Octen MCP vs Search1API
A side-by-side look at the Octen MCP and Search1API MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Octen MCP for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose Search1API 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 Octen MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
OCTEN_API_KEY. - You want tools like
search, news_search, broad_search.
Choose Search1API when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SEARCH1API_KEY. - You want tools like
search, news, crawl.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Search & Data Extraction |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 68/100 · 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 | OCTEN_API_KEY | SEARCH1API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 21 | 173 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 6 | 7 |
| Full listing | View Octen MCP | View Search1API |
Tools & capabilities
Octen MCP tools 6
searchSearch the live web and return ranked results (title, url, snippet) — fast, fresh, real-time web search for one focused lookup. Set `topic` to `news` for news-focused results. Pass `highlight` to get a ranked snippet per result, or `full_content` to pull the cleaned page body inline (heavier — costs more context). Narrow with domain / text include-exclude filters, a `language` filter (ISO 639-1 codes), and a time window (published/crawled `start_time`/`end_time`, or a relative `time_range`). Set `include_images` to return image URLs per result. USE FOR a single focused lookup: one fact, one entity, one document. If the question spans several independent subtopics, load and use `broad_search` instead — a sequence of search calls is slower and gives worse coverage than one fan-out. To read a page you already have the URL for, use `extract`. keywords: web search, search the web, look up, find, check, fact, current information, latest, news, source, url, real-timenews_searchSearch recent news and return ranked articles (title, url, snippet) — current events, headlines, timely reporting. This is `search` locked to `topic: news`; same options as `search` (domain / text filters, `language` filter, time window, highlight / full_content, media) except `topic`, which is fixed to news. For a single news lookup this is the right tool. For a multi-angle news question ("what shipped across the industry this month", "how are different outlets covering X"), use `broad_search` with topic=news instead of looping news_search. keywords: news search, latest news, headlines, current events, breaking news, recent, today, this week, press coveragebroad_searchSearch the web across many angles in one call — for comparisons, research, surveys, and questions with several distinct parts. Expands your question into multiple sub-queries and runs them concurrently. USE WHEN the question has multiple distinct parts or entities that one search cannot cover: - comparing vendors / products / pricing across many sources - literature reviews, market or landscape surveys - open-ended "what are the options for X" / "how do people solve Y" - a question that clearly decomposes into 3+ independent sub-questions - multi-angle questions about recent events ("what shipped across the industry this month") — set topic=news, do NOT loop news_search DO NOT USE for: - a single fact, entity, or document → use `search` - re-running a disappointing search → do NOT call broad_search twice; follow up with a targeted `search` or `extract` on the specific gaps - reading a page you already have the URL for → use `extract` - a straight A-vs-B comparison of two known entities → two targeted `search` calls are cheaper and more controllable COST: fans out into `max_queries` concurrent searches — roughly Nx the cost and notably higher latency than a single `search`. When in doubt, prefer `search`. QUERY: pass one natural-language question (max 500 chars). Resolve pronouns and references from the conversation first — "how does it compare to the other one" is a useless query. Do NOT pre-split into sub-queries; that is this tool's job. For broader coverage raise `max_queries` rather than calling repeatedly. Per-sub-query options (count, topic, `language` filter, domain / text filters, time window, highlight / full_content, media) match `search` and apply to every sub-query. RESULTS are grouped per sub-query and NOT deduplicated — the same URL may appear under several sub-queries. max_queries: 3-5 focused comparison (2-3 entities) | 5-10 multi-facet research | 10-20 landscape scan | 20-30 exhaustive survey For a single focused lookup use `search`; to read a specific page use `extract`. keywords: web search, search the web, look up, find information, research, compare, comparison, versus, alternatives, options, landscape, survey, market research, pricing, latest, current information, multi-part questionextractRead one or more web pages by URL and return clean, LLM-ready content (markdown or text). By default (no `query`) it returns each page's full content — this is what you want in almost all cases. Only pass `query` when the user explicitly asks to fetch relevance-ranked snippets for a specific topic; doing so returns highlights INSTEAD of the full body, so the content will be partial. Every result also includes a `category` (topical) and `page_structure` (typology) classification. Bare hosts like 'octen.ai' are auto-normalized to https. Cached when fresh. Pick `mode` by how hard the URLs are: ordinary sites → standard (or omit), known hard sites → advanced, mixed/unsure → auto. If a standard result failed or came back empty/skeletal, retry just those URLs with mode "advanced". Use this when you already have the URL(s). To find pages first, use `search` or `broad_search`. keywords: read page, fetch url, scrape, page content, article text, parse webpage, extract, read article, url content, open linkimage_searchFind images on the web by text query OR by a reference image — returns ranked results (title, source page, dimensions, thumbnail, description, summary). In Beta; contact us to request beta access. Pass exactly one of: a text `query`, an `image_url` (a picture already on the web), or `image_data` (base64, for a picture you hold). Never more than one. Set `topic` to `design` for UI design references — each result then carries a structured style `summary` and an `html_snippet` for building/restyling frontends. Use this when the user wants pictures, photos, diagrams, screenshots, or visual references — not for general text web search. keywords: find images, image search, photos, pictures, screenshots, visual reference, diagram, icon, illustration, UI design, reference imagevideo_searchFind videos on the web by text query — returns ranked results (title, source page, cover image, duration, matching segment, authors, description). In Beta; contact us to request beta access. Pass a text `query`. Use this when the user wants to find videos, clips, footage, tutorials, or a specific moment within a video — not for general text web search. keywords: find videos, video search, clips, footage, youtube, tutorial video, watch, movie, video clip
Search1API tools 7
searchSearch the live public web when the user needs current information, sources, or research. Returns citable results with id, title, URL, and text. Each result includes a URL that can be read in full.newsSearch current news when the user asks about recent events, announcements, or coverage. Returns citable article results with title, URL, snippet, and optional extracted text.crawlExtract the readable title and full text from a public URL supplied by the user or returned by search.sitemapDiscover related public links from a page or domain when the user wants to explore a site's structure or available pages.trendingList currently trending repositories or stories from GitHub or Hacker News when the user asks what is popular now.askDescribe what you are looking for in natural language when you do not know which source to search. Search1API picks up to five engines (web, Hacker News, Reddit, GitHub, X, arXiv, Wikipedia, and more), infers a time window from phrases such as "this week", and returns at most 10 relevant results ranked by relevance. Costs 5 credits; use search when you already know the engine.render_resultsPresent already retrieved source results as source cards when the host supports UI, with a complete readable text list otherwise. Use when the user wants to browse sources or a visual list helps the task. Pass existing results in the desired order; never invent source URLs or factual titles. Does not search, crawl, fetch URLs, verify sources, or consume search credits. Do not call for intermediate research results or when a text answer is sufficient.
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.
Octen MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"octen-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"octen-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OCTEN_API_KEY": "YOUR_OCTEN_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Search1API
{
"mcpServers": {
"search1api": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"search1api-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SEARCH1API_KEY": "YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Octen MCP is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Search1API belongs to Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Octen MCP for search & data extraction work and Search1API 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.
Octen MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Search1API 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 octen-mcp and search1api as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Octen MCP has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 21 GitHub stars. Search1API has 68/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 173 GitHub stars.