# Tavily MCP server: setup, tools, limits and search at $1 per 1,000 Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/tavily-mcp Tavily's MCP server runs hosted at `https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/` or locally with `npx -y tavily-mcp@latest`, and gives your agent search, extract, crawl, map and research tools. Every call spends Tavily credits: 1,000 free a month, then $0.008 a credit. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. Its hosted MCP server, `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, gives your agent the most accurate web search API in the world at $1 per 1,000 searches, with nothing to install and $10 of free credit. [Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-tavily-mcp&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=tavily-mcp&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 10,000 fast searches. ## Tavily's two MCP servers and two hosted servers, side by side | | SpecStream | Tavily remote MCP | tavily-mcp (npm) | Exa MCP | |---|---|---|---|---| | Install line or address | `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` over Streamable HTTP, with OAuth or an API key | `https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/`, or `claude mcp add tavily --transport http https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/` in Claude Code | `npx -y tavily-mcp@latest`, with Node.js 20 or higher | `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` | | Key and account | A free account, no card. A client that signs in with OAuth opens the browser once, and no key sits in a file | OAuth sign in, or the key as `?tavilyApiKey=` in the URL or as a Bearer token. The `X-Tavily-Access-Mode: keyless` header runs search and extract with no account | `TAVILY_API_KEY` in the client's config | None at the free rate limit. From IPv6 or a proxied network, sign in with OAuth or add a key | | Where it runs | On SpecStream's servers. Nothing runs on your machine | On Tavily's servers. A client that takes only local servers connects through `npx -y mcp-remote` | On your machine, calling `api.tavily.com` | On Exa's servers | | Tools your agent gets | `search_web`, `read_pages`, and Deep Search through `compile`, `quote_capacity_work` and `authorize_capacity_work` | `tavily_search`, `tavily_extract`, `tavily_crawl`, `tavily_map` and `tavily_research`. Keyless gives search and extract only | The same five, plus `tavily_feedback` | Search and fetch. Exa Agent needs sign in or a key | | Limits | The spending limit you set on each key | 100 requests a minute on the free plan, 1,000 with pay as you go. `/crawl` and `/map` 100 a minute, `/research` 20 | Your Tavily plan's limits | A free rate limit | | What a search returns | Ranked sources with title, URL and snippet. The default search adds the `answer` with the page it was read from and the read time | Titles, URLs, content snippets and optional images | Titles, URLs, content snippets and optional images | Search results, and page text through fetch | | What it costs | $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results on the fast search, $5 with the answer, $0.80 per 1,000 pages read. $10 of credit to start, no card | 1,000 free credits a month, then $0.008 a credit. A basic, fast or ultra-fast search is 1 credit, advanced 2, and 5 pages extracted 1 | Free software under the MIT License. Calls spend your Tavily credits | Free at the rate limit. Past it, from $4 per 1,000 requests | ## Why agents search through SpecStream ### $1 per 1,000 searches, where Tavily's pay as you go is $8 Each `tavily_search` call spends 1 credit, or 2 at `advanced`, and pay as you go bills $0.008 a credit. That is $8 per 1,000 basic searches and $16 per 1,000 advanced ones. `search_web` on SpecStream costs $1 per 1,000 on the fast search and $5 per 1,000 with the answer, from the first call, and a search that returns nothing costs nothing. ### One line in Claude Code Run this and sign in to SpecStream when the browser opens. There is no Node.js and no `mcp-remote` bridge to install: ``` claude mcp add --transport http specstream https://api.specstream.ai/mcp ``` Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT and the other clients take the same address. The [MCP client guides](https://specstream.ai/docs/mcp/clients?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-mcp) show where each one keeps it. ### The most accurate web search API in the world, as one tool call `search_web` runs SpecStream's Search API. It scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct), and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. The Extract API behind `read_pages` scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The scores and the method are on the [benchmarks page](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-mcp). ### Whole pages, PDFs included `tavily_extract` costs 1 credit for every 5 successful URLs on basic, $1.60 per 1,000 pages on pay as you go. `read_pages` reads up to 20 URLs a call, PDF, Word and Excel files included, and returns each page's main text as Markdown with its title and the date it says it was published, at $0.80 per 1,000 pages. A page with no text is not charged. ### Code that calls Tavily moves too The MCP server is one place your agent reaches Tavily. Code that calls the Tavily API moves by its base address: `TavilyClient(api_key=, api_base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/tavily")` answers `search` and `extract` in Tavily's own JSON at $1 per 1,000 searches. See [moving off Tavily](https://specstream.ai/migrate/tavily?