Comparison

exa vs Earth Search

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). Earth Search is an MCP server published by pipeworx-io. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-11. 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

Where each is published
Marketplace	exa	Earth Search
Claude Code: claude-plugins-official	Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 414 Stars (GitHub): 5 219 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Not listed
Official MCP Registry	Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 414 Stars (GitHub): 5 219 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Listed Version: 0.2.1 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11
Docker MCP Catalog	Listed Version: sha256:d88edd571d98 Forks (GitHub): 414 Pulls (Docker Hub): 38 084 Stars (Docker Hub): 7 Stars (GitHub): 5 219 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Not listed
Claude: knowledge-work-plugins	Listed Version: 3.4.1 Forks (GitHub): 414 Stars (GitHub): 5 219 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	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

exa vs Earth Search
Fact	exa	Earth Search
Marketplaces that list it (differs)	4 (better)	1 (worse)
Stars (GitHub) (differs)	5 219 (better)	0 (worse)
Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs)	38 084	No figure on Docker Hub
Forks (GitHub) (differs)	414 (better)	0 (worse)
Last release (differs)	Not published	2026-11-01
Where it runs (differs)	Remote server or your machine	Remote server (gateway.pipeworx.io/earth-search/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-earth-search
Changes in the last 7 days	0	0
First seen	2026-10-11	2026-10-11
Endpoint at the last check (differs)	Responded 22 h ago	Status out of date: last check 2 days ago returned HTTP 200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

In its own words, on Claude Code: claude-plugins-official:

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.

Earth Search

In its own words, on Official MCP Registry:

Sentinel and Landsat imagery catalogue from Element 84's Earth Search over the AWS Open Data…

How to run each

exa As a Claude Code plugin

Claude Code

/plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official

Earth Search As a remote MCP server

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http earth-search https://gateway.pipeworx.io/earth-search/mcp

Requires: 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_exa
web_search_exa

Only Earth Search has

ai_visibility_check
archive_compare
archive_evidence
ask_pipeworx
ask_pipeworx_beta
ask_pipeworx_grounded
bet_research
classify_row
company_facts
company_register_search
compare_entities
deep_research

Show the remaining 35

discover_tools
earth_search_collection
earth_search_collections
earth_search_search
entity_profile
forget
generate_llms_txt
kalshi_weather_edge
list_subscriptions
pipeworx_feedback
pipeworx_trending
polymarket_arbitrage
polymarket_edge_tracker
polymarket_edges
polymarket_fill_risk
polymarket_kalshi_spread
prediction_calibration
recall
recent_alerts
recent_changes
release_calendar_markets
remember
research_row
resolution_audit
resolution_diff
resolve_entity
scan_competitor_ai_presence
scan_dependency
search_within
subscribe
suggest_questions
unsubscribe
updown_divergence_rate
updown_venue_compare
validate_claim

Both have

None

Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (Earth Search as of 2026-11-02). 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 Earth Search 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: Earth Search · 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 2026-11-11. We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.