Private Web Search vs Perplexity
Private Web Search is an MCP server published by nickclyde. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Perplexity is an MCP server published by perplexityai. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace | ||
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:5617c4c60f48 Forks (GitHub): 194 Pulls (Docker Hub): 902 402 Stars (Docker Hub): 11 Stars (GitHub): 1 527 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: sha256:7816f45a6f26 Forks (GitHub): 380 Pulls (Docker Hub): 79 864 Stars (Docker Hub): 17 Stars (GitHub): 2 562 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Private Web Search | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 527 (worse) | 2 562 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 902 402 (better) | 79 864 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 194 (worse) | 380 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/duckduckgo) | On your machine (mcp/perplexity-ask) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | 3 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/nickclyde/duckduckgo-mcp-server | github.com/ppl-ai/modelcontextprotocol |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Private Web Search
Community-maintained server for DuckDuckGo search. Not published by or affiliated with DuckDuckGo.
Perplexity
Connector for Perplexity API, to enable real-time, web-wide research.
How to run each
Private Web Search As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio duckduckgo -- docker run -i --rm mcp/duckduckgoPerplexity As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=<YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY>" --transport stdio perplexity-ask -- docker run -i --rm -e PERPLEXITY_API_KEY mcp/perplexity-askRequires: PERPLEXITY_API_KEY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Only Private Web Search declares
fetch_contentsearch
Only Perplexity declares
perplexity_askperplexity_reasonperplexity_research
Both declare
None
Tool names as each marketplace publishes them. More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of Private Web Search publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Private Web Search · What it can do: Perplexity · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.