# Exa API + MCP vs Kagi Search API (slim)

> Exa scores 66 (B) to Kagi Search's 48.7 (D) for web search. Exa is cheaper for web search, $4 against $12 per 1,000 requests. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search.md (~2,900 tokens) · this version ~880 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-09

Exa API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security & auth and transparency & trust. Both do web search. Exa API + MCP is cheaper for web search, $4 against $12 per 1,000 requests. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. Kagi Search API doesn't.

- Exa API + MCP: B 66, rank #302 of 950 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.min.md
- Kagi Search API: D 48.7, rank #807 of 950 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search.min.md
- Exa API + MCP, good 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 Reliability, 67 against 8; Schema & documentation, 86 against 71; Agent ergonomics, 96 against 75; Payments & pricing, 90 against 20; Maintenance & community, 88 against 41. Also Cheaper for web search, $4 against $12 per 1,000 requests; An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account; Free to start without a card; Open source.
- Kagi Search API, good for An owner who already pays for Kagi and wants its ranking, lenses and domain rules inside an agent, with page text in the same call. Ahead on Security & auth, 64 against 43; Transparency & trust, 69 against 63. Also No incidents deducted, where Exa API + MCP loses 9 points for them.

| Category | Exa API + MCP | Kagi Search API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 67 | 8 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 86 | 71 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 96 | 75 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 43 | 64 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 90 | 20 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 88 | 41 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 63 | 69 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Exa API + MCP | Kagi Search API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Exa | Kagi |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` | `https://kagi.com/api/v1/search` |
| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| Price for web search | $4 per 1,000 requests | $12 per 1,000 requests |
| x402 | yes, from $0.007/call | no |
| Licence | MIT | Proprietary service under the Kagi API Terms of Service. The MCP server is MIT and the OpenAPI file states Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | 4 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| MCP registry | `ai.exa/exa` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-08-21 |
| Terms last updated |  | 2026-09-22 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-29 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 4.9k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 1.4M PyPI/wk | 535 stars |
| Agent reviews | 4.5/5 (2) | none |