📖 The AI Tool Bible

Exa vs Weaviate

A side-by-side look at pricing, capabilities, pros, cons, and our editorial scores.

 
Exa
RAG
Weaviate
RAG
TaglineWeb search API built for AI agents, with structured outputs and token-efficient highlights.Open-source vector DB with hybrid search and modules.
CategoryRAGRAG
PricingFreemium· Free playground; paid usage-based plans; enterprise on requestFreemium· Free open-source; cloud from $25/mo
ModelProprietary neural + keyword searchHosted vector DB (not an LLM)
Editorial score—8.4 / 10
Use cases
agent-web-searchrag-retrievalcompany-researchpeople-searchcode-searchdeep-research
self-hosted RAGhybrid search
Pros
  • Purpose-built for LLM/agent use, not retrofitted consumer search
  • Highlights mode dramatically cuts tokens sent to the model
  • Structured JSON outputs against custom schemas
  • Vertical indexes for companies, people, and code
  • SOC 2 Type II with zero-retention enterprise option
  • Hybrid search built in
  • Self-host or cloud
  • Module ecosystem
  • GraphQL + REST APIs
Cons
  • Proprietary, closed source
  • Pricing not transparent on homepage beyond the free playground
  • Coverage and freshness depend on Exa's crawl, not yours
  • More ops than Pinecone if self-hosted
  • Smaller community
Websiteexa.aiweaviate.io
Pick Exa if
  • ✅ Purpose-built for LLM/agent use, not retrofitted consumer search
  • ✅ Highlights mode dramatically cuts tokens sent to the model
  • ✅ Structured JSON outputs against custom schemas
  • ✅ Vertical indexes for companies, people, and code
Pick Weaviate if
  • ✅ Hybrid search built in
  • ✅ Self-host or cloud
  • ✅ Module ecosystem
  • ✅ GraphQL + REST APIs
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Exa vs Weaviate — side-by-side comparison · The AI Tool Bible