---
title: "Are MCP servers free? What each kind costs in 2026"
url: "https://conecto.chat/guides/are-mcp-servers-free"
description: "The MCP protocol is free and open source. Most vendors add no fee for their own server, connector platforms meter calls, and some servers charge per action."
author: "Vadim Dunaevskiy"
author_url: "https://conecto.chat/guides/authors/vadim-dunaevskiy"
publisher: "Conecto"
published: 2026-11-10
updated: 2026-11-10
sources_checked: 2026-11-10
standards: "https://conecto.chat/guides/standards"
---

# Are MCP servers free? What each kind costs

Most MCP servers cost nothing to connect. The protocol is free and open source, and software makers such as Stripe, Square, HubSpot and Asana list no fee for their own servers. You pay when a server meters its calls, as connector platforms do, or charges per action. We read each price below on November 10, 2026.

Give this to your agent: `Set up Conecto from https://conecto.chat/SKILL.md, then show me what you can run for our business.`

## The short answer

| What you might pay for | Is it free? |
| --- | --- |
| The protocol | Yes. MCP is an open-source standard.[[1]](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) |
| Open-source server software | Yes, and you run it yourself.[[3]](https://github.com/intuit/quickbooks-online-mcp-server)[[4]](https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-mcp-server) |
| A software maker's own server | Usually. The makers below list no fee for the server.[[5]](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)[[6]](https://developer.squareup.com/docs/mcp)[[7]](https://developers.hubspot.com/ai-tools/mcp)[[8]](https://developers.asana.com/docs/using-asanas-mcp-server) |
| A connector platform | Up to a free allowance, then by the call or the plan.[[9]](https://zapier.com/pricing)[[10]](https://composio.dev/pricing) |
| A server that hosts the tools itself | By the action, on Conecto.[[14]](https://conecto.chat/SKILL.md) |
| Your AI app | Separate. Claude's Free plan allows one custom connector.[[15]](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp) |

## The protocol and the open-source servers are free

MCP is an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to other systems.[[1]](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) Anthropic donated it in December 2025 to the Agentic AI Foundation, a fund under the Linux Foundation.[[2]](https://www.anthropic.com/news/donating-the-model-context-protocol-and-establishing-of-the-agentic-ai-foundation) Nobody pays to use the protocol.

Many servers are open source too. Intuit publishes its QuickBooks Online server on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, and Xero publishes its server under the MIT license.[[3]](https://github.com/intuit/quickbooks-online-mcp-server)[[4]](https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-mcp-server) The software is free. You run it on your own computer, and you need an account with the service it talks to.

## Servers from software you already use

Stripe, Square, HubSpot and Asana each run a remote server and publish its address in their developer documentation. Those pages give the address and the sign-in, and none of them lists a fee for the server itself.[[5]](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)[[6]](https://developer.squareup.com/docs/mcp)[[7]](https://developers.hubspot.com/ai-tools/mcp)[[8]](https://developers.asana.com/docs/using-asanas-mcp-server) You need an account with the maker, and the agent works with whatever that account can already do.

So for a business that already pays for these tools, connecting them to an agent usually adds nothing to the bill. [Remote MCP servers](https://conecto.chat/guides/remote-mcp-server) lists their addresses.

## Connector platforms: free up to a point

A connector platform puts many apps behind one MCP server and meters what your agent does. These are the free allowances and the first paid step on each pricing page.

| Platform | Free | Then |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zapier MCP | 100 tasks a month, which is 50 tool calls | Paid plans from $19.99 a month[[9]](https://zapier.com/pricing) |
| Composio | 100,000 tool calls a month | $29 a month, with $29 of usage included[[10]](https://composio.dev/pricing) |
| Pipedream | Building and testing | $99 a month billed annually, or $150 monthly[[11]](https://pipedream.com/pricing) |
| Make | 1,000 credits a month | $11 a month billed annually, for 10,000 credits[[12]](https://www.make.com/en/pricing) |
| Activepieces | 1,000 credits a month | $20 a month, for 10,000 credits[[13]](https://www.activepieces.com/pricing) |

Zapier MCP is available to every Zapier account, and each tool call uses two tasks from the plan's quota.[[9]](https://zapier.com/pricing) [Zapier MCP alternatives](https://conecto.chat/guides/zapier-mcp-alternatives) compares these platforms in detail.

## Servers that charge per action

Some servers host the system and charge for what the agent does in it. Conecto, our product, works this way. An agent signs up with $1.00 of credit, reading the business's own data is free up to a million reads a month, a change to a record costs $0.01, and a call that fails costs nothing.[[14]](https://conecto.chat/SKILL.md) More than half of Conecto's tools cost nothing to call, and the median paid call costs one cent. Both numbers are on our [statistics page](https://conecto.chat/statistics).

