Perplexity (Research)
Research & Search
Runs dozens of searches on a question and hands back a cited report.
Exa
A search engine built for AI tools, so Claude can find exactly the pages it needs.
FreemiumWorks with Claude Code
Visit website What is it?
Exa is a web search engine designed to be used by AI assistants rather than people. You describe what you want in a sentence, such as 'blog posts by founders about pricing a subscription', and it returns pages that match the meaning, not just the keywords.
Connected to Claude Code through its official link, it lets Claude search the live web, read the pages it finds and pull back the text. It also finds pages similar to one you give it, which is a fast way to build a list of competitors or examples.
There's no app to open; you use it through other tools. If you just want to search yourself, use Perplexity.
Who it's for
People using Claude Code or building their own assistants who want real web search behind them.
Best for
- Web search inside Claude Code
- Finding similar websites
- Building lists of companies or articles
- Pulling page text for research
Why it made the list
The best web search to give an AI assistant, with a free allowance that covers most personal use.
You might also like
Consensus
Research & Search
Searches academic papers and tells you what the evidence actually says.
Elicit
Research & Search
Finds, screens and summarises research papers into a comparison table.
Gemini Deep Research
Research & Search
Google's agent that browses for minutes and writes a long, sourced report.