Ocean.io vs Exa for finding similar companies (lookalike APIs), benchmarked
Both Ocean.io and Exa return companies that resemble a seed account — Ocean.io via AI-driven lookalike search across a global company graph, Exa via neural web search with a 'similar to this URL' endpoint. Here is how they compare on identical B2B seed companies, scored by the same LLM judge.
Ocean.io vs Exa, 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 →
| Metric | Ocean.io | Exa | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precision@10 (top-of-list quality) | 69.6% | 77.9% | Exa |
| Precision@50 | 56.4% | 47.7% | Ocean.io |
| Precision@100 (long-list quality, headline) | 48.6% | 25.8% | Ocean.io |
| Relevant companies returned | 1,118 | 619 | Ocean.io |
| Cost per relevant company | — | <$0.01 | — |
Verdict: Ocean.io wins long-list quality (Precision@100 48.6% vs 25.8%). But Exa edges the top of the list (Precision@10 77.9% vs 69.6%) — better if you only act on the first handful of results. There is no universal winner — pick on the axis that matches your workflow.
How Ocean.io and Exa find lookalikes
| Ocean.io | Exa | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | AI-driven lookalike search across a global company graph | neural web search with a 'similar to this URL' endpoint |
| Agent can self-serve a key | human signup | self-serve · email OTP |
| Docs / MCP | API docs ↗ · MCP ↗ | API docs ↗ · MCP ↗ |
| Full profile | Ocean.io benchmark → | Exa benchmark → |
Comparing other vendors? See all five on the full benchmark → · What is a company lookalike API? →