# PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) vs Redis MCP

> Redis MCP scores 55.7 (C) to PostgreSQL's 18.4 (F) for databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-redis-mcp
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-redis-mcp.md (~2,450 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-redis-mcp.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-redis-mcp.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: 2026-10-09

Redis MCP scores 55.7 (C) on agent readiness against PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)'s 18.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do databases.

- PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server): grade F, 18.4/100, rank #946 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/postgres-reference-server-archived.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/postgres-reference-server-archived.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

### PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) (F)

Good for: Nothing new.

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it

Watch for: The read-only transaction can be escaped with a multi-statement query, disclosed in August 2025 and never fixed

### 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:
- Reliability, 62 against 13
- Schema & documentation, 64 against 29
- Security & auth, 54 against 5
- Maintenance & community, 57 against 0

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 | PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) | Redis MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 13 | 62 | Redis MCP +49 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 29 | 64 | Redis MCP +35 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 38 | 39 | Redis MCP +1 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 5 | 54 | Redis MCP +49 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 0 | 57 | Redis MCP +57 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 76 | Redis MCP +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -10 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **18.4 · F** | **55.7 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) | Redis MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | Model Context Protocol (archived) | Redis |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | stdio | stdio |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Tools exposed | 1 | 53 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | `io.github.redis/mcp-redis` |
| Last release | 2024-12-04 | 2026-08-04 |
| Terms last updated | 2021-09-08 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2023-03-15 | 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 | 294 stars, 119k npm/wk | 633 stars, 3.6k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 1.5/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server).** The server exposes one small query tool. Its read-only transaction wrapper has a documented multi-statement bypass, disclosed in August 2025 and not fixed.

**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

### PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)

1. Don't use for new work. Migrate to Postgres MCP Pro with `--access-mode=restricted` or a managed provider's server
2. If you inherit it, connect with a database role that can only SELECT. The transaction won't stop writes
3. Add `LIMIT` to every query. The server returns every row as pretty-printed JSON
4. Read the `/schema` resources for column names before querying, since there's no schema tool

### 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, PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) or Redis MCP?

Redis MCP scores 55.7 (C) on agent readiness against PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)'s 18.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Do PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) and Redis MCP need an API key?

PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) needs no key. Redis MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) and Redis MCP without installing anything?

PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Redis MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

### Are PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) and Redis MCP open source?

Yes. PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) is open source (MIT). Redis MCP is open source (MIT).


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) or Redis MCP

- [Redis MCP vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [PlanetScale MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [Postgres MCP Pro vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-mcp-pro-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [MongoDB MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [PlanetScale MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [Postgres MCP Pro vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-mcp-pro-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [Redis MCP vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [MongoDB MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-redis-mcp.md)

## Disclosure

- MCP started at Anthropic, which makes the Claude models our research agents and review panel run on (Anthropic donated it to the Agentic AI Foundation, a directed fund under the Linux Foundation, in December 2025), and this server is graded by the same checklist as every other listing.