## What your AI app charges

The server is one cost and the AI app another. Claude lets every plan, Free included, add custom connectors that use a remote MCP server, and limits Free accounts to one.[[15]](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp) In ChatGPT we added a custom MCP server on a Free account on November 3, 2026. In a Business workspace only admins and owners can create one.[[16]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt)

## What it costs to run your own

The software is free when you run an open-source server such as Intuit's or Xero's.[[3]](https://github.com/intuit/quickbooks-online-mcp-server)[[4]](https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-mcp-server) What you pay for is where it runs. A local server costs nothing beyond your own computer. A remote one needs hosting at a public HTTPS address, and ChatGPT asks for exactly that when you add a server.[[16]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt)

## How to check a server's price before you connect

1. Find who runs it. The maker of the software, a connector platform or a stranger.
2. Read that company's pricing page for the words MCP, tool call, task or credit.
3. Check what counts. Zapier counts two tasks for each tool call.[[9]](https://zapier.com/pricing)
4. Look for a cap. Composio's free plan stops at its limit and its paid plan lets you set a spend cap.[[10]](https://composio.dev/pricing)

## Questions

### Are MCP servers free?

Most are free to connect. The protocol is open source,[[1]](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) and makers such as Stripe, Square, HubSpot and Asana list no fee for their own servers.[[5]](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)[[6]](https://developer.squareup.com/docs/mcp)[[7]](https://developers.hubspot.com/ai-tools/mcp)[[8]](https://developers.asana.com/docs/using-asanas-mcp-server) Connector platforms and servers that host the tools themselves charge by the call, the plan or the action.

### Is MCP open source?

Yes. MCP is an open-source standard,[[1]](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) and since December 2025 it belongs to the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation.[[2]](https://www.anthropic.com/news/donating-the-model-context-protocol-and-establishing-of-the-agentic-ai-foundation)

### Is Zapier MCP free?

It is available to every Zapier account. The Free plan's 100 tasks a month cover 50 tool calls, because each call uses two tasks.[[9]](https://zapier.com/pricing)

### Is the Stripe MCP server free?

Stripe's documentation gives the server's address and sign-in and lists no fee for the server itself.[[5]](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)

### Do I need a paid Claude or ChatGPT plan to use an MCP server?

No. Claude's Free plan allows one custom connector,[[15]](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp) and we added a custom MCP server in ChatGPT on a Free account on November 3, 2026.

### What is the cheapest way to give an agent business tools?

Start with the servers of the software you already pay for, since they add no fee. For tools you don't have yet, compare a connector platform's free allowance with a server that charges per action. On Conecto a change to a record costs $0.01 and reading is free up to a million reads a month.[[14]](https://conecto.chat/SKILL.md)

## Sources

We read these pages on November 10, 2026. Each number in the guide links to the page behind that sentence.

1. [What is the Model Context Protocol, Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro)
2. [Donating the Model Context Protocol and establishing the Agentic AI Foundation, Anthropic, December 9, 2025](https://www.anthropic.com/news/donating-the-model-context-protocol-and-establishing-of-the-agentic-ai-foundation)
3. [QuickBooks Online MCP Server, Intuit on GitHub](https://github.com/intuit/quickbooks-online-mcp-server)
4. [Xero MCP Server, Xero on GitHub](https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-mcp-server)
5. [Model Context Protocol, Stripe documentation](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)
6. [Square MCP server, Square Developer](https://developer.squareup.com/docs/mcp)
7. [HubSpot MCP servers, HubSpot Developers](https://developers.hubspot.com/ai-tools/mcp)
8. [Using Asana's MCP server, Asana Developers](https://developers.asana.com/docs/using-asanas-mcp-server)
9. [Zapier pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing)
10. [Composio pricing](https://composio.dev/pricing)
11. [Pipedream pricing](https://pipedream.com/pricing)
12. [Make pricing](https://www.make.com/en/pricing)
13. [Activepieces pricing](https://www.activepieces.com/pricing)
14. [Conecto SKILL.md](https://conecto.chat/SKILL.md)
15. [Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP, Claude Help Center](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp)
16. [Connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt)

Conecto publishes this guide and sells business tools for AI agents. [How we write our guides](https://conecto.chat/guides/standards.md). To report a mistake, write to hello@conecto.chat.

