AI Plugin IndexExa CLI vs brave
Exa CLI and brave are both search and web MCP servers. brave scores higher (95 vs 54 out of 100). brave has more GitHub stars (1.5k), and brave was updated more recently (5 days ago). The table compares them side by side.
| Exa CLI | brave | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 54 / 100 | 95 / 100 |
| What it does | CLI for Exa web search, fetching, and deep research via the Exa MCP server and API. | Visit https://brave.com/search/api/ for a free API key. Search the web, local businesses, images,… |
| Publisher | Verified: npm:@lglen | Verified: smithery.ai |
| Grades | Maintenance A, Licence A, Quality C | Maintenance A, Licence A, Quality A |
| npm downloads a week | 12 | Not on npm |
| Runs | Local | Remote |
| Works with | Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf | Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf, ChatGPT |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 1,510 |
| Last commit | 25 Sept 2026 | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Listed since | 20 Oct 2026 | 19 Oct 2026 |
| Install Exa CLI | Install brave |
Questions
Is Exa CLI or brave more popular?
brave has more GitHub stars: 1,510.
Can I use Exa CLI and brave together?
Yes. AI assistants can load several MCP servers at once. Install both and the assistant picks the right one for each task.