Decodo MCP Server vs Fetch (Reference)

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	Fetch (Reference) Official MCP reference server that fetches a URL and returns its content as clean Markdown, with chunking. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	30	87k
Last commit	12 days ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @decodo/mcp-server`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
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 Fetch (Reference) 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 Fetch (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-fetch

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Decodo MCP Server or Fetch (Reference) — 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 Fetch (Reference) 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 Fetch (Reference)?

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 Fetch (Reference) 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 Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →