MCP Server vs Exa MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the MCP Server and Exa MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Server for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
ATLAS_API_BASE, ATLAS_API_KEY, ATLAS_TIMEOUT_MS, ATLAS_MAX_RETRIES. - You want tools like
search_tenders, get_tender, get_buyer.
Choose Exa MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
web_search_exa, web_fetch_exa.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Search & Data Extraction |
| Quality signal | 65/100 · Great | 73/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | ATLAS_API_BASEATLAS_API_KEYATLAS_TIMEOUT_MSATLAS_MAX_RETRIES | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 4 | 5,161 |
| Directory activity | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 11 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 8 | 2 |
| Full listing | View MCP Server | View Exa MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Server tools 8
search_tendersSearch public procurement tenders from BZP (Biuletyn Zamówień Publicznych) and TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) via Atlas Przetargów. Returns a list with titles, buyers, locations, CPV codes, estimated values and deadlines. Use for queries like 'aktywne przetargi budowlane w Warszawie', 'zamówienia IT powyżej 500k PLN', 'co kupuje ZUS'.get_tenderRetrieve detailed information about a specific Polish public tender by its ID. Returns buyer, location, deadlines, estimated value, CPV codes, contractor (if awarded), notice type and a content excerpt. Optionally includes AI-generated summary points (requires ATLAS_API_KEY).get_buyerFetch a profile of a Polish public procuring entity (zamawiający) by its NIP (tax ID). Returns name, location, statistics, recent tenders, and top winning contractors. Use for due diligence on who buys what and from whom.get_contractorFetch a profile of a Polish tender contractor by its NIP. Returns name, location, total wins, total value and top buyers they win tenders from.search_entitiesSearch Polish public procurement entities (buyers / zamawiający) or contractors (wykonawcy) by name. Returns a list with NIP, location and volume. Useful to find the NIP for get_buyer / get_contractor tools.get_category_statsRetrieve aggregate statistics for a CPV category: count, average/median value, average number of offers, average deadline period. Based on historical BZP+TED data. Useful for market sizing and competitive benchmarking.get_province_statsRetrieve aggregate tender statistics by Polish province (all 16 voivodeships) or drill down to a specific city (top buyers, top CPV categories). Without arguments returns the full province ranking.search_cpvLook up CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary — EU procurement category) codes by Polish keyword. Use this before search_tenders to find the right CPV filter. Returns code, name, division, and historical tender count.
Exa MCP Server tools 2
web_search_exaSearch the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content. Best for: Finding current information, news, facts, people, companies, or answering questions about any topic. Returns: Clean text content from top search results. Query tips: describe the ideal page, not keywords. "blog post comparing React and Vue performance" not "React vs Vue". Use category:people / category:company to search through Linkedin profiles / companies respectively. If highlights are insufficient, follow up with web_fetch_exa on the best URLs.web_fetch_exaRead a webpage's full content as clean markdown. Use after web_search_exa when highlights are insufficient or to read any URL. Best for: Extracting full content from known URLs. Batch multiple URLs in one call. Returns: Clean text content and metadata from the page(s).
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"atlasprzetargow-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@atlasprzetargow/mcp"
],
"env": {
"ATLAS_API_BASE": "YOUR_ATLAS_API_BASE_HERE",
"ATLAS_API_KEY": "YOUR_ATLAS_API_KEY_HERE",
"ATLAS_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_ATLAS_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE",
"ATLAS_MAX_RETRIES": "YOUR_ATLAS_MAX_RETRIES_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Exa MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa-labs-exa-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Server is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Exa MCP Server belongs to Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Server for search & data extraction work and Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Exa MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add atlasprzetargow-mcp-server and exa-labs-exa-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Server has a quality signal of 65/100 (Great) with 7 views, 0 installs and 4 GitHub stars. Exa MCP Server has 73/100 (Great) with 11 views, 0 installs and 5,161 GitHub stars.