Fetch (Reference) vs Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp)

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

	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	Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) Popular community server that feeds Figma layout data to coding agents via a Figma API token. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Search & Web	Design & Media
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	87k	15k
Last commit	14 days ago	25 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`	`npx -y figma-developer-mcp --stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) if you prefer its approach (popular community server that feeds figma layout data to coding agents via a figma api token).

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.

Add Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp)

Install / run

npx -y figma-developer-mcp --stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma-context-mcp-figma-developer-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "figma-developer-mcp",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FIGMA_API_KEY": "<your-figma-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Fetch (Reference) or Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) — which is better?

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) if you prefer its approach (popular community server that feeds figma layout data to coding agents via a figma api token).

Can I use both Fetch (Reference) and Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp)?

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 Fetch (Reference) and Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Fetch (Reference) →View Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) →More comparisons →