exa vs Clinicaltrials
exa is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by exa-labs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 4 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog, Claude: knowledge-work-plugins). Clinicaltrials is an MCP server published by pipeworx-io. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-05. 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 |  exa |  Clinicaltrials |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 409 Stars (GitHub): 5 212 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 409 Stars (GitHub): 5 212 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 0.2.1 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:d88edd571d98 Forks (GitHub): 409 Pulls (Docker Hub): 37 607 Stars (Docker Hub): 7 Stars (GitHub): 5 212 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude: knowledge-work-plugins | Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 409 Stars (GitHub): 5 212 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
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 | exa | Clinicaltrials |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 4 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 5 212 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 37 607 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 409 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-31 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server or your machine | Remote server (gateway.pipeworx.io/clinicaltrials/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP, stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 3 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server | github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-clinicaltrials |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | Status out of date: last check 6 days ago returned HTTP 405 | Status out of date: last check 2 days ago returned HTTP 200 |
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
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.
Clinicaltrials
Search and analyze ClinicalTrials.gov: trials by keyword/condition/drug/status/phase, one study's…
How to run each
exa As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install exa@claude-plugins-officialClinicaltrials As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http clinicaltrials https://gateway.pipeworx.io/clinicaltrials/mcpRequires: PIPEWORX_API_KEY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Both endpoints responded at the last daily check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Only exa has
web_fetch_exaweb_search_exa
Only Clinicaltrials has
ai_visibility_checkarchive_comparearchive_evidenceask_pipeworxask_pipeworx_betaask_pipeworx_groundedbet_researchclassify_rowcompany_factscompany_register_searchcompare_entitiesct_catalyst_calendar
Show the remaining 46
ct_compare_sponsorsct_competitive_landscapect_count_by_conditionct_enrollment_watchct_get_studyct_phase_transition_ratesct_recent_updatesct_results_summaryct_searchct_sponsor_activityct_sponsor_pipelinect_sponsor_trialsct_trials_by_locationdeep_researchdiscover_toolsentity_profileforgetgenerate_llms_txtkalshi_weather_edgelist_subscriptionspipeworx_feedbackpipeworx_trendingpolymarket_arbitragepolymarket_edge_trackerpolymarket_edgespolymarket_fill_riskpolymarket_kalshi_spreadprediction_calibrationrecallrecent_alertsrecent_changesrelease_calendar_marketsrememberresearch_rowresolution_auditresolution_diffresolve_entityscan_competitor_ai_presencescan_dependencysearch_withinsubscribesuggest_questionsunsubscribeupdown_divergence_rateupdown_venue_comparevalidate_claim
Both have
None
Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (Clinicaltrials as of 2026-10-30). More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
Only exa asks for
EXA_API_KEY (secret)
Only Clinicaltrials asks for
PIPEWORX_API_KEY (secret)
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: exa · What it can do: Clinicaltrials · Compare two other plugins
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 Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/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.