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=tavily-mcp). ### Your agent asks for data and gets rows Where `tavily_research` returns a report, the same SpecStream connection runs Deep Search. `compile` reads the request into conditions and facts you can edit, `quote_capacity_work` prices it, and `authorize_capacity_work` runs it under the maximum you approve. Rows cost 5¢, 15¢ or $1 each, with the source URL and read time on every value, and a run that finds nothing costs nothing. ## Other Tavily MCP alternatives ### Exa MCP Exa's hosted server at `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` runs search and fetch with no key at a free rate limit. Past it, Lite search costs $4 per 1,000 requests. SpecStream's fast search is $1 per 1,000, with page reading on the same server. ### Parallel MCP Parallel's hosted server at `https://mcp.parallel.ai/mcp` needs no account and no key, and `web_search`, `web_fetch` and `web_decisions` are free at lower rate limits. SpecStream's free start is $10 of credit with no daily allowance, spent at $1 per 1,000 fast searches. ### Brave Search MCP Brave's official server runs on your machine and needs a `BRAVE_API_KEY`. The Search API costs $5 per 1,000 requests and includes $5 in free credits every month. SpecStream's fast search is $1 per 1,000, hosted, with nothing to install. ## How to move from Tavily MCP to SpecStream 1. Sign up at specstream.ai. The account starts with $10 of credit, no card. 2. In Claude Code, remove the Tavily server and add SpecStream, then sign in when the browser opens: ``` claude mcp remove tavily claude mcp add --transport http specstream https://api.specstream.ai/mcp ``` 3. In Claude Desktop, disconnect the Tavily connector and add `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` as a custom connector. 4. In Cursor, create a key under Agents & API in the workspace, put it in `SPECSTREAM_API_KEY`, and replace the `tavily` or `tavily-remote-mcp` entry in `mcp.json` with this: ``` { "mcpServers": { "specstream": { "url": "https://api.specstream.ai/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:SPECSTREAM_API_KEY}" } } } } ``` 5. Your agent calls `search_web` where it called `tavily_search`, and `read_pages` where it called `tavily_extract`. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is there an official Tavily MCP server? Yes. Tavily publishes `tavily-mcp` under the MIT License, hosted at `https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/` and on npm as `tavily-mcp`. ### How do I add Tavily MCP to Claude Code? Run `claude mcp add tavily --transport http https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/` and sign in to Tavily when a new session starts. To use a key, put it in the URL as `?tavilyApiKey=`. ### Is Tavily MCP free? The server is free, and each call spends Tavily credits: 1,000 free a month, then $0.008 a credit. With the `X-Tavily-Access-Mode: keyless` header, search and extract run with no account at a rate limit Tavily does not publish. ### What tools does Tavily MCP give my agent? Five: `tavily_search`, `tavily_extract`, `tavily_crawl`, `tavily_map` and `tavily_research`. The local npm server adds `tavily_feedback`. ### Does Tavily MCP need Node.js? The hosted server needs nothing installed in a client that takes a remote server. The local server and the `mcp-remote` bridge need Node.js 20 or higher. ### What does SpecStream's MCP search cost? $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results on the fast search, $5 per 1,000 with the answer, and $0.80 per 1,000 pages read. New accounts get $10 of credit with no card. ## Sources SpecStream wrote this page. Each install line, limit and price comes from the project's own README or the company's own page, read on Nov 12, 2026. - [Tavily MCP docs](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/mcp.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [tavily-mcp README](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tavily-ai/tavily-mcp/main/README.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [tavily-mcp source](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tavily-ai/tavily-mcp/main/src/index.ts), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Tavily credits and pricing](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Tavily rate limits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/rate-limits.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Tavily keyless access](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/keyless.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa MCP](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/exa-mcp), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel MCP](https://parallel.ai/mcp), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Brave Search MCP server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 12, 2026