Apify MCP Server vs Search1api MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Apify MCP Server and Search1api MCP 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Apify MCP Server 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: title, readOnlyHint, true.

Explore Apify MCP Server Details

Choose Search1api MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Paid Service).
• You have access to required keys: SEARCH1API_KEY, MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS, MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS.
• Primary tools included: Supports Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, X, Reddit, GitHub, YouTube, Arxiv, WeChat, Bilibili, IMDb…, News search with multiple sources including Hacker News, Page content extraction (crawl) by URL.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Apify MCP Server Search & Data Extraction	Search1api MCP fatwang2 Search & Data Extraction
Summary
Category & Scope	Search & Data Extraction	Search & Data Extraction
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/actors-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fatwang2-search1api-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "skills"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEARCH1API_KEY": "YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY_HERE",
        "MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS": "YOUR_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS_HERE",
        "MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS": "YOUR_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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