PopMCP
PopMCP vs Smithery: Which Hosted MCP Platform?
PopMCP vs Smithery compared: registry vs managed gateway, pricing, security and auth. Smithery suits developers. PopMCP suits business teams and agencies.
The short answer
Pick Smithery if you are a developer who wants to browse thousands of MCP servers, publish your own, or wire connections into an app with a CLI and SDK. Pick PopMCP if you want a maintained set of business tools, like Shopify, HubSpot and Klaviyo, inside Claude or ChatGPT, with one flat price and separate workspaces per client.
Searching for a Smithery alternative? Start here. Smithery is mostly a registry: a big catalog of MCP servers, most built by the community. PopMCP is a managed gateway: a smaller set of business-tool servers that we build, host and maintain. Same searcher, different product.
The verdict at a glance
Choose Smithery
if you are- A developer exploring what MCP servers exist
- Publishing your own MCP server for others to find
- Building an app that calls tools through a REST API or SDK
Choose PopMCP
if you are- A marketer, operator or founder who uses Claude or ChatGPT daily
- An agency running AI across many client stores and ad accounts
- Wanting deep coverage of one business tool, not a thin wrapper
- Wanting a fixed monthly bill with no per-call metering
Registry vs managed gateway: the core difference
This is the one thing to understand before you compare features.
- Smithery (smithery.ai) is an MCP server registry and connection platform. Its homepage lists 23,519+ MCPs. Anyone can publish a server. Smithery scans it, lists it and can proxy connections to it.
- PopMCP is a hosted connector layer for business tools. We do not host other people's servers. We build and run 100+ provider integrations ourselves, and fix them when the provider's API changes.
In practice, a search for "Shopify" on Smithery returns 123 servers from many publishers, per its public registry API on 24 September 2026. Some are official, many are community projects. On PopMCP there is one Shopify server, and we own it.
Smithery marks some servers as verified. Its registry API returned 191 verified servers out of 17,072 listed through that endpoint on the same day. Everything else is up to you to vet.
PopMCP vs Smithery: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Smithery | PopMCP |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | MCP server registry, plus managed connections and a CLI | Managed MCP servers for business tools |
| Ownership | Part of Arcade.dev since August 2026 | Independent |
| Catalog size | 23,519+ listed MCPs (homepage) | 100+ business-tool providers |
| Who builds the servers | Mostly third-party and community publishers; some Smithery-run | PopMCP |
| Verified servers | 191 marked verified (registry API) | All servers are first-party |
| Tool depth per app | Varies by publisher (Smithery's HubSpot listing: 7 tools) | Full API catalog where possible (HubSpot 1,000+ tools) |
| Setup | Web, CLI (npx smithery), REST API, TypeScript SDK | Web app, no code |
| Auth handling | Managed OAuth; encrypted, write-only credential storage | OAuth or keys stored by PopMCP, AES-256-GCM |
| Credentials reach the AI client? | No for managed connections; scoped service tokens | No. The client signs in with OAuth |
| Multi-client setup | Namespaces (3 free, 100 on Pay as you Go) | Workspaces per client, per-member access (Scale) |
| Read-only mode | Depends on each server | For teammates, set per teammate on Scale |
| Pricing model | Free tier, then $10/mo credits and $0.10 per 1K RPCs | Flat plans, tool calls never metered |
| Publish your own server | Yes | No |
| Support | Slack support and uptime SLA on Custom plan | Email on paid plans, named contact on Enterprise |
Integrations compared
Smithery wins on breadth. If a niche MCP server exists, it is probably listed on Smithery. You get web search, browsers, databases, dev tools, docs lookup and thousands of hobby projects. Its CLI can also add servers straight into Claude Desktop or Cursor.
PopMCP wins on depth for business tools. Our catalog covers e-commerce, ads, analytics and SEO, finance, CRM and email, support, and ops. Every server is built to the provider's full API where it allows.
Here is how the same apps compare, using Smithery's own listings from its registry API on 24 September 2026:
| App | PopMCP tools | Smithery listing tools |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | 1,000+ | 7 |
| QuickBooks | 133 | 18 |
| Shopify | 70 | 36 |
| Klaviyo | 308 | 27 |
PopMCP loads large catalogs through on-demand tool search. So 1,000+ tools do not flood the model's context. Token trimming loads only the tools a task needs.
Smithery marks its HubSpot listing "Maintained by Smithery". The Shopify, Klaviyo and QuickBooks listings also run on Smithery's run.tools domain. Smithery does not say who maintains those three.
See the full list on our MCP servers page, or request an integration.
Pricing compared (24 September 2026)
Smithery pricing
From smithery.ai/pricing:
| Plan | Price | RPCs/month | Namespaces | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | 50K | 3 | Managed OAuth, persistent connections |
| Pay as you Go | $10/mo | 100K | 100 | RPCs use your $10 credit, then $0.10 per 1K |
| Custom | Contact sales | Custom | 100+ | Custom rate limits, uptime SLA, Slack support |
Smithery's pricing is usage-based past the free tier. Heavy agent use means more RPCs and a bigger bill.
PopMCP pricing
| Plan | Price (USD/mo) | Workspaces | Connections | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 2 | 1 (read-only tools) |
| Starter | $39 | 3 | 15 | 2 |
| Studio | $89 | 10 | 60 | 8 |
| Scale | $199 | 25 | 150 | 20 |
| Enterprise | From $600 | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tool calls are never metered, billed or capped on any plan. Annual billing gives two months free. Add a connection for $4/mo or a workspace for $12/mo. Full details on the pricing page.
Neither tool wins everything. Here is where each one is the better pick.
Where Smithery is better
Say it plainly: Smithery does several things PopMCP does not try to do.
- Breadth and discovery23,519+ listed MCPs versus our 100+ providers. For niche tools, Smithery is the place to look.
- Open community serversMany listings are free, open source projects you can inspect or fork.
- PublishingYou can list your own server and get analytics. PopMCP is not a public registry.
- Developer toolingA CLI, REST API, TypeScript SDK, Vercel AI SDK support, webhooks-style triggers and a local "Uplink" for dev servers.
- Low entry priceA real free tier with 50K RPCs, and $10/mo after that.
- Skills registrySmithery also lists reusable agent skills, which PopMCP does not offer.
Where PopMCP is better
- One maintained server per toolNo choosing between 123 Shopify listings. We build it, host it and update it.
- Deeper business coverageHubSpot 1,000+ tools, QuickBooks 133, with tool search to keep context small.
- Credential security you can explain to a clientProvider credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and never sent to the AI client. The AI client signs in with OAuth and only reaches the connectors you approve. IP allowlist on Scale.
- Built for agenciesSeparate workspaces per client or brand, each with its own connections and usage history. Per-member workspace access on Scale.
- No per-call billFlat pricing, unmetered tool calls.
- No codeConnect in a browser, paste one URL into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another client.
- A support contactPriority email from Studio, a named contact on Enterprise.
Still weighing Smithery against PopMCP?
Start free and connect two tools yourself, or book a free demo and walk through your own stack with us.
Security: what to know about community servers
Any open registry carries supply chain risk. Two public reports are worth reading.
- June 2025 hosting flaw. GitGuardian found a path traversal bug in Smithery's build process. It exposed credentials that gave access to 3,243 hosted apps. Smithery shipped a full fix by 15 June 2025, and GitGuardian reported no sign of use in the wild.
- Tool description risks. A May 2026 scan by Bawbel of 497 top Smithery servers flagged 15.3% with findings, mostly from static analysis. This comes from a security vendor, so treat it as a signal, not proof of attack.
None of this means Smithery is unsafe to use. It means you should vet each community server before you give it access to business data. With PopMCP there is one publisher to trust. Read more in our FAQ.
How to move from Smithery to PopMCP
- List your current servers
Note which Smithery connections touch business tools, like Shopify, HubSpot or Klaviyo.
- Check coverage
Search our MCP servers page. Missing one? Request it.
- Start free
Sign up with Google or an email code. You get a 14-day Studio trial, no card needed.
- Create a workspace per client or brand
Keep each client's connections apart.
- Connect each provider once
Authorize with OAuth or an API key.
- Add the MCP URL
Paste
https://app.popmcp.com/mcpinto Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any client that supports remote Streamable HTTP MCP, then approve the sign-in. - Test, then switch off the old connection
Run a few real prompts. Then remove the matching Smithery connection or local config.
- Keep Smithery for the rest
You can use both: PopMCP for business tools, Smithery for dev and niche servers.
PopMCP vs Smithery: common questions
What is Smithery AI?
Smithery is an MCP server registry and connection platform at smithery.ai. It lists 23,519+ MCP servers, offers managed OAuth connections, a CLI and SDK. It became part of Arcade.dev in August 2026.
Is Smithery free?
Yes, to start. The Hobby plan is free with 50K RPCs a month and 3 namespaces. Pay as you Go costs $10/mo, then $0.10 per 1K RPCs over your credit.
What is the best Smithery alternative for business tools?
PopMCP, if you need maintained servers for tools like Shopify, HubSpot, Klaviyo, GA4 or Xero. You get flat pricing, client workspaces and credentials that never reach the AI client. See all Smithery alternatives.
Are Smithery MCP servers safe?
Some are official or verified. Most are built by third parties, so quality varies. Smithery fixed a major hosting flaw in June 2025. Vet each server before connecting business data.
Is Smithery an MCP server registry or a host?
Both. It lists servers, proxies connections to servers hosted elsewhere, and runs some servers itself. PopMCP only hosts servers it builds.
Can I use PopMCP and Smithery together?
Yes. Both give you remote MCP URLs. You can use PopMCP for business tools and Smithery for developer and niche servers in the same client.
Does Smithery have more integrations than PopMCP?
Yes, by far, in raw count. PopMCP covers 100+ business-tool providers but often with far more tools per app.
Sources
12 references, checked 24 September 2026
PopMCP wrote this page. We took competitor prices and features from each vendor's own site or docs on the date above, and any third-party source is labelled. Prices change, so check the vendor before you buy.
- Smithery homepage (server count, Arcade.dev notice)smithery.ai
- Smithery pricingsmithery.ai
- Smithery docs, Connect to MCPs (OAuth, credential storage)smithery.ai
- Smithery docs, Publishsmithery.ai
- Smithery docs, Namespaces (limits)smithery.ai
- Smithery docs, CLIsmithery.ai
- Smithery docs indexsmithery.ai
- Smithery registry API (Shopify search, verified count, HubSpot/QuickBooks/Shopify/Klaviyo tool counts)api.smithery.ai
- Arcade.dev, Smithery is now part of Arcade.dev (5 August 2026)arcade.dev
- Smithery-managed serverssmithery.ai
- GitGuardian, Breaking MCP Server Hostingblog.gitguardian.com
- Bawbel, We scanned 500 MCP servers on Smithery (22 May 2026)dev.to
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Each one is checked against the other vendor's own pricing and docs, with every source listed.
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