Neo4j Cypher MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

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

	Neo4j Cypher MCP Server Run Cypher queries and explore graph schema on Neo4j from your AI assistant. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) Google's official MCP server with prebuilt BigQuery tools, querying datasets via Application Default Credentials. Verified stdio (local) OAuth Go
Category	Databases	Databases
Language	Python	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	OAuth
GitHub stars	1.3k	16k
Last commit	1 month ago	13 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-neo4j-cypher --transport stdio`	`brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Neo4j Cypher MCP Server if you prefer its approach (run cypher queries and explore graph schema on neo4j from your ai assistant).

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Neo4j Cypher MCP Server

Install / run

uvx mcp-neo4j-cypher --transport stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j-cypher-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-neo4j-cypher",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "bolt://localhost:7687",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "<your-password>",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "neo4j"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Add MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

Install / run

brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-toolbox-for-databases-bigquery": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/toolbox",
      "args": [
        "--prebuilt",
        "bigquery",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "<your-gcp-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Neo4j Cypher MCP Server or MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) — which is better?

Pick Neo4j Cypher MCP Server if you prefer its approach (run cypher queries and explore graph schema on neo4j from your ai assistant). Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Neo4j Cypher MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)?

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 Neo4j Cypher MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Neo4j Cypher MCP Server →View MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) →More comparisons →