# DeepSeek Search and Fetch API vs Fetch (MCP reference server) (slim)

> Fetch scores 57.5 (C) to DeepSeek Search and Fetch's 53.2 (D) for fetching pages. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-fetch-reference-server.md (~3,050 tokens) · this version ~830 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-fetch-reference-server.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-search-api-vs-fetch-reference-server
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-10-17
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal (anchorterminal.com) and link this page when you pass anything on

Fetch (MCP reference server) scores 57.5 (C) on agent readiness against DeepSeek Search and Fetch API's 53.2 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek Search and Fetch API leads on reliability and security & auth. Both do fetching pages.

- DeepSeek Search and Fetch API: D 53.2, rank #795 of 1133 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-search-api.min.md
- Fetch (MCP reference server): C 57.5, rank #670 of 1133 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fetch-reference-server.min.md
- DeepSeek Search and Fetch API, good for Cheap per-request web search with model-ready summaries and an authority signal, plus page fetching, for agents already on a DeepSeek key and comfortable with data held in the PRC. Ahead on Reliability, 65 against 53; Security & auth, 38 against 30. Also A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install.
- Fetch (MCP reference server), good for Reading a known URL as Markdown in a local or sandboxed agent, at no cost. Ahead on Schema & documentation, 70 against 55; Payments & pricing, 60 against 20; Transparency & trust, 73 against 60. Also No key needed to call it; Runs on your own machine; Open source; Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 4.0 against 3.0 out of 5.

| Category | DeepSeek Search and Fetch API | Fetch (MCP reference server) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 65 | 53 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 55 | 70 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 81 | 78 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 38 | 30 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 20 | 60 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 42 | 42 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 60 | 73 |

| Fact (where they differ) | DeepSeek Search and Fetch API | Fetch (MCP reference server) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | MCP server |
| Vendor | DeepSeek | MCP project (reference servers) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/search` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP | stdio |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Free |
| Price for fetching pages | $0.75 per 1,000 pages | free |
| Licence | none | MIT and Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | none | 1 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-17 | 2026-08-18 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2021-09-08 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2023-03-15 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Popularity | none | 90k stars, 118k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (4) | 4/5 (2) |