Fetch MCP Server vs Fetch (Reference)

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

	Fetch MCP Server Fetch web content as HTML, JSON, text, Markdown, readable article, or YouTube transcript. Unverified stdio (local) No auth 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	784	87k
Last commit	3 months ago	12 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npm install -g mcp-fetch-server`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Fetch MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Fetch MCP Server

Install / run

npm install -g mcp-fetch-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-fetch-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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

Pick Fetch MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

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

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

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