Tavily alternatives for research agents, measured
What the benchmark found. Tavily's best configuration scores 41.1% F1 search-only. The strongest alternative is Parallel basic (parallel-basic) at 46.5% (+5.4 pp). 5 alternatives are both faster and at least as accurate: Parallel basic (parallel-basic), Exa deep (exa-deep), Parallel advanced (parallel-advanced), Exa instant (exa-instant), Linkup fast (linkup-fast).
What this page compares. Tavily is the baseline row. Every other configuration on the board received the same 45 questions under the same agent, so each alternative is a measured delta, not a feature list.
How to read it. A faster or cheaper alternative that loses F1 is not a substitute for a research agent, because an incomplete company set has to be re-run. Read F1 first, then time per task and cost per run.
Method in one paragraph. The same agent, prompt, turn budget and tool schema run against every web search API on 45 questions that each define a company set by three or four constraints. Every returned company is resolved to a canonical identity and compared with a human-reviewed gold set; precision, recall, F1 and exact-set are averaged over three runs per question. The model-only baseline is 0.
Most accurate · Fastest · Cheapest · Find companies by criteria · Search + fetch · Full benchmark
Every configuration except Tavily, ranked by F1
| Provider | Endpoint & configuration | F1 | Precision | Recall | Exact set | Median time | Mean turns | Median task cost | API list price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallel basic | POST /v1/search mode=basicparallel-basic | 46.5 ± 1.9 | 88.7 ± 0.9 | 34.4 ± 2.0 | 3.7 ± 2.6 | 67.6 s | 7.4 | $1.120$0.070 search$1.050 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Exa deep | POST /search type=deepexa-deep | 45.4 ± 2.0 | 83.2 ± 3.0 | 33.7 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 89.5 s | 7.4 | $0.717$0.156 search$0.556 token cost | $0.012 / search |
| Parallel advanced | POST /v1/search mode=advancedparallel-advanced | 44.2 ± 1.4 | 87.6 ± 3.4 | 32.0 ± 1.6 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 83.4 s | 7.3 | $0.625$0.070 search$0.565 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Exa instant | POST /search type=instantexa-instant | 43.3 ± 1.0 | 82.6 ± 3.8 | 32.2 ± 0.5 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 49.8 s | 7.3 | $0.652$0.091 search$0.559 token cost | $0.007 / search |
| Linkup fast | POST /v1/search depth=fastlinkup-fast | 41.1 ± 1.7 | 82.8 ± 1.0 | 30.3 ± 1.5 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 64.2 s | 7.4 | $0.923$0.070 search$0.853 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Linkup standard | POST /v1/search depth=standardlinkup-standard | 40.6 ± 0.9 | 84.0 ± 7.9 | 29.7 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 2.6 | 72.3 s | 7.3 | $0.937$0.070 search$0.867 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights | 38.6 ± 0.8 | 79.3 ± 4.9 | 28.3 ± 0.9 | 4.4 ± 0.0 | 48.2 s | 7.5 | $0.971$0.070 search$0.901 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | 38.1 ± 0.6 | 80.9 ± 1.6 | 27.4 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 47.6 s | 7.5 | $0.895$0.070 search$0.827 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Parallel fast | POST /v1/search mode=fastparallel-fast | 38.0 ± 2.0 | 79.9 ± 4.6 | 27.5 ± 1.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 53.9 s | 7.6 | $0.460$0.014 search$0.447 token cost | $0.001 / search |
