Web Search vs Groundlink

In-depth architectural comparison of the Web Search and Groundlink 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 Web Search when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Web Search Details

Choose Groundlink 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).

Explore Groundlink Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Web Search Search & Data Extraction	Groundlink Search & Data Extraction
Summary	Web search for AI agents — one tool across 6 engines, routed to the cheapest + cached.	Cited web search for MCP hosts. Returns source-bearing results from Groundlink.
Category & Scope	Search & Data Extraction	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": {
    "web-search": {
      "url": "https://api.groundroute.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "groundlink": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "groundlink-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Related MCP Server Comparisons