Free MCP Servers: What Costs Nothing and What Doesn't

Most MCP servers cost nothing to install, but "free" has three meanings. Some run entirely on your machine with no account. Some are free software that calls a service with a free tier, then a bill. Some are hosted by a vendor and free to connect, with your own account limits behind them. This page sorts servers into those three groups. We checked on 31 October 2026.

The three kinds of free

A licence does not tell you which kind you are looking at. A server can be MIT licensed and still send every request to a paid API. Read the service's pricing page as well as the repo.

Kind 1: free and local

These need no account. They are the safest place to start, because nothing is billed and nothing leaves your machine except what the tool itself does (a browser fetching a page, for instance).

The main servers repository states a licence in transition. Its LICENSE says new contributions are Apache-2.0 and existing code stays MIT, which is why GitHub shows no single licence identifier for it. Check it if your company runs licence reviews. The README also says the servers there are reference implementations, "not production-ready solutions".

Two of the free servers need runtimes you may not have. The Git server is Python, run with uvx. The Node reference servers need Node 24 or later when run through npx, per the Memory server's README.

Free, but not no-risk

Free local servers still have teeth. The Filesystem server can write anywhere you allow. The Git server can commit. A browser server reaches your internal network. The price is zero and the risk is not. Our pages for each server list what to restrict.

Kind 2: free server, metered service

Here the server is free software, and the cost sits behind it. Free tiers are real and useful. They are also small, and an agent can use one up in an afternoon.

The numbers above come from each page's own facts, which cite the vendor pricing pages. Prices change, so check the linked page and the vendor's page before you plan around a number.

How agents burn free tiers

Search and crawl tools charge per call or per credit, and an agent that is "being thorough" makes many calls. A research task can take a dozen searches and twenty page extractions. Three habits keep a free tier alive:

1. Set a budget in the prompt. "Use at most five searches for this task" works better than hoping.
2. Prefer one fetch over one crawl. A crawl multiplies cost by the number of pages. Firecrawl's own README says to set limits on crawls.
3. Check usage after the first real task. Most dashboards show credits used. Learn what one job costs before you leave an agent alone.

Kind 3: free to connect, account needed

Hosted servers from vendors usually add no MCP fee. You sign in with OAuth or a token, and the agent acts with your account's rights. The money questions become plan questions: seats, rate limits and which features your plan includes.

The "free" in this group is the weakest guarantee. A hosted server can add a fee, drop a free plan or limit a feature to higher plans, and you have no code to fall back on. Prefer a server you can also run yourself when the work matters.

Free servers that are archived

A server can be free and still a poor choice. Several of the first reference servers are now archived: the project says they get no fixes. If a guide tells you to install one, check the date.

The pattern is simple. Once a vendor ships its own server, the community reference copy goes away. Vendor servers get fixes as the vendor's API changes.

How to install any of them

The shape is the same everywhere. A local server is a command and arguments. A hosted server is a URL. Here is one example, the free Fetch server, in each agent. Lines are our adaptation from each agent's own docs. See MCP clients for the field names.

Claude Code

claude mcp add fetch -- uvx mcp-server-fetch

For a hosted server: claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>.

Codex

In ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.fetch]
command = "uvx"
args = ["mcp-server-fetch"]

Cursor

In .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["mcp-server-fetch"] }
  }
}

Antigravity

In ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json, under mcpServers, use the same command and args. For a hosted server use serverUrl. Gemini CLI is now for Code Assist enterprise customers only.

OpenCode

In opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "fetch": { "type": "local", "command": ["uvx", "mcp-server-fetch"] }
  }
}

For a hosted server use "type": "remote" and a url.

Finding more free servers

The official MCP Registry at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io lists published servers, and the main repository's README points there for a list. It is the best place to start, but a listing is not an endorsement. Before you install anything from a directory:

1. Check the maintainer. A vendor's own repo is better than a lookalike. Names collide: we found several unrelated "puppeteer-mcp-server" projects.
2. Check the licence file. Not the badge. Open the LICENSE.
3. Check the last push and the archive flag. Many popular tutorials point at repos that stopped moving in 2025.
4. Read the tool list. A server with a run_command or execute_sql tool can do anything its credentials allow.
5. Run it with the least access you can. A read-only database user, a copy of a file, a throwaway account.

Our MCP server list records licence, maintainer, last push and archive status for a larger set, and best MCP servers says which ones we would add first.

Which free servers to start with

Our take

We did not run these servers for this page. This is a sorting of facts from our own pages and from the vendors' pricing and repository pages.

The useful question is not "is it free" but "what happens when I use it a lot". Local servers cost nothing and fail safe. Metered servers are fine as long as you watch the meter. Hosted free servers are the most convenient and the least in your control.

Our rule of thumb is to start with the local servers, add one metered server for search or docs, and connect hosted vendor servers only for the accounts you already use. Leave archived servers alone. And never mistake a licence badge for a price list.

A short checklist before you add a free server

1. Name the kind: local, metered or hosted.
2. Read the vendor's pricing page for the service behind it.
3. Check the repo's licence file, last push and archive flag.
4. Look at the tool list for anything that writes or runs commands.
5. Install it with the least access that works.
6. Check usage after the first real task.

Frequently asked questions

Are MCP servers free?

Most servers cost nothing to install, and many are open source. What can cost money is the service behind them: a search API, a hosted database or a cloud account.

Which MCP servers are free with no account?

The reference servers (Filesystem, Fetch, Git, Memory, Sequential Thinking, Time), Playwright MCP, Chrome DevTools MCP and Repomix all run locally with no account.

Which have a free tier?

Context7 (1,000 API calls a month on its Free plan), Tavily (1,000 credits a month), Firecrawl (1,000 credits a month), Exa (monthly credits on its Starter plan) and Brave Search ($5 in free credits a month).

Is an open-source licence the same as free to use?

No. A server can be MIT licensed and still call a paid API. Check the service behind the server, not only the licence.

Where do I find more?

The official MCP Registry at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io lists published servers. Check each repo's licence, last push and archive status before you rely on one.