WebSearch MCP vs Exa Search

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

	WebSearch MCP Real-time web search for MCP clients via a self-hosted crawler API over stdio. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Stale 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	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	37	4.6k
Last commit	1 year ago	19 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npm install -g websearch-mcp`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick WebSearch MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key.

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

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

WebSearch MCP or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick WebSearch MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both WebSearch MCP 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 WebSearch MCP and Exa Search work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View WebSearch MCP →View Exa Search →More comparisons →