# PlanetScale MCP Server vs Postgres MCP Pro

> PlanetScale scores 66.4 (B) to Postgres MCP Pro's 36.7 (F) for sql databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-postgres-mcp-pro
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.md (~2,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.min.md (~830 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
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- 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: 2026-10-09

PlanetScale MCP Server scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against Postgres MCP Pro's 36.7 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Postgres MCP Pro leads on payments & pricing. Both do sql databases.

- PlanetScale MCP Server: grade B, 66.4/100, rank #292 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/planetscale-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/planetscale-mcp.json
- Postgres MCP Pro: grade F, 36.7/100, rank #928 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/postgres-mcp-pro.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/postgres-mcp-pro.json
- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md
- All 43 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### PlanetScale MCP Server (B)

Good for: Agents that inspect and tune an existing PlanetScale database, using Insights, schema recommendations, error patterns and logs, with SQL when granted.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 63 against 41
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 56
- Agent ergonomics, 74 against 57
- Security & auth, 77 against 26
- Maintenance & community, 80 against 8
- Transparency & trust, 70 against 61

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- No incidents deducted, where Postgres MCP Pro loses 8 points for them

Watch for: DELETE and DDL confirmation is a `confirm_destructive` flag the model sets, not a prompt the client shows the person

### Postgres MCP Pro (F)

Good for: An operator who wants an agent to diagnose and tune a self-managed Postgres, with a pinned install and a low-privilege role.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 15

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Runs on your own machine
- Open source

Watch for: No release since 0.3.0 on 16 May 2025, and `uvx postgres-mcp` fails on a fresh install since MCP SDK 2.0


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | PlanetScale MCP Server | Postgres MCP Pro | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 63 | 41 | PlanetScale MCP Server +22 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 56 | PlanetScale MCP Server +26 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 74 | 57 | PlanetScale MCP Server +17 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 77 | 26 | PlanetScale MCP Server +51 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 15 | 60 | Postgres MCP Pro +45 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 8 | PlanetScale MCP Server +72 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 70 | 61 | PlanetScale MCP Server +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -8 | |
| **Total** | | **66.4 · B** | **36.7 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | PlanetScale MCP Server | Postgres MCP Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | PlanetScale | Crystal DBA |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.pscale.dev/mcp/planetscale` | no (local only) |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | stdio, SSE (legacy) |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary hosted service under PlanetScale's Terms of Service. The 13 tools in planetscale/mcp-server are Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Tools exposed | 25 | 9 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| MCP registry | `io.github.planetscale/mcp-server` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2025-05-16 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text |  |
| Popularity | none | 3.2k stars, 229k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 2.5/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**PlanetScale MCP Server.** OAuth scopes set no, read-only or full database access per organisation or database, each query runs on a credential created and deleted for that call, and an insights-only endpoint drops both SQL tools. Destructive statements are gated by a flag the model sets itself, no rate limit was found, and every plan needs a card.

**Postgres MCP Pro.** Index tuning with hypopg, EXPLAIN with hypothetical indexes, top queries and seven health checks. No release since 0.3.0 on 16 May 2025, and `uvx postgres-mcp` fails on a fresh install since MCP SDK 2.0.

## Before you call either

### PlanetScale MCP Server

1. Use `https://mcp.pscale.dev/mcp/planetscale-insights-only` when the task needs no SQL. It omits both query tools
2. Pass `organization`, `database` and `branch` on every query call. Record them in `AGENTS.md` to skip the listing calls
3. Show the person the exact DELETE or DDL statement and get approval before setting `confirm_destructive: true`
4. Keep queries under 50 seconds and add your own `LIMIT`. The query tools cancel at 50 seconds and return every row
5. For a service token send `Authorization: Bearer pscale_tkn_...` with the secret only. The `id:secret` form is rejected

### Postgres MCP Pro

1. Launch with `uvx --with 'mcp<2' postgres-mcp`. Plain `uvx postgres-mcp` now fails with "No module named 'mcp.server.fastmcp'"
2. Pass `--access-mode=restricted` explicitly. The default is unrestricted
3. Connect with a role that lacks superuser and pg_read_server_files. Restricted mode alone doesn't stop server file reads
4. Put `LIMIT` in every `execute_sql` query. The server returns every row
5. Don't set `analyze: true` on `explain_query` for writes in unrestricted mode. It runs the statement

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, PlanetScale MCP Server or Postgres MCP Pro?

PlanetScale MCP Server scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against Postgres MCP Pro's 36.7 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Postgres MCP Pro leads on payments & pricing.

### Do PlanetScale MCP Server and Postgres MCP Pro need an API key?

PlanetScale MCP Server takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Postgres MCP Pro needs no key.

### Can an agent call PlanetScale MCP Server and Postgres MCP Pro without installing anything?

PlanetScale MCP Server has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.pscale.dev/mcp/planetscale. Postgres MCP Pro runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

### Are PlanetScale MCP Server and Postgres MCP Pro open source?

No open-source release is listed for PlanetScale MCP Server. Postgres MCP Pro is open source (MIT).


## For agents

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

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