SEC EDGAR MCP vs Alpaca MCP Server

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

	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	Alpaca MCP Server Alpaca's official trading server for stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto in plain English. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Finance & Payments	Finance & Payments
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	328	820
Last commit	3 days ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`docker run -i --rm -e "SEC_EDGAR_USER_AGENT=Your Name (your@email.com)" stefanoamorelli/sec-edgar-mcp:latest`	`uvx alpaca-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick SEC EDGAR MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key.

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

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.

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.

FAQ

SEC EDGAR MCP or Alpaca MCP Server — which is better?

Pick SEC EDGAR MCP if you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick Alpaca MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both SEC EDGAR MCP and Alpaca 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 SEC EDGAR MCP and Alpaca MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View SEC EDGAR MCP →View Alpaca MCP Server →More comparisons →