Gmail vs exa
Gmail is an MCP server published by Sallytion. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). exa is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by exa-labs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 5 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog, Claude: knowledge-work-plugins, Community GitHub marketplaces). 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 |  Gmail |  exa |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9d806c6ba375 Forks (GitHub): 9 Stars (GitHub): 12 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: sha256:d88edd571d98 Forks (GitHub): 401 Pulls (Docker Hub): 36 321 Stars (Docker Hub): 7 Stars (GitHub): 5 118 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 401 Stars (GitHub): 5 118 Not marked · First seen |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 401 Stars (GitHub): 5 118 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude: knowledge-work-plugins | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 401 Stars (GitHub): 5 118 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 | Gmail | exa |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 5 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 12 (worse) | 5 118 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | No figure on Docker Hub | 36 321 |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 9 (worse) | 401 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (yashtekwani/gmail-mcp) | Remote server or your machine |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 3 | 2 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 6, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 3 |
| Licence (differs) | Not stated | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/sallytion/gmail-mcp | github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server |
| 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
Gmail
A Model Context Protocol server for Gmail operations using IMAP/SMTP with app password authentication. Supports listing messages, searching emails, and sending messages. To create your app password, visit your Google Account settings under Security > App Passwords. Or visit the link https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
exa
Exa AI web search, deep research, and content extraction. Provides MCP tools and research skills for comprehensive web search, people discovery, company research, academic papers, and more.
How to run each
Gmail As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "EMAIL_PASSWORD=<YOUR_EMAIL_PASSWORD>" --transport stdio gmail-mcp -- docker run -i --rm -e EMAIL_PASSWORD yashtekwani/gmail-mcpRequires: EMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)
exa As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install exa@claude-plugins-officialCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Only Gmail declares
findMessagelistMessagessendMessage
Only exa declares
web_fetch_exaweb_search_exa
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
Only Gmail asks for
EMAIL_ADDRESSEMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)IMAP_HOSTIMAP_PORTSMTP_HOSTSMTP_PORT
Only exa asks for
EXA_API_KEY (secret)
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Gmail · What it can do: exa · 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-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. 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.