# ClickHouse MCP Server vs Neon MCP Server

> Neon scores 72.5 (BB) to ClickHouse's 68.8 (B) for sql databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- 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)
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- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Neon MCP Server scores 72.5 (BB) on agent readiness against ClickHouse MCP Server's 68.8 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. ClickHouse MCP Server leads on payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do sql databases.

- ClickHouse MCP Server: grade B, 68.8/100, rank #266 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.json
- Neon MCP Server: grade BB, 72.5/100, rank #124 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/neon-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/neon-mcp.json
- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md
- All 97 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### ClickHouse MCP Server (B)

Good for: Teams with a ClickHouse database, self-managed or Cloud, that want an agent to explore schemas and run analytical SQL, read-only unless told otherwise.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 40
- Transparency & trust, 82 against 75

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine
- Open source

Watch for: `run_query` returns every row. Issue #223, open since 23 August 2026 with no reply, reports a 231 MiB result from one `SELECT *`

### Neon MCP Server (BB)

Good for: Agents building on Neon Postgres in development, especially branch-per-change workflows. supabase-mcp and planetscale-mcp are the nearest listings; Neon itself advises against pointing it at production.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 90 against 79
- Agent ergonomics, 79 against 65

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- No incidents deducted, where ClickHouse MCP Server loses 3 points for them

Watch for: 138 tools listed when no category or project is set


## Why the edge

### Payments & pricing: ClickHouse MCP Server +20

- ClickHouse MCP Server (60): Read with the self-hosted rule. The server is free under Apache-2.0 and needs no signup of its own, so 20 + 20 + 20. No x402, MPP or L402 (0). It needs a ClickHouse database, which can be free open-source ClickHouse, the embedded chDB engine or the public SQL playground the README names. ClickHouse Cloud prices were not checked. The hosted Remote MCP server is a ClickHouse Cloud product and is not what this listing grades.
- Neon MCP Server (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-unit prices are public, compute per CU-hour and storage per GB-month (20). Free plan with no card (20). A person signs up and authorises in a browser; the CLI can mint a key only after a login (0). 0 + 20 + 20 + 0 = 40.

### Agent ergonomics: Neon MCP Server +14

- ClickHouse MCP Server (65): Three tools by default and four with chDB, one of them with a long description (25). `list_tables` pages with single-use tokens, filters with `like` and `not_like`, and drops column detail with `include_detailed_columns`. `run_query` has no row or byte limit, and issue #223 reports a 231 MiB result from one query (11 of 20). ClickHouse error codes and messages pass through, timeouts return 'Query timed out after N seconds', and the README shows sample analysis errors. No documented error list (13 of 20). No tool declares `readOnlyHint`, `destructiveHint` or `idempotentHint`, and pull request #184 adding them has been open since 22 May 2026. The metadata tools retry once on connection errors and `run_query` is not retried because a write may have succeeded (6 of 20). `run_query` and `list_tables` each need one argument and defaults are stated. The server is a Python package only (10 of 15).
- Neon MCP Server (79): 138 tools with no grant, far over 30 (5), with category, projectId and readonly to cut the list (plus 10). List tools take limits and cursors from the API, and describe_branch returns a tree (16). API errors return with their kind and status, path errors are tool errors, and unknown categories come back as a notice (16). readOnlyHint and destructiveHint on every definition, and the grant filter tells the model never to run destructive tools autonomously (18). Official TypeScript and Python SDKs for the Neon API; a no-auth tool preview endpoint (14). 15 + 16 + 16 + 18 + 14 = 79.

### Schema & documentation: Neon MCP Server +11

- ClickHouse MCP Server (79): Each tool is built from a typed Python signature, so inputs carry JSON Schema, read from the source since we do not run vendor software. `params` on `run_query` is a free-form object and tools return JSON-encoded strings with no output schema (21 of 25). clickhouse.com serves llms.txt, a docs llms.txt and a Markdown form of each docs page, and the README is Markdown (10). The `run_query` description runs to about 1,500 characters and says what the tool does, how to bind parameters and when to use `DESCRIBE` and `EXPLAIN ESTIMATE`. `list_tables` documents every argument and the response shape. `list_databases` has one line (16 of 20). `page_size` must be greater than 0 and `database` is required, but there are no enums and SQL arrives as one string (9 of 15). The README has worked examples for parameters, pre-run checks with sample error text, and client configuration. No catalogue of error responses was found (10 of 15). Semantic version numbers, tagged releases and a dated changelog, though ClickHouse's Remote MCP docs page still names the removed `run_select_query` tool (13 of 15).
- Neon MCP Server (90): Every tool has a JSON Schema, many generated from the Neon OpenAPI spec (25). neon.com serves llms.txt and Markdown pages (10). Descriptions say when and when not ("branch_id is a branch id, not a branch name. Call list_branches to resolve a name", "NEVER run autonomously") (18). Typed inputs with enums such as access read_only or read_write, and path arguments checked for . and .. since 2.0.0 (13). Examples in the README and docs, and API 4xx errors classified by kind (11). CHANGELOG with dated releases and a registry version (13). 25 + 10 + 18 + 13 + 11 + 13 = 90.

### Transparency & trust: ClickHouse MCP Server +7

- ClickHouse MCP Server (82): Apache-2.0 (30). Local software that connects only to the configured ClickHouse. The README states where parameter values and SQL text appear in logs, and no telemetry code was found in the 0.7.0 source. Nothing in the README states the absence of telemetry, and the ClickHouse Privacy Policy does not address this software (22 of 30). No deprecation policy. The SSE transport is marked deprecated in 0.6.0 with no removal date, and `run_select_query` was removed in 0.3.0 with no prior notice found (8 of 20). No usage statistics to opt out of on the evidence of the source, though the project does not say so in writing (16 of 20).
- Neon MCP Server (75): MIT (30). Databricks' privacy notice (9 January 2026), the Neon product schedule (14 October 2026) with a DPA and a sub-contractor list linked from every page (24). The SSE retirement returns 410 with a pointer, and the stdio package is marked deprecated, but no notice period is stated (15). Telemetry is disclosed in the README, Segment identify with account ID, name and email plus every tool call, but hosted users have no opt-out (10). 30 + 24 + 15 + 10 = 79.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | ClickHouse MCP Server | Neon MCP Server | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 74 | 72 | ClickHouse MCP Server +2 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 90 | Neon MCP Server +11 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 79 | Neon MCP Server +14 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 66 | 69 | Neon MCP Server +3 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 40 | ClickHouse MCP Server +20 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 80 | ClickHouse MCP Server +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 75 | ClickHouse MCP Server +7 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **68.8 · B** | **72.5 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | ClickHouse MCP Server | Neon MCP Server |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | ClickHouse | Neon (Databricks) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp` |
| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy) | Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Tools exposed | 3 | 138 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.ClickHouse/mcp-clickhouse` | `com.neon/mcp` |
| Last release | 2026-09-21 | 2026-11-05 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-10-14 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-01-09 |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 883 stars, 47k PyPI/wk | 663 stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.3/5 (4) | none |

## How the scores have moved

### ClickHouse MCP Server

- +4.2 on 2 November 2026: correction, time

### Neon MCP Server

No score change since it was listed.

## Verdicts

**ClickHouse MCP Server.** Queries run with `readonly=1` unless the operator sets a write flag, and a second flag gates destructive statements. `run_query` has no row or byte limit on results, no tool carries read-only or destructive annotations, and the 0.3.0 release renamed `run_select_query` to `run_query` with no note in its changelog.

**Neon MCP Server.** OAuth with read or write scopes, per-project and per-role grants, read-only SQL in READ ONLY transactions, and migrations tried on temporary branches. With no grant it lists 138 tools, the README advises against production use, and it sends account name and email to Segment with no opt-out for hosted users.

## Before you call either

### ClickHouse MCP Server

1. Put a `LIMIT` on every `run_query` call. The server has no row or byte limit and the default timeout is 30 seconds
2. Call the tool `run_query`. ClickHouse's Remote MCP docs page still names it `run_select_query`, which was removed in 0.3.0
3. Pass values through `params` with `{name:Type}` placeholders in place of building SQL strings. Tuple and Map types can't be bound
4. Set `include_detailed_columns` to false on `list_tables` for wide schemas. Page tokens are single-use and expire after one hour
5. Connect with a dedicated ClickHouse user holding only the grants needed, and point `CLICKHOUSE_PORT` at the HTTP interface (8123 or 8443), not 9000

### Neon MCP Server

1. Connect with ?category=querying&category=schema&projectId=... or untick Allow writes at consent to cut 138 tools to a handful
2. Use prepare_database_migration and complete_database_migration for schema changes, and ask the user before completing
3. Pass branch IDs (br-...), not names; call list_branches to resolve a name
4. On 429 back off exponentially, and on 423 Locked wait for the running operation to finish

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, ClickHouse MCP Server or Neon MCP Server?

Neon MCP Server scores 72.5 (BB) on agent readiness against ClickHouse MCP Server's 68.8 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. ClickHouse MCP Server leads on payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Do ClickHouse MCP Server and Neon MCP Server need an API key?

ClickHouse MCP Server takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Neon MCP Server uses an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call ClickHouse MCP Server and Neon MCP Server without installing anything?

ClickHouse MCP Server runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Neon MCP Server has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp.

### Are ClickHouse MCP Server and Neon MCP Server open source?

ClickHouse MCP Server is open source (Apache-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Neon MCP Server.


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with ClickHouse MCP Server or Neon MCP Server

- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs DBHub](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-dbhub.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs ObsessionDB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-obsessiondb.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs PlanetScale MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-planetscale-mcp.md)
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- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [DBHub vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-neon-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-neon-mcp.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs ObsessionDB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-obsessiondb.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs PlanetScale MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-planetscale-mcp.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs Postgres MCP Pro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs MongoDB MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mongodb-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [MongoDB MCP Server vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-neon-mcp.md)
- [Neon MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-redis-mcp.md)

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