Exa Startup Credits
AI Platform Credits
$1,000 in free credits for Exa's AI web search API
$1,000 in free Exa credits for startups building agents that need real web context — the search API used by Cursor, Cognition, and OpenRouter.
Who qualifies
Every condition below is taken from the vendor’s own published criteria. Read them before you spend an afternoon on the application.
Startups
The programme is aimed at startups. Vendors read this loosely, but expect to describe the company and what you are building on the application.
About Exa Startup Credits
Quick answer
$1,000 in free Exa credits for startups building agents that need real web context — the search API used by Cursor, Cognition, and OpenRouter.
Exa is the web-search API built for AI — it powers search inside Cursor, Cognition, HubSpot, and OpenRouter — and its pricing page offers startups and education projects $1,000 in free credits to build search into their product. If your agent needs live web context (research agents, RAG over fresh pages, lead enrichment), this covers a lot of requests before you ever pay, and it stacks on top of Exa's standing free tier.
What you get
- $1,000 worth of free Exa API credits for your startup or education project
- Credits apply to Exa's search, page-contents, and crawling endpoints used by agents
- Configurable latency modes from fast (~180ms) to deeper 1s-class searches
- Sits on top of Exa's standard free tier (up to 20,000 requests/month free, per Exa's pricing page)
How to apply
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Exa Startup Credits through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The terms you get are identical either way, and it never changes what this page says about the programme.
- 2
Have the eligibility evidence ready
Applications are checked against one condition — startups. Incorporation date, cap table and a one-line description of what you are building cover most of it.
- 3
Ask for the expiry window in writing
Exa Startup Credits does not publish how long the credit runs, and unused balance is almost always forfeited. Get the activation and expiry dates confirmed before you plan around the grant.
- 4
Know the rate you land on when it runs out
The point of a credit is a runway extension, not a permanent discount. Check standard list pricing for the usage you will have by then, so the first real invoice is a decision rather than a surprise.
Exa Startup Credits FAQ
The questions we actually get asked about this programme.
Ask us something elseAnything on Exa's usage-based API — semantic/keyword web search calls, retrieving page contents and highlights for RAG, and crawling. Paid usage is billed per request (rates vary by search mode), so $1,000 goes a long way at prototype and early-production volume.
Exa doesn't publish funding gates — the pricing page simply offers the credits to "startups and education projects." Expect to describe your company and use case when you contact them; final eligibility is confirmed by the Exa team.
Yes — Exa's pricing page advertises up to 20,000 free requests per month with no credit card, which is enough to prototype a research agent or RAG feature. The $1,000 startup grant is separate and adds paid-tier headroom on top.
