# amCharts 5 MCP Server vs Ref

> amCharts 5 scores 65.8 (B) to Ref's 49.4 (D) for documentation lookup. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-ref
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-ref.md (~3,850 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

amCharts 5 MCP Server scores 65.8 (B) on agent readiness against Ref's 49.4 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Ref leads on security & auth and transparency & trust. Both do documentation lookup.

- amCharts 5 MCP Server: grade B, 65.8/100, rank #404 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amcharts-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/amcharts-mcp.json
- Ref: grade D, 49.4/100, rank #1095 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ref.json
- Best code, repository and documentation tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/code/index.md
- All 70 code comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/code/index.md

## Which one, for what

### amCharts 5 MCP Server (B)

Good for: Coding agents writing amCharts 5 charts and maps.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 65 against 15
- Schema & documentation, 84 against 68
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 75 against 35

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch for: Only useful for amCharts 5 code

### Ref (D)

Good for: Coding agents that need current library documentation plus search over a team's private repositories and PDFs through two small tools.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 63 against 50
- Transparency & trust, 69 against 57

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: No npm release since 3.0.3 on 4 November 2025


## Why the edge

### Reliability: amCharts 5 MCP Server +50

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (65): Local-software reading for an open-source server that amCharts also hosts. Installs as @amcharts/amcharts5-mcp, and the hosted URL needs nothing installed (20). test.yml runs on the repository; pass state not read (15 of 25). Repository issues not read (0). A dated CHANGELOG.md with semver releases (15). Version 1.9.4 (15). 20 + 15 + 0 + 15 + 15 = 65.
- Ref (15): Scored as a hosted MCP server. ref.tools and docs.ref.tools are paused for this run pending a ruling on Ref's terms, so their readings are per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November. ref.tools/status is a single-page application. Its eight components, 30-day bars and four incidents were read on 8 October only from the script file the page loads, which this run doesn't count (script bundles are barred), so the page's contents are unread (0 of 20) and no incident history is readable (5). No rate limit is documented. The 8 October reading of a `ratelimit-policy` header came from a request to Ref's API, which this run doesn't count as evidence, and credit allowances aren't rate limits (0). No 429 or retry guidance was found in the reviewed documentation (0). No SLA found (0). The hosted endpoint is generally available (10). 0+5+0+0+0+10 = 15.

### Maintenance & community: amCharts 5 MCP Server +40

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (75): v1.9.4 on 25 October 2026 (30). Eight releases since 8 October (20). Issues not read (0). Official registry entry io.github.amcharts/amcharts5 (15). CI with test and deploy workflows (10). 30 + 20 + 0 + 15 + 10 = 75. Registry presence read from Anchor Terminal's own daily import of the official MCP registry (/api/v1/registry.json, 6 November 2026), not the registry's API.
- Ref (35): No dated release or API change of Ref Context is readable within 180 days. The `ref-tools-mcp` package was last published on 4 November 2025 (3.0.3, the version-bump commit is dated the same day in the repository), 365 days before this check. The 31 July and 30 September 2026 updates were read on 8 October from mailchi.mp, whose robots.txt now disallows every crawler, so they're struck; the docs changelog index gives months only, and both covered Ref Plans. The repository's last commits, on 28 September 2026, are dependency updates, which can't set recency (0 of 30). No releases or dated entries in the 90 days from 6 August (0). Per the 8 October reading of GitHub's API, closed issues show two to five comments each and September's open pull requests one comment each, and the docs promise a reply within one business day (15). The official MCP registry lists `tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp` under Ref's own domain, at 3.0.1 from 28 October 2025, still on 4 November (15). Dependabot alerts were cleared on 28 September 2026. The only workflow builds a bundle on release, with no tests (5). 0+0+15+15+5 = 35.

### Payments & pricing: amCharts 5 MCP Server +25

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (60): Free, with nothing to buy for the server and no payment protocol. 0 + 20 + 20 + 20 = 60.
- Ref (35): Per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November (ref.tools and docs.ref.tools are paused for this run pending a ruling on Ref's terms). No x402, MPP or L402 (0). One credit per tool call and $10 per 1,000 extra credits are published without a login (20). The free plan is 200 one-time credits that never expire, not a recurring allowance, and the docs don't say whether sign-up needs a card (15). A person has to sign up in a browser to get a key (0).

### Schema & documentation: amCharts 5 MCP Server +16

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (84): 12 tools read from tools/list with JSON Schema inputs (25). Docs served as Markdown to the agent (10). Descriptions say what each returns, and the docs explain the on-demand approach (16 of 20). Typed inputs with two enums (10 of 15). Worked examples in the README (8 of 15). Dated changelog (15). 25 + 10 + 16 + 10 + 8 + 15 = 84.
- Ref (68): Both tools have typed JSON Schema inputs in the open-source server (25). docs.ref.tools/llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page exist (10). The descriptions say what each tool does and that a read takes the exact URL from a search, with nothing on when not to use them (12). Each tool takes one required string with no enums or bounds, and private search is switched on by writing `ref_src=private` inside the query text (7). The README shows two worked search-and-read sequences with token counts. No error responses are documented (6). The npm package follows semver, but the repository has no changelog file and no GitHub releases, and product changes appear only in monthly newsletters listed on the docs changelog page (per the 8 October check), whose copies on mailchi.mp now disallow every crawler (8).

