Head to head

Apify vs Exa

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Apify

$19/mo Free tier

Actor marketplace and scraping platform with MCP. Free includes $5 usage; paid Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go.

Where Apify fits

Builders running scrapers and agents in the cloud
GTM teams buying ready-made Store Actors
Desks that want MCP to search and run Actors
Startups that will start on Free with $5 usage

Exa

$7/1k searches Free tier

Web, people and company search API built for AI agents. Free plan with $10 in credits each month; paid search is $7 per 1,000 requests.

Where Exa fits

Builders putting web search inside coding or research agents
GTM teams enriching people and companies through an API
Teams that want search inside Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT
Startups living on free monthly credits before paying

At a glance

Detail	Apify	Exa
Starting price	$19/mo	$7/1k searches
Free tier	✓Yes	✓Yes
MCP server	✓Yes	✓Yes
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Lead generation, Sourcing	Lead generation, Sourcing
Capterra	4.8 from 538 reviews	Not enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Apify

Stands out: Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com plus a Store of ready-made Actors, on a prepaid usage meter with overage billed on paid plans.

Watch out: Unused prepaid usage expires each cycle. Usage beyond Starter's $19 is billed on the next invoice, and residential proxy costs extra per GB.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who need unused credits to roll over
Non-technical teams that will not operate Actors

Exa

Stands out: Hosted MCP server on the free plan, with people and company indexes alongside the web index.

Watch out: Pay-as-you-go has no monthly floor, but Deep Search, Agent runs and phone lookups are billed separately. Free is a small monthly credit, not unlimited.

Not the right fit for

Recruiters who want a point-and-click sourcing UI
Teams that need a fixed-price annual seat license

Pros and cons

Apify

Free plan with $5 usage, no card
Starter $19/mo plus overage
Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com

Prepaid usage expires each month
Overage on paid plans can surprise finance
Residential proxy is billed per GB extra

Exa

$10 in free credits every month, no card
Hosted MCP server on the free plan
People and company indexes besides web search

Phone lookups cost $0.07 each on Agent
Free credits cover light testing only
SSO and zero data retention need Enterprise

What each one costs

Apify

$19/mo

Free is $0 with $5 a month of platform usage. Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go, Scale $199/mo and Business $999/mo, each including that amount of prepaid usage, with lower compute-unit rates on higher plans. Unused prepaid usage expires at the end of each cycle, extra usage is billed on the next invoice, and proxies and extra resources are add-ons. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Exa

$7/1k searches

Free plan: $20 in credits at signup plus $10 every month, no card. Pay-as-you-go search is $7 per 1,000 requests, contents $1 per 1,000 pages and Deep Search $12 per 1,000 requests; Agent runs are $0.012 to $1.00 each. Enterprise is custom. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Apify cheaper than Exa?

Exa starts lower, at $7/1k searches against $19/mo for Apify. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.

Can you try Apify or Exa for free?

Apify and Exa carry a free tier on our listing.

Does Apify or Exa have an MCP server?

Apify and Exa ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?