{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "commerce-layer", "name": "Commerce Layer API + MCP", "vendor": "Commerce Layer", "vendorUrl": "https://commercelayer.io", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Commerce backend API for building custom storefronts and checkout experiences.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/commerce-layer", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/commerce-layer.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/commerce-layer.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/commerce-layer.json", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@commercelayer/sdk" } ], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 tokens from https://auth.commercelayer.io/oauth/token. Integration credentials (client ID and secret, role-bound) for server-side agents, sales channel credentials (client ID only, scoped to a market) for storefront calls, authorisation code for user tokens. API calls go to https://\u003cyour-org\u003e.commercelayer.io/api. The Core MCP takes the same bearer token, or runs the OAuth flow in clients that support it.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Developer plan is free with no time limit, 100 live orders a month, 1,000 SKUs, 2 markets, 2 users, unlimited test orders and the Core API only. Enterprise is quoted by sales (custom yearly order volume, unlimited SKUs, adds the Metrics and Provisioning APIs and SLAs). Distributed OMS, promotion engine and metrics dashboard are add-ons. No transaction fees; payment gateway fees are separate (https://commercelayer.io/pricing).", "priceSummary": "Freemium", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 in the docs, pricing or MCP pages (checked 2026-09-30).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 11, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 7323, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.commercelayer.io", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.commercelayer.io/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://data.commercelayer.app/schemas/openapi.json", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.cart", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.orders", "commerce.headless" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "typescript", "webhooks", "enterprise", "closed-source" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.7, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 295, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 64, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 25, "reliability": 70, "schema": 79, "security": 64, "transparency": 57 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Public OpenAPI 3.0 file and llms.txt. No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract.", "bestFor": "Teams that want a hosted headless backend and an agent that can work across every commerce object with scoped OAuth roles.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.0 file and llms.txt", "OAuth roles per resource and per operation, and market-scoped sales channel tokens", "Hosted Core MCP with 11 tools and preflight validation before writes", "Free Developer plan with no card and unlimited test orders", "Published per-IP rate limits for reads, writes and tokens" ], "weaknesses": [ "No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract", "No API versioning, and four breaking changes between 8 May and 2 September 2026", "429s carry no Retry-After or reset header", "Privacy policy last updated October 2020, with no DPA or subprocessor list linked", "No MCP tool annotations and no confirmation step for delete_resource" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `get_resource_schema` before any write. Preflight rejects bad filter shapes before they reach the API", "Give the agent an integration credential tied to a narrow role rather than an admin role", "On a 429, wait out the sliding window. No Retry-After is sent, and the IP stays blocked while the rate stays high", "Place an order by PATCHing it with `_place: true` once line items, addresses, shipping and payment are set", "Move reads of `mode`, `organization_id` and `trace_id` to root-level meta before 5 October 2026" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 64, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 25, "reliability": 70, "schema": 79, "security": 64, "transparency": 42 }, "provenanceScore": 71 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://auth.commercelayer.io/oauth/token -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d \"{\\\"grant_type\\\":\\\"client_credentials\\\",\\\"client_id\\\":\\\"$CL_CLIENT_ID\\\",\\\"client_secret\\\":\\\"$CL_CLIENT_SECRET\\\"}\"\ncurl \"https://$CL_ORG.commercelayer.io/api/skus?page[size]=5\" -H \"Accept: application/vnd.api+json\" \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $CL_ACCESS_TOKEN\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http commercelayer-core https://core-mcp.commercelayer.io/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer $CL_ACCESS_TOKEN\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "commercelayer-core": { "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${CL_ACCESS_TOKEN}" }, "url": "https://core-mcp.commercelayer.io/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/commerce-layer" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Developer plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 0, "note": "100 live orders a month, 1,000 SKUs, unlimited test orders" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Commerce Layer, Inc.", "domain": "commercelayer.io", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://commercelayer.io/legal/terms-of-service", "privacy": "https://commercelayer.io/legal/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.commercelayer.io", "changelog": "https://docs.commercelayer.io/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "rdap.org has no RDAP service for .io, so the registration date is blank." ], "score": 71 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/commerce-layer.json", "live": { "slug": "commerce-layer", "probe": { "target": "https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:52:48.444025707Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 431, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 31, "p95ms24h": 368, "samples24h": 272, "samples30d": 2143, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 225, "ok": 225 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.commercelayer.io", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:50:32.323260895Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@commercelayer/sdk", "version": "8.0.2", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:06:37.844723724Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 9990, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://commercelayer.io/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:43.982735573Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.commercelayer.io/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:16.192401378Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "commercelayer.io", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:08:11.061815908Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.commercelayer.io/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:29.576536548Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:29.576536548Z", "fingerprint": "e5cb8805bfc1" }, { "url": "https://commercelayer.io/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:16:39.095309353Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:38.904280664Z", "fingerprint": "e3367b1bb377" }, { "url": "https://commercelayer.io/legal/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:16:35.082859329Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:34.402907975Z", "fingerprint": "3803de1040c2" }, { "url": "https://commercelayer.io/legal/terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:16:37.09797446Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:36.639863076Z", "fingerprint": "5a7da38cba38" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:52:48.444025707Z" } }, "answer": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability.", "b": { "slug": "square", "name": "Square", "vendor": "Block, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://squareup.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Square is Block's commerce and payments platform for sellers. Its REST API covers catalogue, orders, payment links, payments, inventory and customers, with seven SDKs and a beta MCP server hosted at mcp.squareup.com.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json", "repo": "https://github.com/square/square-mcp-server", "license": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "square" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "square-mcp-server" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "squareup" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Access needs a Square account and an application created in the Developer Console, both self-serve. Two token types go in the `Authorization: Bearer` header. A personal access token gives unrestricted access to the owner's own account, with a separate sandbox token. OAuth access tokens are limited to the scopes a seller grants, expire after 30 days and can be refreshed and revoked. The remote MCP server signs in through OAuth, and Square keeps an allowlist of MCP clients that may register.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "The API and sandbox carry no charge. Sellers pay processing fees, 2.9% + 30 cents for card payments through the payments APIs in the US. Square Free is $0 a month, Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location. The sandbox lets an agent start without a contract (https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "2.9% fee", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index at developer.squareup.com/llms.txt or the OpenAPI spec (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 3, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 453743, "pypiWeekly": 72138, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://developer.squareup.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/square/connect-api-specification/master/api.json", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.orders", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.cart", "commerce.headless", "payments.card", "payments.checkout" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "sandbox", "graphql", "typescript", "python", "status-page", "bug-bounty" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-16", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 69.2, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 166, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.", "bestFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec with 332 operations and 1,476 schemas, regenerated for API version 2026-09-16", "OAuth scopes are split by read and write for each resource, and access tokens expire after 30 days", "78 request schemas carry an `idempotency_key`, and the docs describe backoff with jitter for 429 responses", "Free sandbox at connect.squareupsandbox.com with test cards, and API Logs kept for 28 days", "Deprecated APIs are typically retired at least 12 months after deprecation, with dated release notes each month" ], "weaknesses": [ "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only", "No numeric rate limits were found for the REST API. Only GraphQL states a figure, 10 queries a second", "No SLA was found in the developer terms or documentation", "The status page recorded widespread latency and errors on 27 September 2026, including payment authorisation", "A personal access token grants unrestricted access to the whole Square account", "97 of the 332 operations in the spec are marked beta" ], "agentNotes": [ "Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only", "Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads", "Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped", "Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write", "Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 69.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 56 }, "provenanceScore": 84 }, "connect": { "install": "npx square-mcp-server start", "http": "curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/locations \\\n -H 'Square-Version: 2026-09-16' \\\n -H 'Authorization: Bearer {SANDBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN}' \\\n -H 'Content-Type: application/json'", "config": { "mcpServers": { "mcp_square_api": { "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/square" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Card payment through the payments APIs (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2.9, "note": "plus 30 cents per transaction" }, { "item": "ACH bank transfer through the API (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 1, "note": "$1 minimum, $5 fee cap" }, { "item": "Square Free", "unit": "month", "usd": 0, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Plus", "unit": "month", "usd": 49, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Premium", "unit": "month", "usd": 149, "note": "per location" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Block, Inc.", "domain": "squareup.com", "domainRegistered": "2007-05-26", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "privacy": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "statusPage": "https://www.issquareup.com", "changelog": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Square Developer Terms of Service (last updated 10 September 2026) are an agreement with Block, Inc. and govern the APIs, SDKs and developer tools. Payment processing through an API is also subject to Square's General Terms.", "The Privacy Notice for Square Sellers and Website Visitors (last updated 15 September 2026) names Block, Inc., 1955 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612 as the entity for US sellers, with other Square entities for Canada, Japan, Australia and the EU.", "The API answers at connect.squareup.com and the remote MCP server at mcp.squareup.com. The sandbox uses the separate domain squareupsandbox.com.", "squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt and developer.squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. The security page links a Bugcrowd programme.", "RDAP for squareup.com gives a registration date of 2007-05-26." ], "score": 84 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.json", "live": { "slug": "square", "probe": { "target": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:53:02.961463391Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 37, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 63, "p95ms24h": 137, "samples24h": 27, "samples30d": 27, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 27, "ok": 27 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.issquareup.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:51:03.78936354Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:17:18.308620553Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "62494a1dd472" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:44.136652202Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "18b57fb2f3f3" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:40.889937356Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "10ccc5457da5" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:53:02.961463391Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Commerce Layer", "b": "Block, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources", "b": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "11", "b": "3", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-29", "b": "2026-09-16", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-05-01", "b": "2026-09-10", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2026-09-15", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "7.3k npm/wk", "b": "454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Commerce Layer API + MCP or Square?" }, { "answer": "Commerce Layer API + MCP uses an OAuth sign-in. Square takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Commerce Layer API + MCP and Square need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Commerce Layer API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources and Square at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.", "question": "Can an agent call Commerce Layer API + MCP and Square without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 70 against 58" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Teams that want a hosted headless backend and an agent that can work across every commerce object with scoped OAuth roles.", "slug": "commerce-layer", "watchFor": "No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 79", "Agent ergonomics, 83 against 64", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 25", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 70 against 57" ], "also": [ "Runs on your own machine" ], "goodFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "slug": "square", "watchFor": "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only" } ], "job": { "capability": "commerce.products", "name": "Commerce products" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-commerce-layer.json", "title": "Adobe Commerce (Magento) vs Commerce Layer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-commerce-layer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-square.json", "title": "Adobe Commerce (Magento) vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Commerce Layer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-commercetools.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs commercetools", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-commercetools" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-ecwid.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Ecwid by Lightspeed", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-ecwid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-elastic-path.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Elastic Path API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-elastic-path" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-medusa.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Medusa API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-medusa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-saleor.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Saleor API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-saleor" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopware.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopware", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopware" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-snipcart.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-snipcart" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-swell.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-vendure.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-wix.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Wix Stores and eCommerce API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-wix" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-woocommerce" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.json", "title": "commercetools vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ecwid-vs-square.json", "title": "Ecwid by Lightspeed vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ecwid-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.json", "title": "Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.json", "title": "Medusa API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.json", "title": "Saleor API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.json", "title": "Shopware vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.json", "title": "Snipcart API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.json", "title": "Square vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.json", "title": "Square vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-wix.json", "title": "Square vs Wix Stores and eCommerce API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-wix" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 12, "commerce-layer": 70, "edge": "commerce-layer", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "square": 58, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "commerce-layer": 79, "edge": "square", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "square": 87, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 19, "commerce-layer": 64, "edge": "square", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "square": 83, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 3, "commerce-layer": 64, "edge": "square", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "square": 67, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 15, "commerce-layer": 25, "edge": "square", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "square": 40, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 1, "commerce-layer": 82, "edge": "commerce-layer", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "square": 81, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 13, "commerce-layer": 57, "edge": "square", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "square": 70, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability. Both do commerce products.", "verdicts": { "commerce-layer": "Public OpenAPI 3.0 file and llms.txt. No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract.", "square": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.min.md" }, "markdown": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability. Both do commerce products.\n\n- Commerce Layer API + MCP: grade B, 63.7/100, rank #295 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/commerce-layer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/commerce-layer.json\n- Square: grade B, 69.2/100, rank #166 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Commerce Layer API + MCP (B)\n\nGood for: Teams that want a hosted headless backend and an agent that can work across every commerce object with scoped OAuth roles.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 70 against 58\n\nWatch for: No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract\n\n### Square (B)\n\nGood for: Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 79\n- Agent ergonomics, 83 against 64\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 25\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 70 against 57\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Commerce Layer API + MCP | Square | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 70 | 58 | Commerce Layer API + MCP +12 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 87 | Square +8 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 83 | Square +19 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 67 | Square +3 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 25 | 40 | Square +15 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 81 | Commerce Layer API + MCP +1 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 57 | 70 | Square +13 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **63.7 · B** | **69.2 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Commerce Layer API + MCP | Square |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Commerce Layer | Block, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources` | `https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | OAuth | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT |\n| Tools exposed | 11 | 3 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-16 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-05-01 | 2026-09-10 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2026-09-15 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |\n| Popularity | 7.3k npm/wk | 454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Commerce Layer API + MCP.** Public OpenAPI 3.0 file and llms.txt. No price between the free plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise contract.\n\n**Square.** The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Commerce Layer API + MCP\n\n1. Call `get_resource_schema` before any write. Preflight rejects bad filter shapes before they reach the API\n2. Give the agent an integration credential tied to a narrow role rather than an admin role\n3. On a 429, wait out the sliding window. No Retry-After is sent, and the IP stays blocked while the rate stays high\n4. Place an order by PATCHing it with `_place: true` once line items, addresses, shipping and payment are set\n5. Move reads of `mode`, `organization_id` and `trace_id` to root-level meta before 5 October 2026\n\n### Square\n\n1. Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only\n2. Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads\n3. Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped\n4. Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write\n5. Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Commerce Layer API + MCP or Square?\n\nSquare scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability.\n\n### Do Commerce Layer API + MCP and Square need an API key?\n\nCommerce Layer API + MCP uses an OAuth sign-in. Square takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Commerce Layer API + MCP and Square without installing anything?\n\nYes. Commerce Layer API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://core.commercelayer.io/api/public/resources and Square at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"commerce-layer\", \"b\": \"square\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare commerce-layer square`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/commerce-layer.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Commerce Layer API + MCP or Square\n\n- [Adobe Commerce (Magento) vs Commerce Layer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-commerce-layer.md)\n- [Adobe Commerce (Magento) vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-commerce-vs-square.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Commerce Layer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs commercetools](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-commercetools.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Ecwid by Lightspeed](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-ecwid.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Elastic Path API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-elastic-path.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Medusa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-medusa.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Saleor API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-saleor.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopware](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopware.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-snipcart.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-swell.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-vendure.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Wix Stores and eCommerce API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-wix.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-woocommerce.md)\n- [commercetools vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.md)\n- [Ecwid by Lightspeed vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ecwid-vs-square.md)\n- [Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.md)\n- [Medusa API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.md)\n- [Saleor API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.md)\n- [Shopware vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.md)\n- [Snipcart API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.md)\n- [Square vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.md)\n- [Square vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.md)\n- [Square vs Wix Stores and eCommerce API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-wix.md)\n- [Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square", "url": "" } ], "description": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against Commerce Layer API + MCP's 63.7 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Commerce Layer API + MCP leads on reliability. Both do commerce products. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Commerce Layer API + MCP B 63.7", "Square B 69.2", "scores" ], "h1": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-commerce-layer-vs-square.png", "path": "/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square for AI agents, B 63.7 vs B 69.2", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }