Key findings
- 646 of 659 listings (98.0%) state how the server runs clearly enough to classify.
- 472 servers can be used remotely, and 304 can be run locally.
Data
| Hosting | Servers | Share of catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Remote only | 342 | 51.9% |
| Local only | 174 | 26.4% |
| Both remote and local | 130 | 19.7% |
| Not stated in a classifiable way | 13 | 2.0% |
Method
- Source: the MCPfolio catalog release published 2026-11-11, 659 server listings. Figures update when a new catalog release is published.
- Hosting is recorded as free text from publisher documentation. A listing is “remote” if its text describes a hosted, cloud, or remote service, “local” if it describes a local, stdio, or self-hosted process, and “both” if it describes both.
- When the hosting text says nothing usable, the documented transport is used: stdio counts as local, HTTP or SSE as remote. Listings with neither are shown as not stated.
- This is a text classification, so a small number of listings may be placed in a neighbouring group.
Frequently asked questions
Are most MCP servers remote or local?
342 are remote only (51.9%) and 174 are local only (26.4%), out of 659 listings. 130 offer both.
What does a local MCP server mean?
A local MCP server runs as a process on your own machine, usually over stdio. A remote server is hosted by the publisher or another provider and is reached over HTTP.