Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Exa vs Mode

E

Exa

Business Intelligence

Web search, built for AI agents

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mode logo

Mode

Business Intelligence

Collaborative analytics for data teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mode has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Exa pricing is metered per 1,000 requests and stacks by feature: $7 per 1,000 basic searches, $12 to $15 per 1,000 for deep search variants, and separate per-ACU and per-search charges for the Agent product, as of August 2026.; Mode free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Exa and Mode actually diverge.

Attributes where Exa and Mode differ
AttributeExaMode
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Business Intelligence).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Exa

Nothing recorded that Mode does not also cover.

Only in Mode

  • SQL Editor
  • Python/R Notebooks
  • Interactive Reports
  • Version Control
  • Scheduling
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift
  • BigQuery

What people use each for

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

Exa

No use cases recorded yet. See the Exa review.

Mode

  • Self-service analyticsnot Exa
  • Data explorationnot Exa
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Exa
  • Collaborative analysisnot Exa
  • Embedded analyticsnot Exa

Where each one falls short

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

Exa

  • Pricing is metered per 1,000 requests and stacks by feature: $7 per 1,000 basic searches, $12 to $15 per 1,000 for deep search variants, and separate per-ACU and per-search charges for the Agent product, as of August 2026.

Mode

  • Free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets
  • Requires SQL knowledge for most analysis tasks, creating dependency on technical resources
  • Paid plan pricing not publicly listed; requires sales consultation
  • Recently acquired by ThoughtSpot in 2026, creating product direction uncertainty
  • Limited customization options for visual aspects and embedded analytics

Pricing, plan by plan

Exa

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Exa review.

Mode

Free
  • FreeFree
    • SQL Editor
    • Python/R Notebooks
    • Basic Charts
  • Business$65/month
    • Advanced Visualizations
    • Collaboration
    • Integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose Exa if

Nothing in the data separates Exa from Mode on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Exa review

Choose Mode if

  • You need sql editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want python/r notebooks.
Mode review

Questions people ask

Is Exa or Mode better?
Neither clearly leads. Exa starts at On request and Mode at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Exa or Mode?
Mode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Exa and Free for Mode.
Does Exa or Mode run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Mode for free?
Yes. Mode has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Exa starts at On request.
What can Exa do that Mode cannot?
Mode covers SQL Editor, Python/R Notebooks, Interactive Reports, Version Control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mode: What languages does Mode support for analysis?

Mode notebooks support SQL, Python (3.11 with pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, matplotlib), and R (4.2.0 with ggplot2, dplyr, tidyr). Both Python and R allow additional library installation at runtime.

Source
Mode: Can I integrate Mode notebook results into reports?

Yes. Mode allows adding notebook cell results directly to reports, with synchronized scheduling so reports re-run to keep data current.

Source
Mode: Does Mode support collaborative analysis?

Yes. Mode notebooks provide moveable code blocks and markdown cells enabling exploratory analysis and team collaboration on data queries and visualizations.

Source
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