WebSearch MCP vs Fetch (Reference)

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	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	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	37	87k
Last commit	1 year ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npm install -g websearch-mcp`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

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

Pick Fetch (Reference) 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 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

WebSearch MCP or Fetch (Reference) — which is better?

Pick WebSearch MCP if you prefer its approach (real-time web search for mcp clients via a self-hosted crawler api over stdio). Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both WebSearch MCP 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 WebSearch MCP and Fetch (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View WebSearch MCP →View Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →