Sam Altman announced ChatGPT subscriptions now work in OpenClaw. This means external search APIs can augment ChatGPT via MCP. An r/openclaw thread asked which web search provider to use for agents. Five ranked for ChatGPT compatibility.
Top Pick
Scavio's hosted MCP server works with ChatGPT via OpenClaw — 11 search tools across 5 platforms, no local server required.
Full Ranking
#1Our Pick
Scavio
Broadest tool surface for ChatGPT via MCP
Pros
- 11 MCP tools across 5 platforms
- Hosted MCP (no local server)
- Works with OpenClaw immediately
Cons
- Requires OpenClaw for ChatGPT access
#2
Tavily
Simple web search for ChatGPT
Pros
- Clean single-tool surface
- LangChain-native
Cons
- Needs MCP wrapper
- Web only
#3
Brave Search API
Privacy-focused ChatGPT search
Pros
- Independent index
- Simple API
Cons
- No native MCP server
- Web only
#4
Exa
Semantic search for ChatGPT
Pros
- Neural search
- Contents included
Cons
- No native MCP
- Different search paradigm
#5
Serper
Cheap Google search via ChatGPT
Pros
- Generous free tier
- Fast
Cons
- No MCP server
- Google only
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Scavio | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native MCP server | Yes (hosted) | No | No |
| OpenClaw compatible | Yes (ClawHub skills) | Via wrapper | Via wrapper |
| Tools exposed | 11 tools | 1-2 tools | 1 tool |
| Setup time | Under 2 minutes | 5-10 minutes | 10+ minutes |
Why Scavio Wins
- The ChatGPT + OpenClaw integration changes the competitive landscape: APIs with hosted MCP servers have a setup advantage. Scavio's hosted MCP means zero local infrastructure.
- Tavily and other APIs can be wrapped in MCP servers manually. The wrapping takes 10-30 minutes. Scavio's hosted MCP saves this step.
- OpenClaw's 5 ClawHub skills for Scavio (Google, Amazon, YouTube, Walmart, Reddit) expose each platform as a separate tool. ChatGPT can call the right platform per query.
- The r/openclaw discussion showed users want simple setup. Hosted MCP + ClawHub installation is the simplest path from zero to working search in ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT's built-in search (via Bing) already handles basic web search. The value of an external API is platform-specific data (Amazon products, YouTube transcripts, Reddit threads) that Bing does not return.