Perplexity API Platform vs exa
Perplexity API Platform and exa are both search and web MCP servers. exa scores higher (100 vs 16 out of 100). exa has more GitHub stars (5.1k), and exa was updated more recently (2 days ago). The table compares them side by side.
| Perplexity API Platform | exa | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 16 / 100 | 100 / 100 |
| What it does | Real-time web search, reasoning, and research through Perplexity's API | Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research. |
| Publisher | Verified: perplexity.ai | Verified: exa.ai |
| Grades | Licence F, Quality C | Maintenance A, Licence A, Quality A |
| npm downloads a week | Not on npm | Not on npm |
| Runs | Local | Remote |
| Works with | Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf | Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf, ChatGPT |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 5,142 |
| Last commit | 19 Oct 2026 | |
| Licence | None found | MIT |
| Listed since | 19 Oct 2026 | 19 Oct 2026 |
| Install Perplexity API Platform | Install exa |
Questions
Is Perplexity API Platform or exa more popular?
exa has more GitHub stars: 5,142.
Can I use Perplexity API Platform and exa together?
Yes. AI assistants can load several MCP servers at once. Install both and the assistant picks the right one for each task.