# Melius vs Miro API + MCP

> Miro API + MCP scores 65 (B) on agent readiness against Melius's 54.1 (C), and leads in every scored category. Both do design canvas. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-miro
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-miro.md (~1,900 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-miro.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-miro.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

Miro API + MCP scores 65 (B) on agent readiness against Melius's 54.1 (C), and leads in every scored category. Both do design canvas.

- 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
- Miro API + MCP: grade B, 65/100, rank #242 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/miro.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/miro.json

## Which one, for what

### 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.

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Miro API + MCP loses 3 points for them

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

### Miro API + MCP (B)

Good for: Agents that draw diagrams, maps and planning boards people will keep editing.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 85 against 70
- Agent ergonomics, 63 against 51
- Security & auth, 70 against 43
- Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 77 against 66
- Transparency & trust, 76 against 55

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: Legacy MCP board tools were removed nine days after the deprecation notice


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Melius | Miro API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 69 | 73 | Miro API + MCP +4 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 85 | Miro API + MCP +15 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 63 | Miro API + MCP +12 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 43 | 70 | Miro API + MCP +27 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 30 | Miro API + MCP +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 66 | 77 | Miro API + MCP +11 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 55 | 76 | Miro API + MCP +21 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **54.1 · C** | **65 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Melius | Miro API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Melius AI, Inc. | Miro |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.melius.com/api/v1` | `https://api.miro.com/v2` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under Melius's terms of service. The mel CLI on npm is MIT, with no public source repository found | proprietary |
| Tools exposed | 75 | 18 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | `io.github.miroapp/mcp-server` |
| Last release | 2026-09-10 | 2026-09-17 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2021-09-01 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2025-08-01 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 9 npm/wk | 156 stars, 19k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**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.

**Miro API + MCP.** REST creates shapes, connectors and frames, so flowcharts and architecture sketches can be drawn directly. Legacy MCP board tools were removed nine days after the deprecation notice.

## Before you call either

### 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

### Miro API + MCP

1. Create shapes first, then connectors with `startItem` and `endItem` ids
2. Put related items in a frame and set `parent` so they move together
3. Watch `X-RateLimit-Remaining`. There's no `Retry-After`, so back off exponentially on 429
4. Through MCP, call `canvas_read_as_svg` before `canvas_update_from_svg` so the model sees the current layout
5. Don't call the legacy MCP board tools. They were removed on 17 September 2026

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Melius or Miro API + MCP?

Miro API + MCP scores 65 (B) on agent readiness against Melius's 54.1 (C), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Melius and Miro API + MCP need an API key?

Melius takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Miro API + MCP uses an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Melius and Miro API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. Melius has a hosted endpoint at https://api.melius.com/api/v1 and Miro API + MCP at https://api.miro.com/v2.


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Melius or Miro API + MCP

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