Notion MCP vs Esa
A side-by-side look at the Notion MCP and Esa MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Notion MCP for workplace & productivity work as a local process; choose Esa for workplace & productivity as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Notion MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
NOTION_TOKEN, NOTION_USER_ID, NOTION_SPACE_ID. - You want tools like
notion_search, notion_export_page, notion_import_page.
Choose Esa when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN, LANG. - You want tools like
esa_get_teams, esa_get_team_stats, esa_get_team_tags.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workplace & Productivity | Workplace & Productivity |
| Quality signal | 51/100 · Good | 67/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | NOTION_TOKENNOTION_USER_IDNOTION_SPACE_ID | ESA_ACCESS_TOKENLANG |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 62 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 13 | 22 |
| Full listing | View Notion MCP | View Esa |
Tools & capabilities
Notion MCP tools 13
notion_searchFull-text search across all pages in your workspacenotion_export_pageExport any Notion page as markdown; image links resolve to viewable CDN URLs (pass `image_dir` to download images locally instead)notion_import_pageWrite markdown to a Notion page — **replaces** all existing contentnotion_import_page_from_fileWrite a local `.md` file to a page — **replaces** all contentnotion_append_to_pageAppend markdown to the **end** of a page (non-destructive)notion_append_to_page_from_fileAppend a local `.md` file to the end of a page (non-destructive)notion_create_pageCreate a new sub-page, optionally prefilled with markdownnotion_create_page_from_fileCreate a new sub-page from a local `.md` filenotion_add_imageAppend an image to the end of a page — local file is uploaded to Notion, http(s) URL is referenced as-isnotion_list_commentsList open discussion threads on a pagenotion_add_commentStart a new discussion — inline (anchored to text) or block-levelnotion_reply_commentReply to an existing discussion thread- +1 more on the listing page
Esa tools 22
esa_get_teamsRetrieves a list of esa teams that the user has access to.esa_get_team_statsRetrieves team statistics including member count, posts count (total/WIP/shipped), comments, stars, watches, and daily/weekly/monthly active usersesa_get_team_tagsRetrieves all tags used in posts within a team, along with the count of posts for each tagesa_get_team_membersRetrieves all members of a team with their roles and profile informationesa_get_postRetrieves a specific post from an esa team by post number, with optional comments included.esa_search_postsSearch for posts in esa.ioesa_create_postCreates a new post in an esa team with optional tags, category, and WIP status.esa_update_postUpdates an existing post in an esa team by post number. You can update the title, content, tags, category, and WIP status. To ship a post (mark as complete), set wip to false - this is preferred over using esa_ship_post when updating other fields simultaneously.esa_get_commentRetrieves a specific comment by comment ID, with optional stargazers included.esa_create_commentCreates a new comment on an existing post in an esa team.esa_update_commentUpdates an existing comment in an esa team by comment ID.esa_delete_commentDeletes a comment from an esa team by comment ID.- +10 more on the listing page
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.
Notion MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"notion-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@shck-dev/notion-mcp"
],
"env": {
"NOTION_TOKEN": "YOUR_NOTION_TOKEN_HERE",
"NOTION_USER_ID": "YOUR_NOTION_USER_ID_HERE",
"NOTION_SPACE_ID": "YOUR_NOTION_SPACE_ID_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Esa
{
"mcpServers": {
"esa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@esaio/esa-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE",
"LANG": "YOUR_LANG_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Notion MCP is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Esa belongs to Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Notion MCP for workplace & productivity work and Esa for workplace & productivity.
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.
Notion MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Esa 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 notion-mcp and esa as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Notion MCP has a quality signal of 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Esa has 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 62 GitHub stars.