Smithery vs Glama
Smithery and Glama side by side: what each one is, verified plan pricing and install commands where we have them, and the full review of each.
Smithery
Registry and hosting platform for MCP servers, now part of Arcade.dev. 27,300+ MCPs listed. One-command install and configuration via CLI. Supports local and hosted deployments.
Glama
Largest MCP server registry with 101,000+ servers, a superset of the official MCP Registry. License, quality, and maintenance grades (A to D), compatibility scoring, and install configs. ChatGPT-like UI for browsing and testing.
At a glance
| Field | | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | MCP Tools | MCP Tools |
| Website | smithery.ai | glama.ai |
| Pricing | Registry - smithery.ai stays up as a public directory of MCP servers, now powered by Arcade.dev; Paid plans - Smithery is refunding every charge since August 5 and cancelling subscriptions, as its connection services shut down on October 31, 2026 | Free account - available (glama.ai/mcp offers 'Create a Free Account'); browsing the registry needs no account; Paid workspace plans - prices are shown only after sign-in at glama.ai/pricing |
| Models | From October 31, 2026, Smithery is a public (non-proxied) MCP registry. A curated set of verified servers show direct MCP URLs on their registry pages (for example mcp.linear.app/mcp). Server URLs on run.tools and server.smithery.ai, the Smithery API, Connect and Toolbox, Smithery accounts and API keys, and the Smithery CLI and SDKs stop working that day, so connect to each vendor's official MCP URL instead. | Glama is an MCP registry, hosting platform and gateway, not a model. Its servers and gateway work with MCP clients such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed and JetBrains IDEs. The workspace also includes a ChatGPT-like chat with native MCP support. |
| Last verified | October 31, 2026 | October 31, 2026 |
In Depth
Smithery
Smithery is a registry and management platform for Model Context Protocol servers, and has been part of Arcade.dev since its August 2026 acquisition. The CLI lets you add MCP servers to your client from your terminal in one command, without hand-editing JSON config files. It supports both local clients where tools run on your machine and remote Smithery connections served through its REST API and Vercel AI SDK integration. You name the target client (smithery mcp add <server> --client <name>), such as Claude Desktop or Cursor, and it writes the config for that client. The free Hobby plan covers 50K RPCs a month. For developers entering the MCP ecosystem, Smithery is the easiest on-ramp. Browse the registry, run a single install command, and your AI assistant has new capabilities.
Glama
Glama hosts the largest collection of Model Context Protocol servers, with over 102,000 in its registry as of October 2026. Servers carry separate letter grades (A to D) for license, quality, and maintenance so you can assess risk before installing. The directory supports sorting by relevance, recent usage, date added, date updated, weekly npm and PyPI downloads, and GitHub stars. Beyond the directory, Glama provides a ChatGPT-like UI for browsing and testing servers, an API gateway, and multiple transport options. It also features curated packs and trending skills to help you discover useful servers. For teams evaluating MCP servers for production use, the license, quality, and maintenance grades give a quick first pass before deeper review.
FAQ
Answers taken from each tool's verified fact sheet, with the date it was last checked.
How much does Smithery cost?
As of October 31, 2026: Registry - smithery.ai stays up as a public directory of MCP servers, now powered by Arcade.dev; Paid plans - Smithery is refunding every charge since August 5 and cancelling subscriptions, as its connection services shut down on October 31, 2026. Source: The future of Smithery, Smithery pricing, Smithery homepage, Arcade announcement.
Which models does Smithery use?
As of October 31, 2026: From October 31, 2026, Smithery is a public (non-proxied) MCP registry. A curated set of verified servers show direct MCP URLs on their registry pages (for example mcp.linear.app/mcp). Server URLs on run.tools and server.smithery.ai, the Smithery API, Connect and Toolbox, Smithery accounts and API keys, and the Smithery CLI and SDKs stop working that day, so connect to each vendor's official MCP URL instead.
How much does Glama cost?
As of October 31, 2026: Free account - available (glama.ai/mcp offers 'Create a Free Account'); browsing the registry needs no account; Paid workspace plans - prices are shown only after sign-in at glama.ai/pricing. Source: Glama homepage, MCP directory, MCP server registry, Pricing (sign-in required), Glama blog.
Which models does Glama use?
As of October 31, 2026: Glama is an MCP registry, hosting platform and gateway, not a model. Its servers and gateway work with MCP clients such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed and JetBrains IDEs. The workspace also includes a ChatGPT-like chat with native MCP support.
