url": "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/mcp"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/search.research",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/grep-ai"
      },
      "area": "web-data",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "Pro plan, 1,500 credits a month, API access",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 200,
          "note": "$167 a month billed annually"
        },
        {
          "item": "Ultra plan, 4,500 credits a month",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 500,
          "note": "$417 a month billed annually"
        },
        {
          "item": "Pay As You Go credit",
          "unit": "credit",
          "usd": 0.1,
          "note": "$20 for 200 credits on the pricing page. Its Markdown twin says 100 credits, which is $0.20. No API access on this plan per the table"
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Parcha Labs, Inc.",
        "domain": "grep.ai",
        "domainRegistered": "2018-04-20",
        "domainNote": "Registered in 2018 and transferred on 2025-10-19, so the registration date predates the company's use of it.",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://grep.ai/terms",
        "privacy": "https://grep.ai/privacy",
        "statusPage": "https://status.grep.ai",
        "changelog": "https://grep.ai/changelog",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The terms of service, last updated 20 March 2026, are a contract with Parcha Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation, governed by California law.",
          "The privacy policy, last updated 5 October 2026, names Parcha Labs, Inc. and the websites www.parcha.ai and grep.parcha.ai.",
          "The API, the MCP server and the A2A endpoint answer on api.grep.ai. OAuth tokens come from Descope at api.descope.com.",
          "grep.ai/.well-known/security.txt and api.grep.ai/.well-known/security.txt return 404. grep.ai/trust and grep.ai/security return 404.",
          "RDAP for grep.ai gives a registration date of 2018-04-20 and a transfer on 2025-10-19.",
          "The status page's support link is support@parcha.ai and its privacy link points to parcha.ai."
        ],
        "score": 82
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "grep-ai",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:48.328236956Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 401,
          "lastMs": 313,
          "lastNote": "asks for credentials",
          "authRequired": true,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 379,
          "p95ms24h": 509,
          "samples24h": 42,
          "samples30d": 42,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 42,
              "ok": 42
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.grep.ai",
          "indicator": "none",
          "summary": "All Systems Operational",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:41.247636962Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "github",
            "name": "Parcha-ai/grepai-skills",
            "version": "v0.2.0",
            "released": "2026-08-04",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:07.589068505Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "@parcha/agentrun",
            "version": "0.2.1",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:03.929041874Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "grep-research-skills",
            "version": "0.2.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:07.371903924Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "parcha-agentrun",
            "version": "0.2.1",
            "released": "2026-09-30",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:07.178365237Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 2,
        "npmWeekly": 334,
        "pypiWeekly": 52,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://grep.ai/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:56.474115574Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://grep.ai/changelog",
            "kind": "changelog",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:43.809396033Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "5f4c7902b1e3"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://grep.ai/pricing",
            "kind": "pricing",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:46.272067131Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "a9ffcdfc713c"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://grep.ai/privacy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:48.076387468Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "68d0ef896769"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://grep.ai/terms",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:50.381060662Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "5c21afb05a2d"
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:48.328236956Z"
      }
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "MCP server",
        "b": "HTTP API",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "Exa",
        "b": "Parcha Labs, Inc.",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
        "b": "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "stdio, Streamable HTTP, HTTP",
        "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "OAuth or key",
        "b": "OAuth or key",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Freemium",
        "b": "Freemium",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes, from $0.007/call",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "MIT",
        "b": "Proprietary service under Parcha Labs' terms of service. The grep-research-skills package on npm is MIT. The @parcha/agentrun and parcha-agentrun SDK packages state no licence in their registry metadata",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "4",
        "b": "82",
        "name": "Tools exposed"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "ai.exa/exa",
        "b": "not listed",
        "name": "MCP registry"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-10-01",
        "b": "2026-09-30",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "2026-03-20",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-06-29",
        "b": "2026-09-21",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "4.9k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 1.4M PyPI/wk",
        "b": "334 npm/wk, 52 PyPI/wk",
        "name": "Popularity"
      },
      {
        "a": "4.5/5 (2)",
        "b": "none",
        "name": "Agent reviews"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Exa API + MCP or Grep AI?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay Exa API + MCP per call over x402, with no account.",
