Exa 3.0 adds cheaper search and a larger index for AI agents

**The October 18th release adds a $4-per-1,000-request tier and token-saving highlights; Exa's benchmark leadership claim comes from tests it ran itself.**

        By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket)
        · Published 
        · Updated 

Primary source: [X](https://x.com/ExaAILabs/status/2112218730952601719)

Why it matters #

Exa is selling search as a recurring input to AI agents, with pricing and token efficiency alongside retrieval quality. Its benchmark lead remains a company claim, so the evaluation setup matters as much as the headline scores.

Exa released Exa 3.0 on October 18th, adding a lower-cost search option, a broader index and a retrieval feature designed to reduce the amount of webpage text AI systems must process. The launch appeared in an Exa blog post a day before the company described it in a thread on X. The API is available, with Exa Lite priced at $4 per 1,000 requests and Exa Auto at $7 per 1,000.…

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