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Business Intelligence · head to head

Exa vs Keycloak

Exa logo

Exa

Business Intelligence

Web search, built for AI agents

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ExaFull review
Keycloak logo

Keycloak

Developer Tools

Open-source identity and access management server.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit KeycloakFull review

The short version

  • Keycloak is an open-source IAM platform supporting OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.
  • Keycloak is free; Exa starts at $7/mo.
  • Where Exa falls short: usage-based pricing can be unpredictable without volume discounts upfront.
  • Where Keycloak falls short: requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Exa and Keycloak actually diverge.

Attributes where Exa and Keycloak differ
AttributeExaKeycloak
Pricing modelUsage-basedOpen-source
PlatformsWebSelf-hosted, Linux, Windows, API
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

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

What people use each for

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

Exa

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

Keycloak

  • Organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residencynot Exa
  • Companies with existing LDAP/Active Directory systems needing federated authenticationnot Exa
  • Open-source projects and communities requiring free IAM without licensing costsnot Exa
  • Enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisationnot Exa
  • Teams with sufficient operational expertise to manage infrastructurenot Exa

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

Keycloak

  • Requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
  • No managed cloud option provided by Red Hat; organisations must operate infrastructure themselves or use third-party distributions
  • Clustering and high-availability configurations require additional operational knowledge
  • Community support only; commercial support requires third-party vendors or distributions

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

Keycloak

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Full platform functionality
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Exa if

  • You want to start without paying.
Exa review

Choose Keycloak if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Linux, Windows, API.
Keycloak review

Questions people ask

Is Exa or Keycloak better?
Neither clearly leads. Exa starts at Free and Keycloak at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Exa or Keycloak?
Exa starts at Free and Keycloak at Free.
Does Exa or Keycloak run on more platforms?
Exa runs on Web. Keycloak runs on Self-hosted, Linux, Windows, API.
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 Keycloak 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
Keycloak: What protocols does Keycloak support?

Keycloak supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols for authentication and authorisation.

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
Keycloak: Can Keycloak integrate with existing user directories?

Yes. Keycloak supports user federation with LDAP and Active Directory systems, allowing organisations to leverage existing user directories.

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
Keycloak: Is Keycloak free?

Yes. Keycloak is fully open-source and free to deploy and use. No licensing fees are required.

Source
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