## More guides

- [What is an MCP server?](https://conecto.chat/guides/what-is-an-mcp-server.md): An MCP server gives an AI agent tools it can call, like a CRM, an inbox or a calendar. How MCP works, how to connect a server, and what to check first.
- [The best MCP servers for small business in 2026](https://conecto.chat/guides/best-mcp-servers-for-small-business.md): Eleven MCP servers a small business can connect to Claude or ChatGPT: payments, accounting, CRM, docs, tasks and support, checked on each vendor's docs.
- [Can ChatGPT and Claude send emails?](https://conecto.chat/guides/can-chatgpt-and-claude-send-emails.md): Claude sends Gmail after you approve it, and Outlook mail from work accounts. What ChatGPT's Gmail and Outlook apps can do, and how any agent can send safely.
- [Will AI replace bookkeepers and accountants?](https://conecto.chat/guides/will-ai-replace-bookkeepers.md): BLS projects bookkeeping clerk jobs to fall 6% by 2035 while accountant jobs grow 5%. What AI does in the books today, and what stays with people.
- [MCP vs API: what's the difference?](https://conecto.chat/guides/mcp-vs-api.md): A developer writes code against an API. An AI agent finds an MCP server's tools and calls them itself. How the two differ, fit together, and when to use each.
- [Zapier MCP alternatives in 2026](https://conecto.chat/guides/zapier-mcp-alternatives.md): Six ways to give Claude or ChatGPT actions in other apps: Composio, Pipedream, n8n, Make, Activepieces and Conecto, with prices read on their pages.
- [Claude connectors](https://conecto.chat/guides/claude-connectors.md): Claude connectors let Claude read and act in your apps. Where to find them, how to add a custom connector, what each plan allows, and what to check first.
- [ChatGPT connectors: apps, plugins and custom MCP servers](https://conecto.chat/guides/chatgpt-connectors.md): ChatGPT's connectors are now called apps. What they do, where to find them, how to add a custom MCP server on any plan, and how to connect a tool with no app.
- [AI bookkeeping: what it does, what it costs, and a two-month test](https://conecto.chat/guides/ai-bookkeeping.md): What AI bookkeeping does, what nine options cost (prices read November 4, 2026), and two months of a sample bike shop's bank lines booked by an AI agent.
- [What an answering service costs: 18 services billed for the same calls](https://conecto.chat/guides/answering-service-cost.md): We priced 18 live and AI answering services on the same 50, 150 and 400 calls a month. For 150 calls, live answering ran $309 to $1,725 and AI $79 to $270.
- [Composio alternatives in 2026](https://conecto.chat/guides/composio-alternatives.md): Seven Composio alternatives for giving an AI agent tools and sign-in: Nango, Arcade, Pipedream, Merge, Scalekit, Paragon and Zapier, priced from their pages.
- [The best Claude connectors in 2026, by job](https://conecto.chat/guides/best-claude-connectors.md): 23 Claude connectors for running a business, by job: email, files, CRM, payments, accounting, payroll, contracts and support, from Anthropic's own directory.
- [The best AI agents for small business in 2026](https://conecto.chat/guides/best-ai-agents-for-small-business.md): Nine AI agents a small business can use in 2026, by job: assistants, support, sales, online stores, the inbox and workflows, priced from each maker's page.
- [What an AI receptionist costs: 8 services billed for the same calls](https://conecto.chat/guides/ai-receptionist-cost.md): We priced 8 AI receptionists on the same 50 to 400 calls a month. For 150 calls the bills run from $79 to $270, against $4,525 for a receptionist on staff.
- [Remote MCP servers: what they are and how to connect one](https://conecto.chat/guides/remote-mcp-server.md): A remote MCP server runs at a web address, with nothing to install. How it differs from a local one, how to add one to Claude or ChatGPT, and seven to try.
- [The best AI receptionists in 2026, compared on the same calls](https://conecto.chat/guides/best-ai-receptionist.md): Eight AI receptionists compared on the same calls, from prices read November 10, 2026. Which one costs least at your volume, and what each is good for.
- [What a virtual receptionist costs: six services priced by the minute](https://conecto.chat/guides/virtual-receptionist-cost.md): Six virtual receptionist services priced for the same 50 to 500 minutes a month. A 100-minute month costs $159 to $415, or about $2.72 a minute at the median.
- [Zendesk MCP: the client, the server and what works today](https://conecto.chat/guides/zendesk-mcp.md): Zendesk's MCP client connects Zendesk to other servers. Its own server for your agent was announced for summer 2026. What works today and three ways around it.
- [QuickBooks alternatives in 2026: eight options and what they cost](https://conecto.chat/guides/quickbooks-alternatives.md): Eight alternatives to QuickBooks Online, prices read November 10, 2026. Three have a free plan, paid plans run $19 to $65 a month and one charges per entry.