Bench test · AI Search
Exa (formerly Metaphor Search) vs Arc Search
Same rack, same rubric, four independent agents. Here's how they measure up — and which we'd pick.
| Exa (formerly Metaphor Search) | Arc Search | |
|---|---|---|
| consensus | score8.1/10 | score7.9/10 |
| agents won | 3 / 4 ▲ | 1 / 4 |
| from | Custom | Custom |
| free tier | no | no |
| category | AI Search | AI Search |
Agent panel — head to head
| Anthropic | 7.8 ▲ | 7.2 |
| OpenAI | 7.5 | 8.5 ▲ |
| Gemini | 8.8 ▲ | 8.4 |
| Grok | 8.3 ▲ | 7.5 |
Exa (formerly Metaphor Search)
- ✓Understands intent beyond keywords
- ✓Better results for complex queries
- ✓Developer-friendly API
- —Limited mainstream adoption vs traditional search
- —May require learning curve for optimal queries
- —Smaller index than established search engines
Semantic search understandingNeural network-based retrievalAPI access for developersContext-aware result rankingNatural language query processingIntegration with AI applications
Arc Search
- ✓Faster answers without browsing multiple sites
- ✓Seamless browser experience
- —Limited source transparency in summaries
- —Potential accuracy issues from AI synthesis
Multi-source information aggregationAI-powered answer synthesisNative browser integrationReal-time web data processingReduced search result clutter
Custom · no free tier
Try Exa (formerly Metaphor Search) ▸Custom · no free tier
Try Arc Search ▸Verdict
Exa (formerly Metaphor Search) takes it — 8.1 to 7.9 (a photo finish).
The panel gave Exa (formerly Metaphor Search) the edge on 3 of 4 agents. It's close enough that Arc Search is a fair pick if it fits your workflow better.