Kagi Search vs Exa Search

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

	Kagi Search Official Kagi MCP server (Python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and URL/video summarization. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	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	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	417	4.6k
Last commit	21 days ago	9 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx kagimcp`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Kagi Search if you prefer its approach (official kagi mcp server (python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and url/video summarization).

Pick Exa Search if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Kagi Search

Install / run

uvx kagimcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kagi-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "kagimcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KAGI_API_KEY": "<your-kagi-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

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

Kagi Search or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick Kagi Search if you prefer its approach (official kagi mcp server (python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and url/video summarization). Pick Exa Search if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

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

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

View Kagi Search →View Exa Search →More comparisons →