        "question": "Do Exa API + MCP and Grep AI need an API key?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Yes. Exa API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp and Grep AI at https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs.",
        "question": "Can an agent call Exa API + MCP and Grep AI without installing anything?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Exa API + MCP is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Grep AI.",
        "question": "Are Exa API + MCP and Grep AI open source?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 67 against 60",
          "Schema \u0026 documentation, 86 against 80",
          "Agent ergonomics, 96 against 70",
          "Payments \u0026 pricing, 90 against 40",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 74"
        ],
        "also": [
          "An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account",
          "Runs on your own machine",
          "Free to start without a card",
          "Open source"
        ],
        "goodFor": "Agents that search in natural language and want short highlights or page text in the same call, and for keyless or wallet-paid use.",
        "slug": "exa-mcp",
        "watchFor": "The hosted MCP leaked API keys to a third-party analytics endpoint from November 2025 to 15 April 2026, per Exa's own commits"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Security \u0026 auth, 65 against 43"
        ],
        "also": [
          "No incidents deducted, where Exa API + MCP loses 9 points for them"
        ],
        "goodFor": "Agents that hand off a long research or due-diligence job and want a cited report or structured fields back, including business verification and sanctions screening through built-in agents.",
        "slug": "grep-ai",
        "watchFor": "No rate limit numbers in the reviewed documentation, and no published SLA"
      }
    ],
    "job": {
      "capability": "search.research",
      "name": "Search research"
    },
    "others": [
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-exa-mcp.json",
        "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs Exa API + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-exa-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-exa-mcp.json",
        "title": "Cloudflare Web Search API vs Exa API + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-exa-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-firecrawl-mcp.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Firecrawl MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-firecrawl-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Linkup",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-searchapi-io.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs SearchAPI.io",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-searchapi-io"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpapi.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs SerpApi",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpapi"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serper.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Serper",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serper"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpkite.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs SerpKite",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpkite"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Tavily API + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-valyu.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Valyu",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-valyu"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-you-com-api.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs You.com APIs",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-you-com-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-fetch-reference-server.json",
        "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Fetch (MCP reference server)",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-fetch-reference-server"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup.json",
        "title": "Grep AI vs Linkup",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api.json",
        "title": "Grep AI vs Parallel Search and Task APIs",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-tavily-mcp.json",
        "title": "Grep AI vs Tavily API + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-tavily-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-valyu.json",
        "title": "Grep AI vs Valyu",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-valyu"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-you-com-api.json",
        "title": "Grep AI vs You.com APIs",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-you-com-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-grep-ai.json",
        "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs Grep AI",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-grep-ai"
      }
    ],
    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 7,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 67,
        "grep-ai": 60,
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "weight": 16
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 6,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 86,
        "grep-ai": 80,
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 26,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 96,
        "grep-ai": 70,
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 22,
        "edge": "grep-ai",
        "exa-mcp": 43,
        "grep-ai": 65,
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "weight": 14
      },
      {
        "by": 50,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 90,
        "grep-ai": 40,
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "key": "tasks",
        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 14,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 88,
        "grep-ai": 74,
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "weight": 7
      },
      {
        "by": 4,
        "edge": "exa-mcp",
        "exa-mcp": 63,
        "grep-ai": 59,
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "weight": 7
      }
    ],
    "summary": "Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do search research. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. Grep AI doesn't.",
    "verdicts": {
      "exa-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.",
      "grep-ai": "The public API has a 126-operation OpenAPI document, scoped OAuth and API keys, idempotency keys with documented replay rules and a per-run cost cap. No rate limit is published, the MCP server lists 82 tools, and the pricing page limits API access to the $200 a month Pro plan and above."
