# Exa API + MCP vs SERPHouse

> Exa scores 67.8 (B) to SERPHouse's 42.4 (E) for web search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serphouse
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serphouse.md (~5,850 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Exa API + MCP scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against SERPHouse's 42.4 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do web search. Exa API + MCP accepts x402. SERPHouse doesn't.

- Exa API + MCP: grade B, 67.8/100, rank #304 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/exa-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/exa-mcp.json
- SERPHouse: grade E, 42.4/100, rank #1283 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/serphouse.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serphouse.json
- Best web search APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.md
- All 326 search comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/search/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Exa API + MCP (B)

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, 77 against 40
- Schema & documentation, 86 against 66
- Agent ergonomics, 96 against 64
- Security & auth, 43 against 11
- Payments & pricing, 90 against 40
- Maintenance & community, 88 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 61 against 50

Also in its favour:
- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account
- Open source

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

### SERPHouse (E)

Good for: Low-cost Google, Bing and Yahoo result parsing for SEO and rank tracking, with many Google verticals.

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Exa API + MCP loses 9 points for them

Watch for: The hosted MCP server takes the API key only in its URL path, and the REST API also accepts `api_token` in the query string


## Why the edge

### Maintenance & community: Exa API + MCP +65

- Exa API + MCP (88): exa-py and exa-js 2.27.0 tagged on 30 October 2026, after 2.26.0 and the API changelog entry of 19 October (30). 14 tags of each SDK from v2.17.0 (7 August) to v2.27.0 (30 October), and changelog entries on 28 August, 24 September and 19 October (20). 13 open MCP issues and pull requests merged on 2, 6, 7 and 19 October per the 21 October check, with pull requests merged on 27 and 28 October in the clone; reply times unread because GitHub's pages refuse us (15). Official registry entry ai.exa/exa under Exa's own domain, latest 3.4.1 (published 23 September), and current Python and TypeScript SDKs (15). CI typechecks and tests the MCP server on every push. The npm package (3.4.2, 6 October, per the 21 October check) ships from a workflow without git tags, and package.json on main is still 3.4.2 on 1 November (8).
- SERPHouse (23): Read for a closed service, with its repositories read as code. No changelog or dated API change was found. The newest release is MCP server 1.1.0 on 6 July 2026, 123 days before 6 November, and the last commit in its repository was on 22 July (10). No release or dated change in the 90 days from 8 August; the about page's 2026 entry (Forums, Place Details and Scraper APIs) is undated (0). No changelog; support by email. Issues weren't read, since the GitHub API refused us for its rate limit (5 of 25). Not in the official MCP registry, though the repository's server.json names io.github.SERPHouse/serphouse-mcp. Node.js SDK last changed 24 June 2026, PHP SDK 10 May 2024, and no Python SDK repository was found under the SERPHouse organisation (5 of 15). The MCP repository has an npm publish workflow and no tests (3 of 10). 10 + 0 + 5 + 5 + 3 = 23.

### Payments & pricing: Exa API + MCP +50

- Exa API + MCP (90): x402 on POST /search and /contents, USDC on Arc, Base, World Chain or Solana, including Circle Gateway nanopayments, not on answer, Agent runs, monitors or Websets, so partial (30). Per-call prices published without login, $0.004 for `lite` (and legacy `instant`) to $0.015 for legacy deep-reasoning per search (20). $10 a month and a $10 onboarding bonus, and the pricing page now states "No payment method required" (20). An agent can pay by x402 with no account, and the hosted MCP works anonymously within rate limits (20).
- SERPHouse (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-1,000 prices for SERP, autocomplete and top-100 requests published without login (20). Free trial of 4,000 credits for 7 days, 'No Credit Card Required' (20). A person signs up in a browser and confirms an email (0). 0 + 20 + 20 + 0 = 40.

