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Business Intelligence · head to head

Exa vs Fig

Exa logo

Exa

Business Intelligence

Web search, built for AI agents

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ExaFull review
F

Fig

Developer Tools

IDE-style autocomplete for your existing terminal

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit FigFull review

The short version

  • Fig is free; Exa starts at $7/mo.
  • Where Exa falls short: usage-based pricing can be unpredictable without volume discounts upfront.
  • Where Fig falls short: the standalone desktop app is no longer available or supported.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Exa and Fig actually diverge.

Attributes where Exa and Fig differ
AttributeExaFig
Pricing modelUsage-basedFreemium
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web).

Not yet recorded: founded for Exa.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Exa

  • Web search and research APIsnot Fig
  • Content extraction and analysisnot Fig
  • Real-time monitoring and alertsnot Fig

Fig

No use cases recorded yet. See the Fig review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Exa

  • Usage-based pricing can be unpredictable without volume discounts upfront
  • Enterprise customers need to contact sales for custom volume discount plans

Fig

  • Shut down on 1 September 2024. Amazon acquired Fig in August 2023 and folded it into Amazon Q Developer, which now carries the terminal autocomplete
  • The standalone desktop app is no longer available or supported
  • The completion specs remain open source on GitHub, but the product that consumed them is gone

Pricing, plan by plan

Exa

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • $20 in free credits (approximately 2,800 searches)
    • $10 in monthly credits after first month
  • Search$7
    • Standard search functionality
  • Deep Search$12
    • In-depth search results
  • Contents$1/per 1000 pages
    • Content extraction

Fig

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fig review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Exa if

  • You want to start without paying.
Exa review

Choose Fig if

  • You want to start without paying.
Fig review

Questions people ask

Is Exa or Fig better?
Neither clearly leads. Exa starts at Free and Fig at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Exa or Fig?
Exa starts at Free and Fig at Free.
Does Exa or Fig run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Exa for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Exa best used for?
Exa is most often used for web search and research apis, content extraction and analysis, real-time monitoring and alerts. Of those, web search and research apis and content extraction and analysis are not what Fig is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Exa: How much does Exa API cost?

Exa uses pay-as-you-go pricing with no subscription or minimum spend required. Search costs USD$7 per 1000 requests, Deep Search costs USD$12-15 per 1000 requests, and Contents costs USD$1 per 1000 pages. Users load credits and are charged at these published rates.

Source
Exa: Is there a free tier for Exa?

Yes, new accounts receive USD$20 in free credits (approximately 2,800 searches) plus USD$10 in additional credits every month. This allows developers to test the API before committing to paid usage.

Source
Exa: What other costs are associated with Exa?

Beyond the main API costs, Exa charges USD$1 per 1000 results beyond the first 10 returned, USD$1 per 1000 pages for AI summaries, and USD$0.10 per Agent Compute Unit for autonomous agent usage. Contact enrichment features cost USD$0.02 per email and USD$0.07 per phone number.

Source
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