# Framer Server API vs Melius

> Melius scores 54.1 (C) on agent readiness against Framer Server API's 52.6 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Framer Server API leads on security & auth, payments & pricing, maintenance & community and transparency & trust. Both do design files. Category scores, facts…

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-melius
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-melius.md (~1,950 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-melius.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-melius.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Melius scores 54.1 (C) on agent readiness against Framer Server API's 52.6 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Framer Server API leads on security & auth, payments & pricing, maintenance & community and transparency & trust. Both do design files.

- Framer Server API: grade D, 52.6/100, rank #493 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/framer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/framer.json
- Melius: grade C, 54.1/100, rank #473 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/melius.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/melius.json

## Which one, for what

### Framer Server API (D)

Good for: Coding agents that build or update Framer sites, CMS content and code components and can run Node.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 50 against 43
- Payments & pricing, 25 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 77 against 66
- Transparency & trust, 75 against 55

Watch for: No REST endpoints and no official MCP server. You need Node 22 and the `framer-api` package

### Melius (C)

Good for: An agent producing batches of ad creative, product images or short videos on a shared canvas that people then review, with many models behind one key.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 69 against 43

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: API keys have no scopes. A key works with its creator's role in every team the creator belongs to


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Framer Server API | Melius | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 43 | 69 | Melius +26 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 69 | 70 | Melius +1 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 47 | 51 | Melius +4 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 50 | 43 | Framer Server API +7 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 25 | 20 | Framer Server API +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 77 | 66 | Framer Server API +11 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 55 | Framer Server API +20 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **52.6 · D** | **54.1 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Framer Server API | Melius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Framer | Melius AI, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.melius.com/api/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | proprietary | Proprietary service under Melius's terms of service. The mel CLI on npm is MIT, with no public source repository found |
| Tools exposed | none | 75 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-10 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 336k npm/wk | 9 npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Framer Server API.** Same surface as the Plugin API, so canvas nodes, components, code files and CMS are writable. No REST endpoints and no official MCP server. You need Node 22 and the `framer-api` package.

**Melius.** One backend serves a 59-operation REST API with a public OpenAPI spec, a hosted MCP server with OAuth sign-in and a JSON-only CLI, and the status page shows no incidents since July 2026. API keys carry no scopes and work with their creator's role, and no rate-limit numbers, changelog or per-model credit prices are published.

## Before you call either

### Framer Server API

1. `connect(projectUrl, process.env.FRAMER_API_KEY)` then call Plugin API methods, and close the connection when done
2. Publish creates a preview deployment. Promote it with `deploy()` only after checking it
3. Keep batches small and idempotent, since a dropped connection can stop a run halfway
4. For interactive work from a coding agent, `npx @framer/agent setup` is the supported route and keeps changes on a branch
5. Check the changelog before upgrading. v5.0.0 changed CMS array fields and requires stable `id` values

### Melius

1. Generate by creating a node on a canvas, starting a run with POST /nodes/{nodeId}/runs, then polling GET /node-runs/{nodeRunId} until `status` is finished or failed
2. Over MCP, call `get_guide` first, `show_presence` before node changes and `canvas_plan_layout` before `bulk_create_nodes`
3. On 429 wait `Retry-After` seconds. After a timeout or 5xx on a write, read the canvas or run state before resubmitting, because there are no idempotency keys
4. Read credit costs from GET /generation/models?category=image before a bulk run. A 400 can mean the team is out of credits
5. Downloads arrive as a ZIP from a signed URL. Fetch that URL without the `Authorization` header

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Framer Server API or Melius?

Melius scores 54.1 (C) on agent readiness against Framer Server API's 52.6 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Framer Server API leads on security & auth, payments & pricing, maintenance & community and transparency & trust.

### Do Framer Server API and Melius need an API key?

Framer Server API needs an API key. Melius takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Framer Server API and Melius without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Framer Server API. Melius has a hosted endpoint at https://api.melius.com/api/v1.


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Framer Server API or Melius

- [Figma API + MCP vs Framer Server API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-framer.md)
- [Figma API + MCP vs Melius](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-melius.md)
- [Framer Server API vs Miro API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-miro.md)
- [Framer Server API vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-penpot.md)
- [Melius vs Miro API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-miro.md)
- [Melius vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-penpot.md)