Fetch (Reference) vs Web Search MCP Server

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	Web Search MCP Server Free web search via Google results scraping — no API keys required. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Stale JavaScript
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	JavaScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	87k	452
Last commit	1 month ago	1 year ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`	`npm install && npm run build`
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 Web Search MCP Server if you prefer its approach (free web search via google results scraping — no api keys required).

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 Web Search MCP Server

Install / run

npm install && npm run build

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "web-search-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/web-search/build/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Fetch (Reference) or Web Search MCP Server — which is better?

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Web Search MCP Server if you prefer its approach (free web search via google results scraping — no api keys required).

Can I use both Fetch (Reference) and Web Search MCP Server?

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 Web Search MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Fetch (Reference) →View Web Search MCP Server →More comparisons →