# MCP Server Research: Data From the MCPfolio Catalog
> Original statistics on MCP servers: categories, tool counts, common tools, publishers, remote vs local hosting, and popularity. Computed from the MCPfolio catalog with methods stated.
Canonical: https://www.mcpfolio.com/research
Last updated: 2026-11-11
Statistics computed from the MCPfolio catalog (release published 2026-11-11). Each page states its method and what it excludes.

## Studies

- [659 MCP Servers by Category](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/mcp-servers-by-category): The MCPfolio catalog lists 659 MCP servers in 14 categories. Search is the largest category (342 servers, 51.9%), followed by Development (217, 32.9%).
- [MCP Server Tool Counts: Median 11 Across 242 Servers](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/mcp-server-tool-counts): Among the 242 MCP servers in the MCPfolio catalog with an exact documented tool count, the median server exposes 11 tools and the mean is 33.3. 116 of them (47.9%) expose 10 or fewer.
- [Most Common MCP Tools: 15,624 Tools From 630 Servers](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/most-common-mcp-tools): Across 15,624 tools listed by 630 MCP servers, 63.1% of recognisable tools read data. 323 of 630 servers (51.3%) list at least one tool that creates, updates, deletes, or sends.
- [MCP Server Publishers: 554 Publishers, Google Cloud Leads With 61](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/mcp-server-publishers): The MCPfolio catalog's 659 MCP servers come from 554 named publishers. Google Cloud has the most listings (61, 9.3%), and 535 publishers (96.6%) have exactly one.
- [Remote vs Local MCP Servers: 51.9% Remote, 26.4% Local](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/remote-vs-local-mcp-servers): Of 659 MCP servers in the MCPfolio catalog, 342 (51.9%) are remote only, 174 (26.4%) are local only, and 130 (19.7%) offer both. 13 do not state how they run.
- [Most Popular MCP Servers by GitHub Stars and Page Views](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/most-popular-mcp-servers): By GitHub stars, Microsoft MarkItDown MCP is the most popular MCP server in the MCPfolio catalog (190,228 stars across 158 repositories with star data). By MCPfolio page views, Firecrawl MCP leads with 578 of 21,064 recorded views.

## How these numbers are produced

- Every figure is calculated from the catalog database when the page is built. Nothing is estimated, rounded up, or entered by hand.
- Counts that the catalog only partly knows (for example, partial tool lists) are excluded and the exclusion is stated on the page.
- Statistics describe the MCPfolio catalog, not every MCP server that exists.

## Frequently asked questions

### Where do these MCP statistics come from?

They are calculated from the MCPfolio catalog database. Each study page names its source release and method.

### Can I cite these numbers?

Yes. Cite the study page URL and the catalog release date shown on it.