# PlanetScale MCP Server vs Redis MCP

> PlanetScale scores 66.4 (B) to Redis MCP's 55.7 (C) for databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-redis-mcp
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- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-redis-mcp.min.md (~730 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 Redis MCP's 55.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Redis MCP leads on payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do 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
- Redis MCP: grade C, 55.7/100, rank #652 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/redis-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/redis-mcp.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:
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 64
- Agent ergonomics, 74 against 39
- Security & auth, 77 against 54
- Maintenance & community, 80 against 57

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

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

### Redis MCP (C)

Good for: Teams with a Redis database that want an agent to read and write keys, streams, JSON documents and vector indexes on a developer's machine.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 15
- Transparency & trust, 76 against 70

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine
- Open source

Watch for: 53 tools load at once, with no toolsets and no read-only subset. Pull request #161 for a tool allowlist has been open since 28 July 2026


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | PlanetScale MCP Server | Redis MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 63 | 62 | PlanetScale MCP Server +1 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 64 | PlanetScale MCP Server +18 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 74 | 39 | PlanetScale MCP Server +35 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 77 | 54 | PlanetScale MCP Server +23 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 15 | 60 | Redis MCP +45 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 57 | PlanetScale MCP Server +23 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 70 | 76 | Redis MCP +6 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **66.4 · B** | **55.7 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | PlanetScale MCP Server | Redis MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | PlanetScale | Redis |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.pscale.dev/mcp/planetscale` | no (local only) |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| 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 | 53 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.planetscale/mcp-server` | `io.github.redis/mcp-redis` |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-08-04 |
| 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 | 633 stars, 3.6k PyPI/wk |

## 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.

**Redis MCP.** Redis's server, under the MIT licence, maps 53 tools onto Redis commands, with typed inputs and a nightly CI run that passed on 9 October 2026. It has no read-only mode, no tool annotations and no changelog file, release 0.5.1 changed the `unsubscribe` input without a note, and PyPI installs failed to start from 28 July to 5 August 2026.

## 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

### Redis MCP

1. Pass the connection with `--url` or explicit flags. The `redis-mcp-server` command overrides `REDIS_HOST`, `REDIS_PORT`, `REDIS_DB`, `REDIS_SSL` and `REDIS_CLUSTER_MODE` with its own defaults when flags are absent
2. Use `scan_keys` with the returned cursor until it is 0. `scan_all_keys`, `hgetall`, `smembers` and `json_get` return everything they match with no limit
3. Read failures from the text. Tools return strings such as `Error ...` or an `error` key in place of an MCP error result
4. Keep the `subscription_id` from `subscribe` or `psubscribe` and pass it to `read_messages` and `unsubscribe`. Idle subscriptions close after 300 seconds
5. Connect as a Redis ACL user limited to the keys and command categories needed, since the server has no read-only switch and `delete` runs without confirmation

## Questions

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

PlanetScale MCP Server scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against Redis MCP's 55.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Redis MCP leads on payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Do PlanetScale MCP Server and Redis MCP need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

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

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

### Are PlanetScale MCP Server and Redis MCP open source?

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


## For agents

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

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