Private Web Search vs scout
Private Web Search is an MCP server published by nickclyde. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). scout is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by shidoyu. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-15. 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 |   Private Web Search |  scout |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:5617c4c60f48 Forks (GitHub): 194 Pulls (Docker Hub): 906 819 Stars (Docker Hub): 11 Stars (GitHub): 1 536 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 2.5.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 3 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 | scout |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 536 (better) | 3 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 906 819 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 194 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/duckduckgo) | Remote server (mcp.exa.ai/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | Not published | 2 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 6 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/nickclyde/duckduckgo-mcp-server | github.com/shidoyu/scout |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | not checked yet |
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.
scout
Web search and content fetching with privacy-aware tool selection. Turns vague questions into optimized multi-engine queries, evaluates result quality, and re-searches when needed. Includes HyDE semantic search via Exa and automatic privacy classification for URL fetching.
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/duckduckgoscout As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install scout@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of scout publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Private Web Search · What it can do: scout · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.