Exa MCP vs Firecrawl MCP
Exa MCP (Search & Retrieval) and Firecrawl MCP (Web Scraping & Crawling) are both MCP servers. Firecrawl MCP has more GitHub stars (6.5K vs 4.6K). Choose Exa MCP for Run real-time web search, or Firecrawl MCP for Crawl and scrape websites.
Comparison
| Attribute | Exa MCP | Firecrawl MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Retrieval | Web Scraping & Crawling |
| GitHub stars | 4,561 | 6,539 |
| Forks | 345 | 753 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Last commit | Jun 8, 2026 | Jun 9, 2026 |
| Supported clients | Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf | Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline |
| Best for | Run real-time web search | Crawl and scrape websites |
| Risk level | High | High |
| Popularity score | 66 | 71 |
| Freshness score | 100 | 100 |
| Maintenance score | 100 | 95 |
| GEO score | 63 | 64 |
When to choose Exa MCP
- Your main use case is Run real-time web search.
When to choose Firecrawl MCP
- You want broader GitHub adoption — Firecrawl MCP has 6.5K stars vs 4.6K.
- You want the more recently maintained option (last commit Jun 9, 2026).
- Your main use case is Crawl and scrape websites.
Alternatives to Exa MCP and Firecrawl MCP
- Apify Actors MCP★ 1.3K · Web Scraping & Crawling
run thousands of prebuilt Apify Actors to scrape and automate the web
- Filesystem MCP★ 87K · Files & Storage
read, write, and search files in allowed local directories
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Exa MCP and Firecrawl MCP?
Exa MCP is an MCP server that helps AI assistants search the web and retrieve high-quality, AI-ready results in real time. Firecrawl MCP is an MCP server that helps AI assistants crawl websites and convert pages into clean markdown or structured data. Exa MCP is best for Run real-time web search, while Firecrawl MCP is best for Crawl and scrape websites.
Is Exa MCP or Firecrawl MCP more popular on GitHub?
Firecrawl MCP is more popular, with about 6.5K GitHub stars versus 4.6K.
Which is more actively maintained, Exa MCP or Firecrawl MCP?
Exa MCP's most recent commit was Jun 8, 2026, and Firecrawl MCP's was Jun 9, 2026. More recent activity is a signal of active maintenance.
Are Exa MCP and Firecrawl MCP open source?
Exa MCP is open-source under the MIT license. Firecrawl MCP is open-source under the MIT license.
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