### Reliability: Exa API + MCP +37

- Exa API + MCP (77): Instatus page at status.exa.ai with Search API, Exa MCP, Agents API and Websets components and dated history (20). In the 90 days to 1 November, history/1 shows the Search API's 1-minute blip (16 September), a 1 hour 24 minute latency incident (18 September) and 2 hours 21 minutes of elevated latency with some failed requests (21 September), and the Agents API's 25 minutes of runs failing to start (18 September, labelled major) and 4 hours 56 minutes in which 'some agent runs may fail to start or complete' (21 to 22 September). August is per the 21 October check, not re-read on 1 November (history/2 answers 404 again), with a 10-minute Search API major outage on 14 August and a 53-minute latency incident. No notices in October or November. By this run's reading each hit one product or a subset of requests and none was an hour of a core API down, so all are minor (20, up from 10, where the 21 to 22 September Agents API incident had been counted as a major). Rate limits published per endpoint, 10 QPS search and answer, 5 QPS deep, 100 QPS contents, 5 QPS and 50 active Agent runs (15). 429 with `Retry-After` when available and exponential backoff advice. We found no idempotency guidance for creating Agent runs, which cost money (12). No SLA found. The pricing page lists "Enterprise SLAs" on the contract plan, with no terms published (0). Search, contents and the MCP are GA, and Dynamic Highlights is still a research preview behind a beta header and isn't the core surface (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 12 + 0 + 10 = 77.
- SERPHouse (40): Read with the hosted lines. No status page is linked from the site or docs, and status.serphouse.com did not answer on 6 November 2026 (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits published, 60 requests a minute and 60 concurrent on every self-serve plan (15). 429 is documented as 'slow down', and a 200 can carry `"status": "error"` with 'Please try again', with no Retry-After or backoff guidance. Failed requests aren't charged (5 of 15). The pricing page lists a 99.99% uptime SLA on Basic and Regular and the docs a 99.95% one, but no SLA terms or credits were found in the terms (5 of 10). Generally available (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 40.

### Agent ergonomics: Exa API + MCP +32

- Exa API + MCP (96): On a keyless connection two tools are on by default, `web_search_exa` and `web_fetch_exa`, about 1,250 characters of descriptions between them. Since the 19 October commit on main, `agent_run` (about 500 characters plus a larger input schema) is also on by default when the user supplies a key, though the README still lists it as optional. `?tools=` turns on `web_search_advanced_exa` and picks the set (25). `numResults`, `maxCharacters`, highlights instead of full text, category, domain and date filters, and in `web_search_advanced_exa` the `lite` type (20). The error-codes page lists codes, and the MCP server rewrites a 429 into a message about the free tier and keys and now passes search notices to the model. Errors reach the model as text rather than a code (16). Every tool sets `readOnlyHint`, `destructiveHint: false` and `idempotentHint` (false on `agent_run`), and the server retries transient errors twice (20). Only `query` is required. Python and TypeScript SDKs (15).
- SERPHouse (64): 23 MCP tools with no toolsets or filtering (15 of 25). `num_result`, `max_pages`, paging, device, location, language, date and video filters (16 of 20). Status codes are tabulated, but a 200 can also mean an error and the body carries only 'Please try again' (10 of 20). Searches only read and failed requests aren't charged, but the MCP tools carry no readOnlyHint or other annotations (10 of 20). `serphouse_search` needs only `q` and defaults to the US; most other tools need `loc` or `loc_id`. Official Node.js, PHP and Python SDKs are documented (13 of 15). 15 + 16 + 10 + 10 + 13 = 64.

### Security & auth: Exa API + MCP +32

- Exa API + MCP (43): Bearer or `x-api-key` keys, and a team-management API creates keys with their own rate limit and budget. The hosted MCP also takes OAuth. The README documents `?exaApiKey=` in the URL, so 25 less 10 (15). Every tool is read-only and annotated so, and `?tools=` limits the set. Agent runs spend credit but change nothing. Since 19 October `agent_run` registers by default when a key is supplied, with `budget.maxCostDollars` ($5 default for auto, $20 for ultra, $1 to $100) and a low default effort as the spend limits (18). Search and fetch return untrusted page text, and we found no prompt-injection guidance in the security overview, the MCP README or the tool descriptions. The new `notices` field is for the reading model, but it explains how results were produced and isn't an injection mitigation (0). No audit log found (0). SOC 2 Type II with reports in a trust centre. No security.txt (404 on 21 October), no SECURITY.md, no bug bounty and no GitHub advisories. The April 2026 key leak below was handled in a commit message only (10).
- SERPHouse (11): One key per account, one account per user, no scopes or rotation found (10). The REST API documents `api_token` in the query string and the hosted MCP server takes the key only in its URL path, less 10 (0 of 30). Searches only read, with no read-only or restricted key (8 of 20). Results are third-party snippets and AI Overview text, with no prompt-injection guidance (0). An account tool shows plan and credit usage; no per-call log was found (3 of 15). No security.txt (404), disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0 of 20). 0 + 8 + 0 + 3 + 0 = 11.

