Exa MCP Server vs LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Exa MCP Server and LinkupPlatform Linkup 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 Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose LinkupPlatform Linkup 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 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.
Choose LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
LINKUP_API_KEY. - You want tools like
linkup-search, linkup-research, linkup-get-research.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Search & Data Extraction |
| Quality signal | 73/100 · Great | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | LINKUP_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5,150 | 29 |
| Directory activity | 10 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 2 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Exa MCP Server | View LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
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).
LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server tools 4
linkup-searchSearch the web in real time using Linkup to retrieve current information, facts, and news from trusted sources. Use this tool for: real-time data (weather, stocks, sports scores, events), breaking news, current events, recent research, product information, up-to-date prices, schedules, and any information not available in your knowledge base. Returns comprehensive content from the most relevant sources.linkup-researchSubmits an autonomous Linkup research task: an agent that investigates the web to answer questions a single search query cannot resolve, returning a synthesized, cited answer. Use for verified answers to precise questions, focused investigations of a defined subject, or broad multi-angle reports. This is async and long-running (can take several minutes): it does not return the final result. It returns immediately with a task "id" and a "status" of "pending". Poll "linkup-get-research" with that id until the status is "completed" (result in "output") or "failed" (reason in "error"). For quick, direct answers prefer "linkup-search" instead.linkup-get-researchRetrieve the current state of a Linkup research task previously started with "linkup-research". Returns the task object with its "status". While the status is "pending" or "processing", keep polling every few seconds until it reaches a terminal state; polling faster than once per second is rate-limited. When "completed", the result is in the "output" field; when "failed", the reason is in the "error" field.linkup-fetchFetch a URL and return the content of the page. If you are unable to fetch the page content, might be worth trying to render the JavaScript content.
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.
Exa MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa-labs-exa-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"linkupplatform-linkup-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"linkup-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"LINKUP_API_KEY": "YOUR_LINKUP_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Exa MCP Server is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server belongs to Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction work and LinkupPlatform Linkup 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.
Exa MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 exa-labs-exa-mcp-server and linkupplatform-linkup-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Exa MCP Server has a quality signal of 73/100 (Great) with 10 views, 0 installs and 5,150 GitHub stars. LinkupPlatform Linkup MCP Server has 65/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 29 GitHub stars.