--- title: "Brave Search API vs Exa: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Brave Search API or Exa more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Search API platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/brave-search-api-vs-exa" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Brave Search API vs Exa: Which is searched more? Is Brave Search API or Exa more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Search API platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Brave Search API and Exa - **Competitive set**: Search API platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Brave Search API Share of Search**: 4.3% - **Exa Share of Search**: 4.2% ## Is Brave Search API or Exa more popular in search? - In September 2026, Brave Search API and Exa were level in searches among search API platforms worldwide, with an estimated 22.2K versus 21.4K branded searches, at 4.3% and 4.2% of the total. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Brave Search API took it in January 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Brave Search API’s share of searches among search API platforms worldwide moved from 2.5% to 4.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Exa’s share of searches among search API platforms worldwide moved from 3.2% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 12.8K to 21.4K. ## Top search API platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Brave Search API and Exa were each mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Exa was listed before Brave Search API in two out of three answers that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tavily | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | SerpApi | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Exa | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Serper | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Brave Search API | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Firecrawl | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Algolia | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Typesense | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Meilisearch | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Elastic | 10th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | OpenSearch | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about search API platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which search API platform should I use?": 1. Tavily, 2. Exa, 3. Brave Search API, 4. SerpApi - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best search API platforms?": 1. Tavily, 2. Exa, 3. Brave Search API, 4. SerpApi, 5. Serper, 6. Firecrawl - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best search API platform for site search?": 1. Algolia, 2. Typesense, 3. Meilisearch - Searched Google, AI Overview "search api platform": 1. Firecrawl, 2. SerpApi, 3. Serper, 4. Elastic - Searched Google, AI Overview "best search api": 1. Serper, 2. SerpApi, 3. Brave Search API, 4. Exa, 5. Tavily, 6. Firecrawl Not named in any answer: OpenSearch. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for search API platforms worldwide in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Brave Search API worldwide rose 124.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 22.2K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Exa worldwide rose 67.2% over 12 measured months, from 12.8K to 21.4K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Brave Search API estimated searches | Brave Search API Share of Search | Brave Search API rank | Exa estimated searches | Exa Share of Search | Exa rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 9.9K | 2.5% | 10 | 12.8K | 3.2% | 9 | | Nov 2025 | 9.9K | 2.6% | 10 | 10.5K | 2.8% | 9 | | Dec 2025 | 8.1K | 2.1% | 10 | 25.1K | 6.4% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 33.1K | 6.6% | 6 | 26.6K | 5.3% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 90.5K | 15.4% | 3 | 22.5K | 3.8% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 90.5K | 12.6% | 3 | 24.7K | 3.4% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 40.5K | 6% | 6 | 26.2K | 3.9% | 7 | | May 2026 | 33.1K | 5.6% | 6 | 24.7K | 4.2% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 27.1K | 4.6% | 6 | 24.7K | 4.2% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 27.1K | 5.2% | 6 | 20.2K | 3.9% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 22.2K | 4.3% | 6 | 21.4K | 4.1% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 4.3% | 6 | 21.4K | 4.2% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Brave Search API’s and Exa’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Brave Search API**: Measured on the search term “brave search api”. - **Exa**: Measured on the search terms “exa ai” and “exa search”, summed into one figure. - [Brave Search API profile](/demand/global-en/brands/brave-search-api) - [Exa profile](/demand/global-en/brands/exa) - [All search API platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/search-api-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 11 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Brave Search API or Exa more popular in search? In September 2026, Brave Search API and Exa were level in searches among search API platforms worldwide, with an estimated 22.2K versus 21.4K branded searches, at 4.3% and 4.2% of the total. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Brave Search API vs Exa: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/brave-search-api-vs-exa This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/brave-search-api-vs-exa. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.