Cursor MCP directory alternatives compared
Generating mcp.json files versus Smithery and awesome-mcp-servers.
What these figures are based on
Rows describe each tool’s documented behaviour. They are not results of a timed test.
MCP Config Forge vs Static MCP Directories
| Capability | MCP Config Forge | Smithery (smithery.ai) | awesome-mcp-servers (GitHub, punkpeye) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A generator that writes MCP config files for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code CLI and VS Code | A hosted catalog of MCP servers and integrations that connects them to agents, with managed OAuth and credential storage | A community-curated README list of MCP servers with links |
| Output | Ready-to-paste JSON per client, plus an optional install.sh | Connections managed by its platform (see its docs) | Links only; you follow each server’s own README |
| Config validation | In-browser JSON check with suggested fixes | Not compared here | None (it is a list) |
| API / MCP access | GET /api/v1/forge and POST /mcp | Its docs are available over MCP | GitHub repository |
| Price | Free generator; $49 one-time team licence | See smithery.ai (not checked here) | Free |
Sources, checked 2026-11-01: smithery.ai/docs and github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers. Rows marked “not compared” or “not checked” were not tested. Product names belong to their owners.
Agency & Team Registry Lifetime Buyout
$49 one-time payment
- Unlimited seats & shared .cursor/mcp.json lockfiles
- Windows 11 cmd /c wrapper & secret-leak CI validation
- Private internal MCP server blueprint hosting
Recurring & Sponsor Tiers
Team Registry Pro
$19/mo · 25 developer seats
Weekly Ecosystem Sponsor
$99/wk · Header & llms.txt slot