vs
An Exa alternative when engine ranks matter
Exa searches its own index and has low-cost Lite retrieval. OpenSERP returns real results from Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia with their original ranks.
OpenSERP Cloud~$72OpenSERP self-hosted$0 + serverExa Lite$30Monthly cost The short answer
Stay with Exa when
- Semantic discovery over its own index fits your agent
- Lite pricing fits a search-only workload - it was cheaper in our check
Switch to OpenSERP when
- You need original engine ranks or region-aware results
- You want a free self-hosted server
- You also want SEO and PR monitors on the same credits
Monthly cost
OpenSERP Cloud~$72PAYGOpenSERP self-hosted$0 + serverMITExa Lite$30LiteUSD per month, checked Oct 29, 2026. One search returns up to 10 results.
How we priced this
USD, checked 29 Oct 2026. One successful search with up to 10 results; no extraction, extra pages, model tokens or tax. OpenSERP: one top-up/month, regular-month bonuses included; no subscription, credits do not expire, failed requests free. Starter and first-top-up bonuses excluded. Exa: Lite at $4/1k after $10 monthly credit; excludes onboarding bonus. Auto is $7/1k. This is a mode-specific comparison.
Side by side
| OpenSERP | Exa Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Real results from Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia | Semantic retrieval over Exa's own web index |
| Original engine ranks | Rank on the engine you pick | No original Google/Bing rank contract |
| Page extraction | Single pages to markdown or text; no site crawl | Contents API; separate rates |
| Self-host | MIT engine with the same search API as Cloud | Not published |
| MCP, SDKs, n8n | MCP, JS/Python SDKs, n8n | MCP, JS/Python SDKs; n8n not published |
| Free tier | Self-host for free; Cloud starts with 60 credits, no card | $10 credit every month, plus a $10 onboarding bonus |
| Billing | PAYG, no subscription; credits never expire, failed requests are free | PAYG; Lite search at $4 per 1k |
How to decide
What the cheaper row buys
The Exa figures use Lite, include its monthly free credit and leave out the onboarding bonus. Auto costs more. Pick a retrieval mode before comparing costs - a lower price says nothing about relevance.
Test with your own questions
Run the same questions through both in your application, then check the returned URLs and what is missing. Neither a price table nor an engine rank proves the final answer is right.
Monitoring is a separate job
Exa documents a Monitors API. OpenSERP includes SEO and PR monitors on the same credits. Compare the monitoring workflow itself, not just the search endpoint.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenSERP a free Exa alternative?
The MIT-licensed OpenSERP engine is free to self-host; you pay for your server. Managed OpenSERP Cloud starts with 60 credits once and charges by use.
Does Exa return original Google or Bing ranks?
Exa's search contract describes its own results, not positions on a selected Google or Bing result page. OpenSERP exposes engine ranks directly.
Sources
Written by the team building OpenSERP. Product details were checked against the primary sources below. This is a feature comparison, not a performance benchmark. Product names and logos are trademarks of their owners.