The best web search MCP servers, compared
Web search MCP servers compared: Firecrawl, Exa, Brave Search, Tavily, Perplexity, SearXNG and Apify.
- Picks
- 7
- ranked
- Apps
- 5
- in this category
- Servers
- 829
- across these apps
The best web search MCP server for most people is Firecrawl: it searches, reads and crawls pages, and is the most downloaded search server we track. Exa is the easiest start, because its hosted server needs no account or key.
The order follows the data we hold: official status, GitHub stars or weekly downloads, and recent updates. Most of them only search and read. Firecrawl can also click through pages, and Apify runs scrapers on your Apify account.
Good for
- Your assistant needs current information from the web
- You want search without paying for an API key
- You build agents that read and crawl web pages
Top picks
Ranked by the data we hold: official status, stars or weekly downloads, and recent updates.
- 1
FirecrawlTop scoreOfficialHosted or LocalAPI keySearches the web, reads pages as clean text and crawls whole sites, hosted or on your computer. A keyless tier covers search and scraping.
8.28score - 2
ExaNo key neededOfficialHosted or LocalOAuthSearches the live web and reads any page, and the hosted server works with no account or key. It sits last only because we hold no usage numbers for it.
7.53score - 3
ApifyOfficialHosted or LocalOAuthRuns ready-made Apify scrapers and crawlers from your assistant. Best when you need data from specific sites rather than plain search. Needs an Apify token.
7.48score - 4
Brave SearchOfficialLocalBrave's own server for the Brave Search API: web, news, image, video and local results. Needs a Brave Search API key.
6.5score - 5
PerplexityOfficialHosted or LocalOAuthPerplexity's server returns cited answers and research reports. It only reads, and needs a Perplexity API key or account.
6.41score - 6
TavilyOfficialLocalTavily's server searches, extracts, maps and crawls the web, hosted or local. Needs a Tavily API key; a free account is available.
6.39score - 7
SearXNG (mcp-searxng)LocalNo sign-inFree, private search through a SearXNG instance you run or trust. No account, and it only reads.
4.13score
Web search apps with MCP servers
5 · most servers first
Comparison
Use Firecrawl if you also need to read and crawl pages, and Exa if you want to start with no key. Brave Search and Tavily suit developers who already have an API plan with them.
| Server | Official | Runs | Sign-in | Free option | Popularity | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirecrawlThis page | Official | HostedLocal | Account or key | Keyless tier | 191K/wk | Medium |
| Apify | Official | HostedLocal | API token | – | 31K/wk | – |
| Brave Search | Official | Local | API key | – | 32K/wk | – |
| Perplexity | Official | HostedLocal | Account or key | – | 2.6K | Low |
| Tavily | Official | HostedLocal | API key | Free account | 2.5K | – |
| SearXNG | Community | Local | No sign-in | Self-hosted | 1.3K | Low |
| Exa | Official | HostedLocal | None or account | No key needed | 34K/wk | Low |
Verdict
Firecrawl is the pick for most people: it searches, reads and crawls pages, and has the most weekly downloads here (191k). Its main limit is that regular use needs a Firecrawl account or API key.
Our pick: Firecrawl
Firecrawl is the pick for most people. Its main limit is that regular use needs a Firecrawl account or API key.
Best for
- Search plus reading and crawling pages: Firecrawl
- Cited answers: Perplexity
- Data from specific sites: Apify
- No third-party API: SearXNG on your own instance
Skip it if
- You need every server here to have a reviewed PlugWiki page: Brave Search, Tavily and Apify do not yet
How we ranked these
Score = official (+2) + log10(max(stars, weekly downloads)) + maintenance (+1) - unfixed advisories. Read 2026-11-01.
| Criterion | Weight | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| Official | +2 when the search provider builds and maintains the server. | |
| Adoption | log10 of GitHub stars or weekly package downloads, whichever is larger. Exa: 5,207 stars and 33,632 npm downloads in the week to 2026-10-29, read from its repo and npm page on 2026-11-02. | |
| Maintenance | +1 when the repo had a commit in the 90 days before 2026-11-01, or the vendor hosts the server. | |
| Security | -0.5 per security advisory with no fixed version (max -1). None of these servers has one. | |
| Pool | Web search servers we hold whose /mcp page returns 200: the official servers for the apps in this category (Firecrawl, Exa, Perplexity, Apify, SearXNG) plus Brave Search and Tavily. Setup-docs and risk scores are left out because only four of the seven have reviewed pages. |
Data as of 2026-11-01
Questions
What is the best web search MCP server?
Firecrawl for most people. It is official, has about 191,000 weekly downloads and can read and crawl pages as well as search. Exa is the easiest start because it needs no key.
Is there a free web search MCP server?
Yes. Exa's hosted server works with no account or key, and SearXNG is free if you run or trust an instance. Firecrawl has a keyless tier for search and scraping, and Tavily offers a free account.
Do I need an API key?
For Brave Search, Tavily, Perplexity and Apify, yes. Exa (hosted) and SearXNG need none, and Firecrawl needs one only beyond its keyless tier.
Brave Search vs Tavily: which should I use?
Brave Search returns results from the Brave Search API, including news, images, video and local places. Tavily adds page extraction, site mapping and crawling, and has a hosted server. Both need an API key.
Exa vs Firecrawl?
Exa is quicker to start: search and page reading with no key. Firecrawl does more, crawling whole sites and clicking through dynamic pages, and needs a key past its keyless tier.
Which web search MCP server is the most private?
SearXNG, because searches go through a SearXNG instance you run or choose. The hosted servers send your queries to the provider.
Can a web search MCP server change anything on my computer?
No, not on your computer. They work on the web: Exa, Perplexity and SearXNG only read and are rated low risk. Firecrawl can click through pages, so it is rated medium, and Apify runs scrapers that use your Apify account.
Is Perplexity a good MCP server for search?
Yes, if you want cited answers and research reports rather than a list of links. It needs a Perplexity API key or account.
Sources
Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.
Show all 11Hide
- Firecrawl MCP server docs · docs.firecrawl.dev
- firecrawl-mcp on npm · npmjs.com
- Apify MCP server repository · github.com
- Brave Search MCP server repository · github.com
- @brave/brave-search-mcp-server on npm · npmjs.com
- Perplexity MCP server docs · docs.perplexity.ai
- Tavily MCP repository · github.com
- mcp-searxng repository · github.com
- Exa MCP docs · exa.ai
- Exa MCP server repository · github.com
- exa-mcp-server on npm · npmjs.com