| Perplexity | POST /searchsearch_context_size=low | 37.8 ± 2.1 | 79.3 ± 5.7 | 26.8 ± 1.4 | 2.2 ± 2.2 | 48.9 s | 7.7 | $0.334$0.070 search$0.264 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Parallel turbo | POST /v1/search mode=turboparallel-turbo | 34.7 ± 2.4 | 80.0 ± 5.2 | 24.8 ± 2.4 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 46.4 s | 7.6 | $0.419$0.014 search$0.405 token cost | $0.001 / search |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general | 30.7 ± 1.4 | 70.3 ± 3.3 | 21.3 ± 1.1 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 53.0 s | 7.7 | $0.467$0.070 search$0.398 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Firecrawl | POST /v2/searchfirecrawl | 30.4 ± 1.1 | 77.3 ± 4.4 | 20.7 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 75.0 s | 7.9 | $0.282$0.070 search$0.212 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Brave Search | GET /res/v1/web/searchbrave | 28.0 ± 1.7 | 66.9 ± 8.5 | 19.3 ± 0.5 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 43.5 s | 8.0 | $0.268$0.070 search$0.200 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| TinyFish | GET api.search.tinyfish.aitinyfish | 26.6 ± 1.3 | 64.7 ± 1.5 | 17.9 ± 0.8 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 64.2 s | 7.9 | $0.212$0.000 search$0.212 token cost | $0 / search |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general | 25.3 ± 1.1 | 62.8 ± 1.9 | 17.6 ± 1.2 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 67.9 s | 7.9 | $0.234$0.015 search$0.220 token cost | $0.0011 / search |
| Seltz | POST /v1/search scope=companiesseltz-companies | 14.5 ± 0.9 | 40.0 ± 3.1 | 9.4 ± 0.7 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 55.2 s | 7.3 | $1.751$0.070 search$1.681 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| SERP | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.comserp | 0.4 ± 0.6 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 31.4 s | 7.8 | $0.103$0.036 search$0.065 token cost | $0.003 / search |
F1, precision, recall, and exact-set accuracy are percentages reported as mean ± sample SD across three independent runs; each run aggregates all 45 questions. SD is measured in percentage points. Median time is the median end-to-end time across all runs for each vendor. Median task cost is the median of LLM $ plus search API $ per agent run. API list price is the PAYG unit rate of the search endpoint the harness calls.
Same sort, with a page-reading tool enabled
| Provider | Endpoint & configuration | F1 | Precision | Recall | Exact set | Median time | Mean turns | Median task cost | API list price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exa deep | POST /search type=deepexa-deep | 48.2 ± 2.1 | 89.4 ± 1.2 | 36.0 ± 2.2 | 2.2 ± 2.2 | 95.8 s | 7.5 | $0.683$0.156 search+fetch$0.526 token cost | $0.012 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Perplexity | POST /searchsearch_context_size=high | 46.6 ± 2.0 | 87.7 ± 5.9 | 34.7 ± 1.1 | 2.2 ± 2.2 | 53.9 s | 7.5 | $0.504$0.070 search+fetch$0.441 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Exa instant | POST /search type=instantexa-instant | 44.9 ± 0.9 | 85.9 ± 2.5 | 33.5 ± 0.9 | 5.2 ± 1.3 | 52.5 s | 7.5 | $0.653$0.091 search+fetch$0.557 token cost | $0.007 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Parallel basic | POST /v1/search mode=basicparallel-basic | 42.3 ± 1.1 | 81.3 ± 2.8 | 31.3 ± 1.1 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 68.6 s | 7.5 | $1.089$0.061 search+fetch$1.033 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Parallel advanced | POST /v1/search mode=advancedparallel-advanced | 42.2 ± 1.1 | 87.6 ± 0.3 | 30.1 ± 1.1 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 80.9 s | 7.4 | $0.599$0.061 search+fetch$0.538 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Linkup standard | POST /v1/search depth=standardlinkup-standard | 42.0 ± 1.8 | 90.7 ± 2.0 | 30.5 ± 2.0 | 3.0 ± 3.4 | 81.0 s | 7.5 | $0.911$0.070 search+fetch$0.848 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Linkup fast | POST /v1/search depth=fastlinkup-fast | 39.9 ± 1.3 | 85.3 ± 3.6 | 28.6 ± 1.3 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 68.0 s | 7.3 | $0.903$0.061 search+fetch$0.837 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Parallel fast | POST /v1/search mode=fastparallel-fast | 39.3 ± 3.3 | 82.3 ± 6.6 | 28.2 ± 2.0 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 55.1 s | 7.6 | $0.441$0.014 search+fetch$0.427 token cost | $0.001 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights | 38.5 ± 1.6 | 85.2 ± 2.7 | 26.9 ± 1.7 | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 45.6 s | 7.4 | $0.864$0.065 search+fetch$0.795 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| You | POST /v1/searchextraction_mode=highlights · knowledge=core | 38.5 ± 2.4 | 78.2 ± 2.5 | 28.3 ± 3.0 | 3.7 ± 1.3 | 48.5 s | 7.4 | $0.894$0.065 search+fetch$0.830 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Parallel turbo | POST /v1/search mode=turboparallel-turbo | 36.0 ± 3.5 | 83.6 ± 4.0 | 25.0 ± 2.6 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 48.1 s | 7.7 | $0.414$0.013 search+fetch$0.400 token cost | $0.001 / search$0.001 / fetch |
| Firecrawl | POST /v2/searchfirecrawl | 33.2 ± 2.1 | 83.3 ± 0.8 | 22.7 ± 1.8 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 82.1 s | 7.9 | $0.295$0.063 search+fetch$0.230 token cost | $0.005 / search$0.0025 / fetch |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=standard · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown] | 31.3 ± 1.8 | 73.2 ± 1.9 | 21.7 ± 1.6 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 59.2 s | 7.9 | $0.424$0.424 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| TinyFish | GET api.search.tinyfish.aitinyfish | 30.2 ± 3.5 | 70.9 ± 11.3 | 20.9 ± 2.5 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 63.4 s | 7.9 | $0.219$0.000 search+fetch$0.219 token cost | $0 / search$0 / fetch |
| Brave Search | GET /res/v1/web/searchbrave | 29.4 ± 1.6 | 73.5 ± 5.8 | 20.4 ± 0.9 | 1.5 ± 1.3 | 45.1 s | 8.0 | $0.285$0.060 search+fetch$0.222 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| Nimble | POST /v2/searchsearch_depth=lite · full_content=false · focus=general · extract formats=[markdown] | 27.1 ± 1.5 | 68.5 ± 4.4 | 18.7 ± 0.9 | 2.2 ± 0.0 | 72.0 s | 8.0 | $0.237$0.237 token cost | $0.0011 / search |
| Seltz | POST /v1/search scope=companiesseltz-companies | 16.3 ± 1.5 | 49.5 ± 2.4 | 10.2 ± 1.2 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 60.1 s | 7.5 | $1.741$0.070 search+fetch$1.671 token cost | $0.005 / search |
| SERP | GET google-search74.p.rapidapi.comserp | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 33.4 s | 7.8 | $0.102$0.039 search+fetch$0.066 token cost | $0.003 / search |
F1, precision, recall, and exact-set accuracy are percentages reported as mean ± sample SD across three independent runs; each run aggregates all 45 questions. SD is measured in percentage points. Median time is the median end-to-end time across all runs for each vendor. Median task cost is the median of LLM $ plus search/fetch API $ per agent run. API list price is the PAYG unit rate of the search (and fetch) endpoint the harness calls.
Common questions
What is the best alternative to Tavily for a research agent?
Tavily's best configuration scores 41.1% F1 search-only. The strongest alternative is Parallel basic (parallel-basic) at 46.5% (+5.4 pp). 5 alternatives are both faster and at least as accurate: Parallel basic (parallel-basic), Exa deep (exa-deep), Parallel advanced (parallel-advanced), Exa instant (exa-instant), Linkup fast (linkup-fast).
Is there a cheaper alternative to Tavily that does not lose accuracy?
Yes, on model cost per run at equal or better F1: Exa deep (exa-deep) ($0.508 per run, 45.4% F1); Parallel advanced (parallel-advanced) ($0.510 per run, 44.2% F1); Exa instant (exa-instant) ($0.517 per run, 43.3% F1) versus Tavily at $0.709 and 41.1%. Search API list prices per 1,000 queries are on the cheapest page.
Why is Tavily excluded from the table?
Tavily is the baseline this page compares against; its own numbers are in the lead paragraph and on its vendor page. The table lists every other configuration so each row reads as an alternative.