Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) vs Desktop Commander

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

	Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) Popular community server that feeds Figma layout data to coding agents via a Figma API token. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	Desktop Commander Powerful local filesystem + terminal MCP server: search, diff-edit files, and run shell commands. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Design & Media	Files & Storage
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	15k	6.2k
Last commit	19 days ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y figma-developer-mcp --stdio`	`npx -y @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick Desktop Commander if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp)

Install / run

npx -y figma-developer-mcp --stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma-context-mcp-figma-developer-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "figma-developer-mcp",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FIGMA_API_KEY": "<your-figma-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Desktop Commander

Install / run

npx -y @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) or Desktop Commander — which is better?

Pick Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Desktop Commander if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) and Desktop Commander?

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 Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) and Desktop Commander work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Figma Context MCP (figma-developer-mcp) →View Desktop Commander →More comparisons →