    }
  },
  "kind": "anchor.page",
  "links": {
    "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json",
    "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-grep-ai",
    "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-grep-ai.json",
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  "markdown": "Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do search research. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. Grep AI doesn't.\n\n- Exa API + MCP: grade B, 66/100, rank #225 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/exa-mcp.json\n- Grep AI: grade B, 64.4/100, rank #252 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/grep-ai.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Exa API + MCP (B)\n\nGood 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.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 67 against 60\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 86 against 80\n- Agent ergonomics, 96 against 70\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 90 against 40\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 74\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account\n- Runs on your own machine\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch 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\n\n### Grep AI (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that hand off a long research or due-diligence job and want a cited report or structured fields back, including business verification and sanctions screening through built-in agents.\n\nAhead on:\n- Security \u0026 auth, 65 against 43\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where Exa API + MCP loses 9 points for them\n\nWatch for: No rate limit numbers in the reviewed documentation, and no published SLA\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Exa API + MCP | Grep AI | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 60 | Exa API + MCP +7 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 80 | Exa API + MCP +6 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 96 | 70 | Exa API + MCP +26 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 43 | 65 | Grep AI +22 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 90 | 40 | Exa API + MCP +50 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 74 | Exa API + MCP +14 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 59 | Exa API + MCP +4 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -9 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **66 · B** | **64.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Exa API + MCP | Grep AI |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | MCP server | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Exa | Parcha Labs, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` | `https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs` |\n| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| x402 | yes, from $0.007/call | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Proprietary service under Parcha Labs' terms of service. The grep-research-skills package on npm is MIT. The @parcha/agentrun and parcha-agentrun SDK packages state no licence in their registry metadata |\n| Tools exposed | 4 | 82 |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `ai.exa/exa` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-09-30 |\n| Terms last updated |  | 2026-03-20 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-29 | 2026-09-21 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 4.9k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 1.4M PyPI/wk | 334 npm/wk, 52 PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 4.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\n\n**Grep AI.** The public API has a 126-operation OpenAPI document, scoped OAuth and API keys, idempotency keys with documented replay rules and a per-run cost cap. No rate limit is published, the MCP server lists 82 tools, and the pricing page limits API access to the $200 a month Pro plan and above.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Exa API + MCP\n\n1. Send the key as `x-api-key` or a Bearer header, never `?exaApiKey=` in the MCP URL\n2. Ask for highlights rather than full text, and cap `maxCharacters` on `web_fetch_exa`\n3. Request only the results you'll read. More than 10 costs extra, and x402 calls stop at 10\n4. On 429, honour `Retry-After`. The QPS limit is shared by every key on the team\n5. Add `?tools=web_search_advanced_exa` for domain and date filters instead of packing them into the query\n\n### Grep AI\n\n1. Send a fresh `Idempotency-Key` with every POST /api/v2/runs. After a timeout, poll the returned run ID and do not post again\n2. Set `effort` and `max_cost_usd` on every run. The floor is $0.50 for low, $2.50 for medium and build, $5.00 for high\n3. Call GET /api/v2/quota/check before a run. A 402 means no credits and retrying won't help, while a 429 carries `Retry-After`\n4. Use the `run_*` and `agent_*` MCP tools. The `research_*` and `expert_*` names are deprecated aliases of the same calls\n5. Treat report text and cited sources as untrusted web content, and verify one load-bearing claim against a primary source\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Exa API + MCP or Grep AI?\n\nExa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Do Exa API + MCP and Grep AI need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay Exa API + MCP per call over x402, with no account.\n\n### Can an agent call Exa API + MCP and Grep AI without installing anything?\n\nYes. Exa API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp and Grep AI at https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs.\n\n### Are Exa API + MCP and Grep AI open source?\n\nExa API + MCP is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Grep AI.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-grep-ai.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-grep-ai.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"exa-mcp\", \"b\": \"grep-ai\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare exa-mcp grep-ai`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/exa-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/grep-ai.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Exa API + MCP or Grep AI\n\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-exa-mcp.md)\n- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-exa-mcp.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Firecrawl MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-firecrawl-mcp.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-searchapi-io.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serper.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpkite.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-valyu.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Fetch (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-fetch-reference-server.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-valyu.md)\n- [Grep AI vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Grep AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-grep-ai.md)\n",
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        "name": "Exa API + MCP vs Grep AI",
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    "description": "Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Grep AI's 64.4 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Grep AI leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do search research. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. Grep AI doesn't. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.",
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    "section": "tools",
    "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Grep AI for AI agents, B 66 vs B 64.4",
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    "updated": "2026-10-08",
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