Decodo MCP Server vs Exa Search

A side-by-side comparison of two Search & Web servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Decodo MCP Server Scrape websites, search engines, eCommerce, and social media for AI agents via Decodo's Web Scraping API. Unverified HTTP (remote) API key TypeScript	Exa Search Exa's neural web search and crawling MCP server — runs locally via npx or as a hosted remote endpoint. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	30	4.6k
Last commit	12 days ago	19 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @decodo/mcp-server`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Decodo MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Decodo MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @decodo/mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "decodo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.decodo.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Basic <basic_auth_token>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Add Exa Search

Install / run

npx -y exa-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "<your-exa-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Decodo MCP Server or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick Decodo MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Decodo MCP Server and Exa Search?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Decodo MCP Server and Exa Search work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Decodo MCP Server →View Exa Search →More comparisons →