Alpaca MCP Server vs Alpaca Trading MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two Finance & Payments servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Alpaca MCP Server Alpaca's official trading server for stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto in plain English. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	Alpaca Trading MCP Server Manage your Alpaca stock and crypto portfolio, place trades, and access market data via MCP. Unverified stdio (local) API key Stale Python
Category	Finance & Payments	Finance & Payments
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	820	32
Last commit	2 months ago	1 year ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx alpaca-mcp-server`	`pip install -e .`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Alpaca MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick Alpaca Trading MCP Server if you prefer its approach (manage your alpaca stock and crypto portfolio, place trades, and access market data via mcp).

Add Alpaca MCP Server

Install / run

uvx alpaca-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "alpaca-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "<your-alpaca-api-key>",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "<your-alpaca-secret-key>",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Alpaca Trading MCP Server

Install / run

pip install -e .

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca-trading-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/PARENT/FOLDER/alpaca-mcp-server",
        "run",
        "src/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Alpaca MCP Server or Alpaca Trading MCP Server — which is better?

Pick Alpaca MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Alpaca Trading MCP Server if you prefer its approach (manage your alpaca stock and crypto portfolio, place trades, and access market data via mcp).

Can I use both Alpaca MCP Server and Alpaca Trading MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Alpaca MCP Server and Alpaca Trading MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Alpaca MCP Server →View Alpaca Trading MCP Server →More comparisons →