Private Web Search vs Free Search
Private Web Search is an MCP server published by nickclyde. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Docker MCP Catalog, PyPI (MCP servers)). Free Search is an MCP server published by sweetcornna. Marketplaces we read that list it: 3 (Official MCP Registry, PyPI (MCP servers), Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-08. 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 |   Free Search |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:5617c4c60f48 Forks (GitHub): 196 Pulls (Docker Hub): 1 030 916 Stars (Docker Hub): 11 Stars (GitHub): 1 572 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| PyPI (MCP servers) | Listed Version: 0.7.0 Downloads/month (PyPI): 72 062 Downloads/week (PyPI): 35 727 Forks (GitHub): 196 Stars (GitHub): 1 572 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 0.18.0 Downloads/month (PyPI): 3 409 Downloads/week (PyPI): 1 737 Forks (GitHub): 19 Stars (GitHub): 176 Not marked · First seen |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.18.0 Downloads/month (PyPI): 3 409 Downloads/week (PyPI): 1 737 Forks (GitHub): 19 Stars (GitHub): 176 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 | Free Search |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 2 (worse) | 3 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 572 (better) | 176 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 1 030 916 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 196 (better) | 19 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-31 |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/duckduckgo) | On your machine (free-search-mcp) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 3, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 3 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/nickclyde/duckduckgo-mcp-server | github.com/sweetcornna/free-search-mcp |
| 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.
Free Search
No-API-key web search, page fetching and document reading across many engines. Local-first.
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/duckduckgoFree Search As a local MCP server: PyPI package
claude mcp add --env "SEARCH_MCP_PROXY=<YOUR_SEARCH_MCP_PROXY>" --transport stdio free-search-mcp -- uvx free-search-mcpRequires: SEARCH_MCP_PROXY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Free Search publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
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: Free Search · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Package data comes from the Python Package Index (pypi.org). Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.