Fetch (Reference) vs WebSearch 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	WebSearch MCP Real-time web search for MCP clients via a self-hosted crawler API over stdio. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Stale TypeScript
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	87k	37
Last commit	2 months ago	1 year ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`	`npm install -g websearch-mcp`
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 WebSearch MCP if you prefer its approach (real-time web search for mcp clients via a self-hosted crawler api over stdio).

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 WebSearch MCP

Install / run

npm install -g websearch-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "websearch-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "websearch-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
        "MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "5"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Fetch (Reference) or WebSearch 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 WebSearch MCP if you prefer its approach (real-time web search for mcp clients via a self-hosted crawler api over stdio).

Can I use both Fetch (Reference) and WebSearch 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 WebSearch 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 WebSearch MCP →More comparisons →