Introduction
Over the past few months, we have seen a growing number of developers migrating their AI search workloads from Exa to Keiro. The reasons are consistent: dramatically lower costs, more endpoints, and a simpler developer experience. In this article, we share the common migration patterns and show exactly how to make the switch.
The Three Reasons Developers Switch
1. Cost Savings of 90-95%
The math is simple. A typical Exa user spending $500/month on 5,000 search requests can get the same volume on Keiro's Lite plan for $5.99/month. That is a 98.8% cost reduction.
For startups burning through runway, this is not a minor optimization — it is the difference between running out of money and having 12 more months of search budget.
| Monthly Requests | Exa Monthly Cost | Keiro Monthly Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | ~$500 | $5.99 (Lite) | 98.8% |
| 25,000 | ~$2,500 | $14.99 (Essential) | 99.4% |
| 100,000 | ~$10,000 | $24.99 (Pro) | 99.8% |
2. Features Exa Does Not Have
Developers quickly discover that Keiro offers capabilities they were building themselves:
- /research – Multi-step research that replaces custom orchestration code
- /answer – Direct question answering with source citations
- /web-crawler – Page extraction without needing Firecrawl
- /batch-search – Free batch processing for high-volume workloads
- /memory-search – Context-aware search with conversation memory
One developer told us: "I was maintaining 200 lines of orchestration code to do multi-step research with Exa. I replaced it all with a single Keiro /research call."
3. Simpler Authentication
Exa uses Bearer token authentication in headers. Keiro uses apiKey in the request body. This is a small but meaningful difference when you are debugging, testing with cURL, or working in environments where header manipulation is awkward.
Migration Guide: Step by Step
Step 1: Get Your Keiro API Key
Sign up at kierolabs.space and choose a plan. The Lite plan at $5.99/month is enough for most development and testing.
Step 2: Update Your Search Calls
Before (Exa):
import requests
def search_web(query: str) -> list:
response = requests.post(
"https://api.exa.ai/search",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer exa-key-here"},
json={
"query": query,
"num_results": 10,
"use_autoprompt": True
}
)
return response.json()["results"]
After (Keiro):
import requests
def search_web(query: str) -> list:
response = requests.post(
"https://kierolabs.space/api/search",
json={
"apiKey": "keiro-key-here",
"query": query
}
)
return response.json()["results"]
Step 3: Replace Custom Research Pipelines
If you built a multi-step research pipeline on top of Exa, you can replace it entirely:
Before (Exa + Custom Orchestration):
import requests
import openai
def research_topic(topic: str) -> str:
# Step 1: Search for relevant sources
search_resp = requests.post("https://api.exa.ai/search",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer exa-key"},
json={"query": topic, "num_results": 10}
)
results = search_resp.json()["results"]
# Step 2: Get content for each result
contents = []
for r in results[:5]:
content_resp = requests.post("https://api.exa.ai/contents",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer exa-key"},
json={"ids": [r["id"]]}
)
contents.append(content_resp.json()["results"][0]["text"])
# Step 3: Synthesize with LLM
synthesis = openai.chat.completions.create(
model="gpt-4",
messages=[{
"role": "user",
"content": f"Synthesize a research report from these sources:\n\n{'\n---\n'.join(contents)}"
}]
)
return synthesis.choices[0].message.content
After (Keiro /research – single call):
import requests
def research_topic(topic: str) -> str:
response = requests.post("https://kierolabs.space/api/research", json={
"apiKey": "keiro-key-here",
"query": topic
})
return response.json()["summary"]
That is a reduction from ~30 lines to 6. And you are no longer paying for OpenAI tokens on top of search costs.
Step 4: Add Batch Processing for Background Jobs
If you were running loops of Exa searches for data enrichment, switch to Keiro's free batch processing:
import requests
# Process hundreds of queries in a single call - for FREE
response = requests.post("https://kierolabs.space/api/batch-search", json={
"apiKey": "keiro-key-here",
"queries": [
"company A latest news",
"company B funding round",
"company C product launch",
# ... hundreds more
]
})
batch_results = response.json()["results"]
Step 5: Leverage the Cache Discount
If your application makes repeated queries (common in chatbots and support tools), Keiro automatically gives you a 50% discount on cached results. No configuration needed — just make the same query and the discount applies automatically.
JavaScript/TypeScript Migration
For Node.js developers, the migration is equally simple:
// Before (Exa)
const response = await fetch("https://api.exa.ai/search", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": "Bearer exa-key",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({ query: "your search query" })
});
// After (Keiro)
const response = await fetch("https://kierolabs.space/api/search", {
method: "POST",
headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
body: JSON.stringify({
apiKey: "keiro-key",
query: "your search query"
})
});
Common Questions
Is search quality comparable?
Yes. In our testing, Keiro's /search-pro delivers results that are on par with Exa's best output. For less demanding use cases, Keiro's standard /search is more than sufficient.
Is there a free trial?
Keiro's Lite plan at $5.99/month is the most affordable entry point. Given that this replaces $500+ in Exa costs, the ROI is immediate.
How long does migration take?
For a typical integration, migration takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how many custom wrappers you have built. The API surface is intentionally simple to minimize switching costs.
Conclusion
The migration from Exa to Keiro is not just about saving money — though saving 95%+ is compelling. It is about gaining access to research synthesis, batch processing, web crawling, and answer generation that Exa simply does not offer. Every developer we have spoken with who made the switch has been glad they did.
Ready to switch? Sign up at kierolabs.space and migrate in under an hour.