n8n-MCP vs Excel MCP Server

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

	n8n-MCP Gives AI assistants deep knowledge of 2,000+ n8n nodes, plus optional workflow management on your own n8n instance. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	Excel MCP Server Create, read, and modify Excel workbooks with your AI agent — no Microsoft Excel required. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	22k	3.9k
Last commit	3 days ago	2 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx n8n-mcp`	`uvx excel-mcp-server stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick n8n-MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

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

Add n8n-MCP

Install / run

npx n8n-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "n8n-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "<your-n8n-instance-url>",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "<your-n8n-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Excel MCP Server

Install / run

uvx excel-mcp-server stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "excel-mcp-server",
        "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

FAQ

n8n-MCP or Excel MCP Server — which is better?

Pick n8n-MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Excel MCP Server if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both n8n-MCP and Excel 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 n8n-MCP and Excel MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View n8n-MCP →View Excel MCP Server →More comparisons →