Apify MCP Server vs Serpapi MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Apify MCP Server and Serpapi 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 Serpapi 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 (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
• Primary tools included: Multi-engine search through SerpApi, Engine parameter schemas exposed as MCP resources, Complete and compact JSON response modes.

Explore Serpapi MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Apify MCP Server Search & Data Extraction	Serpapi MCP serpapi Search & Data Extraction
Summary	Extract data from any website with thousands of scrapers, crawlers, and automations on Apify Store ⚡	SerpApi MCP Server for Google and other search engine results. Provides multi-engine search across Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, YouTube, eBay, and more with real-time weather data, stock market information, and flexible JSON response modes.
Category & Scope	Search & Data Extraction

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": {
    "serpapi-serpapi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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