---
title: "Exa vs Parallel: similar-companies (lookalike) APIs compared | Openbenchmarks"
description: "Independent head-to-head benchmark of Exa and Parallel for finding similar companies / lookalikes — real relevance scores and which wins for what, on identical B2B seeds with the same three-model LLM judge panel."
url: https://openbenchmarks.com/lookalikes/exa-vs-parallel
---

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lookalike benchmark · head-to-head 

# Exa vs Parallel for finding similar companies (lookalike APIs), benchmarked

Both Exa and Parallel return companies that resemble a seed account — Exa via neural company search from a seed-anchored capability query, Parallel via agentic entity search from the same seed-anchored query as Exa. Here is how they compare on identical B2B seed companies, scored by the same three-model LLM judge panel.

\[01\] head-to-head

## Exa vs Parallel, scored on the same seeds

Same input, same judge, same seed companies — so the gaps below reflect relevance, not different test sets. [See the full methodology and matrix →](https://openbenchmarks.com/lookalikes) 

| Metric | Exa | Parallel | Winner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Precision@10 (top-of-list quality) | **80.8%** | **69.2%** | Exa |
| Precision@100 (long-list quality, headline) | **48.6%** | **56.9%** | Parallel |
| Relevant companies returned | **2,331** | **2,675** | Parallel |

\[02\] how each works

## How Exa and Parallel find lookalikes

Exa surfaces lookalikes via neural company search from a seed-anchored capability query; Parallel via agentic entity search from the same seed-anchored query as Exa. Same seed, same top-K, same LLM judge — so the mechanism difference shows up directly in the relevance numbers above.

\[03\] agent sign-up + use

## Agent sign-up and use instructions

How an agent runs a lookalike / company search on each — the access model (does the agent get in on its own, or does a human?), the exact call, and the credits.

Exa 

mcp 

`[mcp.exa.ai/mcp](https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp "Open mcp.exa.ai/mcp in a new tab") ` 

toolno company search

authkeyless

credits—

[mcp docs ↗](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp) 

api 

`POST api.exa.ai/search · category: company` key 

authx-api-key from dashboard

credits$20 credits on sign-up · $10 free credits / mo

x402keyless pay-per-call — this /search call is x402-payable

[api docs ↗](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/verticals/company) 

Parallel 

mcp 

`[mcp.parallel.ai/mcp](https://mcp.parallel.ai/mcp "Open mcp.parallel.ai/mcp in a new tab") ` human key 

toolno entity search

authAPI key required

credits—

[mcp docs ↗](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/quickstart) 

api 

`POST /v1beta/findall/entity-search` key · free tier 

authx-api-key from dashboard

credits16k free requests

x402pay-per-call via MPP gateway parallelmpp.dev · \~$0.01/req

[api docs ↗](https://docs.parallel.ai/findall-api/entity-search) 

Comparing other vendors? [See the full benchmark →](https://openbenchmarks.com/lookalikes) · 

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