What is the key difference between Open WebSearch and WebReaper?

Open WebSearch belongs to the Search & Data Extraction category with local stdio execution, while WebReaper belongs to the Search & Data Extraction category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Open WebSearch or WebReaper in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Open WebSearch and WebReaper free or paid?

Open WebSearch operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). WebReaper operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Open WebSearch lists 5 tools with 3 views and 1,810 GitHub stars. WebReaper lists 6 tools with 3 views and 148 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Open WebSearch and WebReaper together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Open WebSearch vs WebReaper

In-depth architectural comparison of the Open WebSearch and WebReaper MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Open WebSearch

Search & Data Extraction · Local stdio

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

WebReaper

Search & Data Extraction · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Open WebSearch if you need specialized Search & Data Extraction tools running via a local process. Choose WebReaper if your workspace requires Search & Data Extraction integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Open WebSearch when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Multi-engine web search without API keys, Structured titles, URLs, and descriptions, Web, Markdown, GitHub README, and CSDN fetching.

Explore Open WebSearch Details

Choose WebReaper when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: WEBREAPER_MCP_TOKEN.
Primary tools included: MCP tools for scraping, mapping, extraction, and crawling, Stdio and Streamable HTTP server variants, Markdown output by default.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Open WebSearch Aas-ee Search & Data Extraction	WebReaper alex-on-ai Search & Data Extraction
Summary	Web search using free multi-engine search (NO API KEYS REQUIRED) — Supports Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Brave, Exa, and CSDN.	⃣ 🏠 🍎 🪟 🐧 - AI-native web scraper MCP server. Single binary, returns clean markdown, MIT-licensed Firecrawl alternative.
Category & Scope	Search & Data Extraction

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Open WebSearch Tools (5)

Multi-engine web search without API keys

Structured titles, URLs, and descriptions

Web, Markdown, GitHub README, and CSDN fetching

MCP, CLI, and local daemon modes

Configurable engine, result count, proxy, and search strategy

WebReaper Tools (6)

MCP tools for scraping, mapping, extraction, and crawling

Stdio and Streamable HTTP server variants

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Open WebSearch Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aas-ee-open-websearch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "aas-ee-open-websearch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

WebReaper Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alex-on-ai-webreaper": {
      "url": "https://api.openai.com/v1"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Open WebSearch is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, WebReaper belongs to Search & Data Extraction using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Open WebSearch when you need capabilities focused on search & data extraction and WebReaper when you require tools for search & data extraction.

More alternatives to Open WebSearch More alternatives to WebReaper Search & Data Extraction category hub