SearXNG vs Exa Search

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

	SearXNG Private metasearch via your own SearXNG instance — popular community MCP server for self-hosted search. Verified stdio (local) No auth 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	None	API key
GitHub stars	896	4.6k
Last commit	4 days ago	9 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y mcp-searxng`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick SearXNG if you want zero-setup with no API key.

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

Add SearXNG

Install / run

npx -y mcp-searxng

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searxng": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-searxng"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEARXNG_URL": "https://your-searxng-instance.example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

SearXNG or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick SearXNG if you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

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

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

View SearXNG →View Exa Search →More comparisons →