Ref MCP vs Exa Search

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

	Ref MCP Token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs. Unverified stdio (local) API key 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	API key	API key
GitHub stars	1.1k	4.6k
Last commit	1 day ago	19 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx ref-tools-mcp@latest`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Ref MCP if you prefer its approach (token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs).

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

Add Ref MCP

Install / run

npx ref-tools-mcp@latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "ref-tools-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<sign up to get an api key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Ref MCP or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick Ref MCP if you prefer its approach (token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs). Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Ref 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 Ref 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 Ref MCP →View Exa Search →More comparisons →