### Security & auth: Ref +13

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (50): No credential, so nothing to leak, scope or revoke, as the checkatrade listing reads it (15 of 30). Read-only tools (20). Returns amCharts' own docs (10). No audit log (0). No security programme found (5 of 20). 15 + 20 + 10 + 0 + 5 = 50.
- Ref (63): Per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November. OAuth through Scalekit with two scopes, `public_docs:read` and `private_docs:read`, or an API key. Key rotation and revocation aren't described in the docs (26). Less 10 because the install docs give `?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY` in the URL as a documented option (16). Both tools are read-only, the scopes separate public from private search, and team roles limit who can add to the index (16). `ref_read_url` returns third-party web content. Ref's comparison page says Centure.ai detects and blocks prompt injection in scraped and uploaded content, which we can't test (11). ref.tools/activity logs user identity, tool calls and arguments (13). A valid security.txt (expires 1 July 2027) and a security@ref.tools contact, with no acknowledgement time. SOC 2 is in progress, not complete. No bug bounty or published advisories found, OSV holds none for ref-tools-mcp, and the repository has no SECURITY.md. This run reads security.txt plus a reporting route with no stated time as 7 (mails-ai, tokenrip), in place of the 8 given on 8 October (7). 26-10+16+11+13+7 = 63.

### Transparency & trust: Ref +12

- amCharts 5 MCP Server (57): MIT licence, copyright 2026 amCharts (30). Public docs only, no user data (20 of 30). Dated changelog, no deprecation policy (8 of 20). Hosted on Cloudflare per the repository's wrangler config; no data locations stated (8 of 20). 30 + 20 + 8 + 8 = 66.
- Ref (69): Per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November (ref.tools and docs.ref.tools are paused for this run pending a ruling on Ref's terms). The stdio server is MIT, and it is a thin client. The search service is closed. Its terms and privacy policy are drawn by script and were read on 8 October only from the script files the pages load, which this run doesn't count, so both are unread here. The line is held, as Prefactor's licence and data-handling lines were when its script-drawn terms were struck (18). The security page describes encryption, tenant isolation, zero-data-retention terms at model providers and a seven-day limit on agent transcripts. No DPA was found, and Centure.ai is named on the comparison page but not in the subprocessor table (18). No deprecation policy found. The pricing page says legacy $9 and $19 subscriptions continue unchanged (3). 19 subprocessors are named with what each can see. Data locations aren't stated (14). 18+18+3+14 = 53.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | amCharts 5 MCP Server | Ref | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 15 | amCharts 5 MCP Server +50 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 84 | 68 | amCharts 5 MCP Server +16 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 67 | amCharts 5 MCP Server +3 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 50 | 63 | Ref +13 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 35 | amCharts 5 MCP Server +25 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 35 | amCharts 5 MCP Server +40 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 57 | 69 | Ref +12 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **65.8 · B** | **49.4 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | amCharts 5 MCP Server | Ref |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | amCharts | Ref Software, Inc |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.amcharts.com/mcp` | `https://api.ref.tools/mcp` |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT | Proprietary hosted service under Ref's terms of service. The stdio MCP server in ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp is MIT |
| Tools exposed | 12 | 2 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.amcharts/amcharts5` | `tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp` |
| Last release | none | 2025-11-04 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | none | 1.2k stars, 596 npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (4) |

## How the scores have moved

### amCharts 5 MCP Server

No score change since it was listed.

### Ref

- -10.1 on 4 November 2026 (C to D): new evidence, correction
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: new evidence

## Verdicts

**amCharts 5 MCP Server.** amCharts' MCP server is a model docs server, open source, free, keyless, 12 read-only annotated tools that fetch only the page or example needed, with a dated changelog and CI. It's narrow by design, useful only when an agent writes amCharts 5 code.

**Ref.** Two read-only tools with definitions under 1,000 characters and OAuth scopes that separate public from private search. The npm package hasn't been released since 4 November 2025, no rate limit or 429 guidance is documented, and the status page's incident history couldn't be read.

## Before you call either

### amCharts 5 MCP Server

1. Fetch the specific doc or example rather than searching broadly
2. Check the amCharts licence before shipping charts commercially
3. Use mcp-remote for clients that only run stdio servers

### Ref

1. Send the key in the `x-ref-api-key` header, not the `?apiKey=` query parameter, so it stays out of logs
2. Pass the exact URL from a `ref_search_documentation` result to `ref_read_url`
3. Write `ref_src=private` in the query text to search private sources. There's no typed parameter for it
4. Budget one credit per call. The free plan's 200 credits don't renew

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, amCharts 5 MCP Server or Ref?

amCharts 5 MCP Server scores 65.8 (B) on agent readiness against Ref's 49.4 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Ref leads on security & auth and transparency & trust.

### Do amCharts 5 MCP Server and Ref need an API key?

amCharts 5 MCP Server needs no key. Ref takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call amCharts 5 MCP Server and Ref without installing anything?

Yes. amCharts 5 MCP Server has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.amcharts.com/mcp and Ref at https://api.ref.tools/mcp.

### Are amCharts 5 MCP Server and Ref open source?

amCharts 5 MCP Server is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Ref.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-ref.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-ref.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "amcharts-mcp", "b": "ref"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare amcharts-mcp ref`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/amcharts-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ref.json

## Other comparisons with amCharts 5 MCP Server or Ref

- [amCharts 5 MCP Server vs Context7](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-context7.md)
- [amCharts 5 MCP Server vs GitMCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-gitmcp.md)
- [amCharts 5 MCP Server vs Microsoft Learn MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-microsoft-learn-mcp.md)
- [amCharts 5 MCP Server vs ModusToolbox AI Assistant](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amcharts-mcp-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant.md)
- [Context7 vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-ref.md)
- [GitMCP vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gitmcp-vs-ref.md)
- [Microsoft Learn MCP Server vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-ref.md)
- [ModusToolbox AI Assistant vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp