Private Web Search vs Exa Search
Private Web Search is an MCP server published by nickclyde. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Exa Search is an MCP server published by pollinations. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-14. 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 |  Exa Search |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:5617c4c60f48 Forks (GitHub): 194 Pulls (Docker Hub): 904 187 Stars (Docker Hub): 11 Stars (GitHub): 1 532 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 197 Stars (GitHub): 5 208 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 | Exa Search |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 532 (worse) | 5 208 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 904 187 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 194 (worse) | 1 197 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/duckduckgo) | Remote server (gen.pollinations.ai/mcp/exa) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/nickclyde/duckduckgo-mcp-server | github.com/pollinations/pollinations |
| 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.
Exa Search
Search the live web and fetch clean content from source pages.
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/duckduckgoExa Search As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http exa https://gen.pollinations.ai/mcp/exa --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>"Requires: Authorization header
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Exa Search 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: Exa Search · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.