### Schema & documentation: Exa API + MCP +20

- Exa API + MCP (86): OpenAPI at exa.ai/docs/exa-spec.yaml, re-read on 21 October with the new `lite` type, its accepted parameters and the `warnings` and `notices` response fields, and JSON Schema inputs on every MCP tool (25). llms.txt and Markdown docs (10). `web_search_exa` tells the model how to phrase a query and when to follow up with `web_fetch_exa`, and deprecated tools name their replacement. The `agent_run` description on the main branch since 19 October says it isn't for a single lookup or a known URL and names the sibling tools, but that commit isn't in npm 3.4.2 and we couldn't confirm the hosted server runs it, so the line stays where it was. Nothing else says when not to use a tool (15). Inputs coerce loosely. `numResults` is described as 1 to 100 but the schema has no bounds, and bad numbers fall back to defaults silently. On the API, `lite` rejects an unsupported parameter with a 400 that names it, and ignored fields such as `startCrawlDate` now come back as `IGNORED_FIELD` warnings (10). An error-codes page and examples on every endpoint page (13). Dated changelog with deprecations, the latest entry 19 October. The MCP repository has no tags, so versions show only in package.json and the registry (13).
- SERPHouse (66): No OpenAPI or similar contract for the REST API. The MCP server's tools carry typed Zod schemas, published in the source and a static server card (18 of 25). llms.txt at the site and the docs, and every docs page as Markdown (10). MCP tool descriptions say which tool to use for what, such as `serphouse_google_web` when device or `num_result` is needed, while the docs pages lead with marketing lines such as 'Unlock captivating Google video content' (12 of 20). Enums for device, SERP type, engine and video duration, defaults and 37 described parameters (11 of 15). A status code table and request examples per engine, with a generic error body (12 of 15). No changelog or API versioning; only the MCP server has tags (3 of 15). 18 + 10 + 12 + 11 + 12 + 3 = 66.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Exa API + MCP | SERPHouse | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 77 | 40 | Exa API + MCP +37 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 66 | Exa API + MCP +20 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 96 | 64 | Exa API + MCP +32 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 43 | 11 | Exa API + MCP +32 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 90 | 40 | Exa API + MCP +50 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 23 | Exa API + MCP +65 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 61 | 50 | Exa API + MCP +11 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -9 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **67.8 · B** | **42.4 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Exa API + MCP | SERPHouse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Exa | Patoliya Infotech LLP |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` | `https://mcp.serphouse.com/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp` |
| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, HTTP | Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| Price for web search | $4 per 1,000 requests | not published |
| x402 | yes, from $0.007/call | no |
| Licence | MIT | none |
| Tools exposed | 4 | 23 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `ai.exa/exa` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-10-30 | 2026-07-06 |
| Terms last updated | not read yet | no date given |
| 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 | not read yet | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 4.9k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 1.4M PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 4.5/5 (2) | none |

## How the scores have moved

### Exa API + MCP

- +2.0 on 1 November 2026: correction
- -0.3 on 30 October 2026: checklist
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist

### SERPHouse

No score change since it was listed.

## Verdicts

**Exa API + MCP.** x402 on /search and /contents in USDC on Arc, Base, World Chain 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, and the server still sends usage events to that service without saying so.

**SERPHouse.** SERPHouse returns parsed Google, Bing and Yahoo results at published prices from $0.62 per 1,000 requests, with a 23-tool MCP server and a 4,000-credit trial without a card. The hosted MCP puts the key in its URL, there is no status page, changelog or security contact, and the terms keep search history indefinitely.

## Before you call either

### 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. Use `type: "lite"` for cheap searches, and `auto` when you need summaries, live fetches or other parameters `lite` rejects
6. Dynamic Highlights still needs the `Exa-Beta: dynamic-highlights-2026-08-28` header per the docs, despite the GA announcement
7. Set `budget.maxCostDollars` on `agent_run`, which a keyed MCP connection may now expose by default

### SERPHouse

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer`, not as `api_token` in the URL
2. Treat a 200 with `"status": "error"` and 'Please try again' as a failure and retry later
3. Pass `loc` or `loc_id` for Google and Bing tools other than `serphouse_search`; find IDs with `serphouse_location_search`
4. Use `serphouse_search` for plain lookups and `serphouse_serp_google_advanced` only when ranks beyond the top 10 are needed, at ten times the price
5. Keep under 60 requests a minute on self-serve plans

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Exa API + MCP or SERPHouse?

Exa API + MCP scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against SERPHouse's 42.4 (E), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Exa API + MCP and SERPHouse need an API key?

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

### Can an agent call Exa API + MCP and SERPHouse without installing anything?

Yes. Exa API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp and SERPHouse at https://mcp.serphouse.com/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp.

### Are Exa API + MCP and SERPHouse open source?

Exa API + MCP is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for SERPHouse.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serphouse.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serphouse.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "exa-mcp", "b": "serphouse"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare exa-mcp serphouse`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/exa-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/serphouse.json

## Other comparisons with Exa API + MCP or SERPHouse

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- [Web Search Tool on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-web-search-vs-serphouse.md)
- [Grounding with Bing Search vs Exa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bing-grounding-vs-exa-mcp.md)
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- [Exa API + MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup.md)
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- [Exa API + MCP vs Perplexity Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-perplexity-search-api.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-searchapi-io.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpapi.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serper.md)
- [Exa API + MCP vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-serpkite.md)
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- [Linkup vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serphouse.md)
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- [SerpApi vs SERPHouse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/serpapi-vs-serphouse.md)
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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp