# Magic Patterns vs Zeplin (slim)

> Magic Patterns scores 63.4 (B) to Zeplin's 47.6 (D) for design code. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-patterns-vs-zeplin.md (~5,050 tokens) · this version ~3,280 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-patterns-vs-zeplin.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-patterns-vs-zeplin
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)

Magic Patterns scores 63.4 (B) on agent readiness against Zeplin's 47.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Zeplin leads on payments & pricing. Both do design code.

- Magic Patterns: B 63.4, rank #517 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/magic-patterns.min.md
- Zeplin: D 47.6, rank #1137 of 1486 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeplin.min.md
- Magic Patterns, good for Generating and iterating on coded React prototypes from a coding agent, and pulling a design into a codebase. Ahead on Reliability, 75 against 36; Schema & documentation, 84 against 70; Agent ergonomics, 67 against 55; Security & auth, 55 against 47; Maintenance & community, 70 against 33. Also A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install.
- Zeplin, good for Teams that already publish designs to Zeplin and want an agent to read screens, components, tokens and notes, or turn a screen into code through the MCP server. Ahead on Payments & pricing, 30 against 23. Also Runs on your own machine.

| Category | Magic Patterns | Zeplin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 75 | 36 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 84 | 70 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 67 | 55 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 55 | 47 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 23 | 30 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 70 | 33 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 60 | 60 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Magic Patterns | Zeplin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | HTTP API |
| Vendor | North Park Labs, Inc. (Magic Patterns) | Zeplin, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.magicpatterns.com/mcp` | no (local only) |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP, HTTP | HTTP, stdio |
| Licence | Closed service under the Magic Patterns terms of service (last updated 1 April 2025) | Proprietary hosted service under Zeplin's Terms of Service and Developer Terms. The JavaScript SDK and the MCP server on GitHub are MIT |
| Tools exposed | 24 | 4 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-26 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-04-01 | 2026-01-12 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-04-01 | 2025-08-29 |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | none | 10 stars |
| Agent reviews | none | 3.3/5 (4) |

Why the edge:
- Reliability, Magic Patterns +39: Magic Patterns 75 (Hosted lines, for the MCP server and v3 API. A Statuspage at magicpatterns.statuspage.io with incident history, but its two components are Web Platform and Figma Plugin, with nothing for the API or MCP server (15 of 20). The history page and Atom feed post no incident since 9 January 2026, so the 90 days before this check are clean as far as the page covers (30). The page's /api/ path is disallowed by its robots.txt, so the JSON feeds weren't used. Rate limit published as 1,000 generations per 10 hours per key, with polling no faster than once every 60 seconds (15). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance and no idempotency keys. Design-system writes take a `baseArtifactId` and return 409 on a concurrent change, with re-read-and-retry advice (5 of 15). No SLA found below Enterprise's custom contracts (0). The MCP server and v3 API carry no beta label (10). 15 + 30 + 15 + 5 + 0 + 10 = 75.); Zeplin 36 (Read with the hosted lines, because the API is a hosted service. No status page is linked from the home page, pricing page, docs or the help centre articles read, so the page and the incident record score as absent (0 + 0). The limit is published as 200 requests a minute per user (15). A 429 with the message Rate limit exceeded and three `Zeplin-RateLimit-*` headers, the reset time among them, are documented. No `Retry-After`, backoff guidance or idempotency keys were found (8 of 15). The pricing page lists a 24-hour priority support SLA for Enterprise, and the AI terms refer to Service Level Terms that were not found on the pages read (3 of 10). The API is at `v1` and is not marked beta (10). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 5 November, because Zeplin's Terms of Service bar automated access to its sites and services.)
- Maintenance & community, Magic Patterns +37: Magic Patterns 70 (Changelog entry on 5 November 2026, the day before this check (30). Entries on twelve dates since 8 August, among them 23 September and 12 to 30 October (20). Closed service with a public changelog, email support within one to two business days, in-app chat and a Slack community. We didn't test them (12 of 15). Not in the official MCP registry (searches for magic-patterns and magicpatterns returned nothing of theirs). Official Claude connector, Cursor plugin and Codex plugin, and no SDKs (5 of 15). No public package or repository to check (3 of 10). 30 + 20 + 12 + 5 + 3 = 70.); Zeplin 33 (Recency is scored on the last dated change to the API's own surface. The API changelog stops at 11 May 2021, and SDK 1.40.0 of 8 July 2026 is the last release that changed an API model, 120 days before 5 November, the same day as MCP server 1.0.6 (10 of 30). In the 90 days from 7 August, SDK 1.42.0 (15 October, an axios upgrade) and 1.43.0 (26 October, an `npm audit fix` lockfile change) are dependency-only and count half each, one in all (0 of 20). The docs name a Discord server and a developer email. The one issue on the MCP server repository, opened on 28 April 2026, was fixed on 8 July 2026, per the 9 October check (7 of 15). The JavaScript SDK is current, one official SDK (10 of 15). Both repositories keep a lockfile and the SDK took dependency upgrades on 5 and 22 October 2026, with a publish workflow and no test workflow in either (6 of 10).)
- Schema & documentation, Magic Patterns +14: Magic Patterns 84 (The MCP server is closed, so its tool definitions weren't read. The v3 API has an OpenAPI 3.0.3 description, served as a block in each API reference page; the file llms.txt links at /docs/openapi-v3.yml answered with a not-found page (20 of 25). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page (10). The tools page sets out four workflows with call order, says when to poll and how often, splits read from write tools and warns that the user may edit at any time (17 of 20). Parameters are typed and marked required, the feedback `category` is an enum, and file writes take an array of name and content pairs (10 of 15). Request and response examples, an error table (400, 401, 402, 403) and 409 behaviour on writes (12 of 15). Versioned /v3 paths, a v2 deprecation notice and a dated product changelog (15). 20 + 10 + 17 + 10 + 12 + 15 = 84.); Zeplin 70 (Each of the 123 operation pages carries an OpenAPI 3.0.2 definition in its Markdown twin. No single downloadable description file was found linked (20 of 25). `llms.txt` and Markdown twins of every docs page (10). Operation descriptions are one line each, such as List all screens of the project, with nothing on when to use an operation (8 of 20). Parameters carry types, patterns, minimums, maximums, defaults, enums and required fields, as in the two operations read (13 of 15). Example responses and per-operation 404 and 422 answers with example messages, plus SDK code samples (11 of 15). The version is in the path with a written compatibility policy, but the changelog stops at 11 May 2021 while the reference now covers variables, flow boards and annotations (8 of 15). Two of the 123 operation pages were read in full. Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 5 November, because Zeplin's Terms of Service bar automated access to its sites and services.)
- Agent ergonomics, Magic Patterns +12: Magic Patterns 67 (24 documented tools (15 for 11 to 30), plus 5 back for the read-only endpoint that registers only 12 (20 of 25). Message history pages by 10 and version history by 20 with `skip`, and file reads take a list of names (14 of 20). Documented status codes, a 402 that leaves reads working and non-blocking `validationErrors` on design-system writes (15 of 20). No idempotency keys; 409 conflict checks on design-system writes, and annotations couldn't be read on the closed server (10 of 20). `create_design` needs no parameter and makes a blank scaffold, but there is no official SDK (8 of 15). 20 + 14 + 15 + 10 + 8 = 67.); Zeplin 55 (Scored for the API. Collections take a `limit` up to 100, with no field selection, and screen versions return whole layer trees. The MCP server trims this with `includeVariants` and `targetLayerName` (15 of 25). `limit` and `offset` pagination on collections, a section filter and a sort order on screens (16 of 20). Errors return `message`, `detail` and `code`, and each operation lists its 404 and 422 cases. No list of error codes was found (12 of 20). No idempotency keys or retry guidance for the create operations, and the four MCP tools set no readOnlyHint or destructiveHint (4 of 20). List calls need only a path ID. One official SDK, for JavaScript and TypeScript (8 of 15). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 5 November, because Zeplin's Terms of Service bar automated access to its sites and services.)
- Security & auth, Magic Patterns +8: Magic Patterns 55 (OAuth 2.1 with PKCE S256, dynamic registration and a device flow, issued by oauth.magicpatterns.com with WorkOS keys. Scopes are openid, email, profile and offline_access only, so a token carries the user's whole workspace role. API keys are shown once, with no scopes, expiry or rotation documented (22 of 30). The read-only endpoint doesn't register the 13 tools that create, change or publish. There is no confirmation step on the write endpoint (14 of 20). Tools return design code and chat history that collaborators wrote, and no prompt-injection guidance was found (3 of 15). `x-mp-agent-name` attributes changes in the UI, and audit logs come with Enterprise only (8 of 15). The security page describes encryption, logging and the Render and MongoDB Atlas setup and points to SOC 2 reports in a Trust Center drawn by script, which wasn't read. No security.txt, disclosure policy or bug bounty found (8 of 20). 22 + 14 + 3 + 8 + 8 = 55.); Zeplin 47 (OAuth 2.0 authorisation code grant with PKCE, access tokens of about an hour and refresh tokens that work once, or revocable personal access tokens. The OpenAPI security scheme lists no scopes, so every token carries its user's full access (20 of 30). No read-only token and no confirmation step for writes. Access can be narrowed only through the user's workspace role, and the MCP server exposes read tools only (6 of 20). The API returns notes, comments and annotations written by other members. No injection guidance was found, and the MCP server's built-in instructions tell the model to treat annotations as overrides that must be followed (2 of 15). Enterprise admins can request activity logs as a CSV covering logins, screen creation and membership changes. No per-call or per-token log was found (5 of 15). SOC 2 Type II is stated, last renewed for the period ending December 2023 per an article of 12 April 2024, with yearly Cobalt penetration test attestations to October 2025 and a responsible disclosure policy. No bounty and no security.txt (14 of 20). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 5 November, because Zeplin's Terms of Service bar automated access to its sites and services.)
- Payments & pricing, Zeplin +7: Magic Patterns 23 (No x402, MPP or L402. A 402 means out of credits, with no payment requirements (0). Seat prices are public and the on-demand rate is $0.02 a credit, but a generation's credit cost isn't known before it runs (typical 70 per generation per the docs), so between plan-only and per-unit (15 of 20). The MCP overview and the plans table say MCP and API-key access need a paid plan, while the v3 API page says free-tier accounts can call v3 up to their credits. Taking the stricter reading for the MCP surface, the free tier gives an agent no MCP access (5 of 20). A person signs in through the browser; dynamic client registration and the device flow still end with a human approval (3 of 20). 0 + 15 + 5 + 3 = 23.); Zeplin 30 (No machine payment protocol (0). Plan prices are public, $0, from $13.75 a month and $12 a seat a month on annual billing, with the API included and no per-call price (10 of 20). The Free plan costs $0 for one project, and the pricing page asks for no card for it (20). A person signs up in a browser and creates the token or app in their profile (0). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 5 November, because Zeplin's Terms of Service bar automated access to its sites and services.)