Alpaca MCP Server vs SEC EDGAR MCP

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	SEC EDGAR MCP Query SEC EDGAR filings — 10-K/10-Q/8-K sections, XBRL financials, insider trades — with exact numbers and source URLs. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Finance & Payments	Finance & Payments
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	820	328
Last commit	2 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx alpaca-mcp-server`	`docker run -i --rm -e "SEC_EDGAR_USER_AGENT=Your Name (your@email.com)" stefanoamorelli/sec-edgar-mcp:latest`
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 SEC EDGAR MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key.

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 SEC EDGAR MCP

Install / run

docker run -i --rm -e "SEC_EDGAR_USER_AGENT=Your Name (your@email.com)" stefanoamorelli/sec-edgar-mcp:latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sec-edgar-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "SEC_EDGAR_USER_AGENT=Your Name (your@email.com)",
        "stefanoamorelli/sec-edgar-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires Docker to be installed and running.

FAQ

Alpaca MCP Server or SEC EDGAR MCP — 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 SEC EDGAR MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both Alpaca MCP Server and SEC EDGAR MCP?

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 SEC EDGAR MCP 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 SEC EDGAR MCP →More comparisons →