Exa vs Tavily:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Tavily had more branded searches than Exa among search API platforms worldwide. Tavily had about 110,000 branded searches, while Exa had 21,400. Tavily made up 21.4% of all search API platform searches we track, and Exa accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search API platforms, Exa and Tavily each appeared in three of the five answers. Tavily was mentioned before Exa in two out of three answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Tavily, about 5 searches for every 1 for Exa
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Tavily, named ahead of Exa in 2 of 3 answers
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Top search API platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Exa and Tavily were each mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Tavily was listed before Exa in two out of three answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- SerpApi4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Firecrawl3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Tavily3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Brave Search API3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Exa3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Serper3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Algolia1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Meilisearch1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Typesense1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Elastic1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about search API platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which search API platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best search API platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best search API platform for site search?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“search api platform”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best search api”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Exa or Tavily more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Exa and Tavily by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 search API platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Tavily, Exa. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Firecrawl | Tavily | SerpApi | OpenSearch | Algolia | Brave Search API | Exa | Meilisearch | Serper | Typesense | Elastic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 18.6% | 12.4% | 18.6% | 15.2% | 13.5% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 6.8% | 1.8% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Nov 2025 | 16.2% | 13.2% | 19.8% | 16.2% | 14.2% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 5.9% | 2% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Dec 2025 | 18.8% | 12.6% | 23% | 12.6% | 11.2% | 2.1% | 6.4% | 5.6% | 1.6% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 21.9% | 14.7% | 18% | 12% | 10.6% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 18.8% | 18.8% | 15.4% | 10.3% | 7.5% | 15.4% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| Mar 2026 | 22.9% | 22.9% | 12.6% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 12.6% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 2% | 2.1% | 2% |
| Apr 2026 | 30% | 20.2% | 13.5% | 9% | 7.9% | 6% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 2% |
| May 2026 | 27.9% | 22.8% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 1.9% | 2% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 28.2% | 23.1% | 12.6% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 2% | 2.1% | 1.7% |
| Jul 2026 | 25.9% | 21.1% | 14.2% | 11.6% | 8.3% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 31.8% | 21.2% | 11.7% | 9.5% | 8.3% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 2% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 26.2% | 21.4% | 14.4% | 11.8% | 8.3% | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 1.6% |
How has the Exa and Tavily comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Tavily was ahead of Exa in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- 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.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tavily’s share of searches among search API platforms worldwide moved from 12.4% to 21.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 110K.
How did search popularity change for search API platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Exa’s and Tavily’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.
Other head-to-heads among search API platforms
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