# Redis MCP vs ReqRes MCP server

> Redis MCP scores 54.9 (C) to ReqRes's 48.8 (D) for document databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-reqres-mcp
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-reqres-mcp.md (~4,050 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Redis MCP scores 54.9 (C) on agent readiness against ReqRes MCP server's 48.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. ReqRes MCP server leads on agent ergonomics. Both do document databases.

- Redis MCP: grade C, 54.9/100, rank #893 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/redis-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/redis-mcp.json
- ReqRes MCP server: grade D, 48.8/100, rank #1114 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/reqres-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/reqres-mcp.json
- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md
- All 111 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### 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, 52 against 30
- Security & auth, 54 against 33
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 50
- Transparency & trust, 77 against 47

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

### ReqRes MCP server (D)

Good for: Coding agents that need a throwaway or starter backend for a prototype, with no account to set up.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 76 against 39

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: A sponsored line in every successful result unless ?sponsor=0


## Why the edge

### Agent ergonomics: ReqRes MCP server +37

- Redis MCP (39): 53 tools load at once, about 15,700 characters of descriptions, with no toolsets, dynamic loading or read-only subset. Pull request #161 for an allowlist has been open since 28 July 2026 (5 of 25). `scan_keys` pages with a cursor, `lrange` and `zrange` take ranges, `xrange` and `xreadgroup` take a count, `read_messages` caps at 100 and the vector tools take `k`. `scan_all_keys`, `hgetall`, `smembers` and `json_get` return everything with no limit (12 of 20). Failures come back as ordinary results, a string starting `Error` or a dictionary with an `error` key, carrying the Redis error text. Input checks return clear messages, such as the refusal of `block_ms=0`. Nothing marks a result as an MCP error and no error list is documented (9 of 20). No tool declares `readOnlyHint`, `destructiveHint` or `idempotentHint`, and pull request #181 adding them was opened on 8 October 2026. No retry guidance was found, and `lpush`, `xadd` and `publish` are not safe to repeat (3 of 20). Most tools need one or two arguments and defaults are stated in the descriptions. The server is a Python package only (10 of 15).
- ReqRes MCP server (76): Seven compact tools (25). list_records is paginated (15 of 20). No documented errors (3 of 20). Annotated, two read-only, and delete_record marked (18 of 20). No key needed and a plain REST API behind it (15). 25 + 15 + 3 + 18 + 15 = 76.

### Transparency & trust: Redis MCP +30

- Redis MCP (77): MIT (30). Local software that connects to the configured Redis. `search_redis_documents` sends each question to redis.io, which the README mentions through `MCP_DOCS_SEARCH_URL` without saying what is sent or kept. The Redis Privacy Policy, last updated 29 November 2024, does not address this software, and no telemetry code was found in the 0.5.1 source (18 of 30). No deprecation policy. The README warns that the main branch may contain breaking changes, and the `unsubscribe` change in 0.5.1 came with no notice (4 of 20). No usage statistics on the evidence of the source. The docs search call can be redirected or switched off with an empty `MCP_DOCS_SEARCH_URL`, which the README does not present as an opt-out (13 of 20).
- ReqRes MCP server (47): Closed service under readable terms; operating company not named in the parts read (10 of 30). You own your data, unclaimed agent projects are deleted after 72 hours, and the terms say the free service can end with reasonable notice (22 of 30). That notice clause and the 72-hour rule are dated commitments (10 of 20). Subprocessors not found (5 of 20). 10 + 22 + 10 + 5 = 47.

### Reliability: Redis MCP +22

- Redis MCP (52): Scored as local software, since the owner runs it over stdio. Official PyPI package `redis-mcp-server` with Python 3.10 to 3.14 stated in the metadata, though the README badge says 3.14 and later (20). The CI workflow runs on pushes, pull requests and nightly, on a five-version Python matrix against a live Redis with pytest and an 80 per cent coverage floor, but its run results couldn't be read on 4 November 2026 (GitHub's pages and API answered 403), so 15 under this run's reading for test CI with an unreadable result. Fresh PyPI installs failed to start from 28 July to 5 August 2026 after `mcp` 2.0.0 removed the module the server imports, fixed in 0.5.1 (issues #163 and #169). Issue #156, where the console command ignores `REDIS_HOST` and `REDIS_PORT`, was open with two unmerged fixes per the 9 October check (13 of 25). Tagged releases with numbers in semantic form, but no changelog file, release notes that are lists of pull request titles, and a patch release (0.5.1) that changed the `unsubscribe` input and added six tools. Issue #137 asking for semver tags had no reply (4 of 15). Version 0.5.1 with the classifier `Development Status :: 4 - Beta` (0).
- ReqRes MCP server (30): status.reqres.in wasn't reachable (0). No history (5). Free-plan limits published with numbers (250 requests a day, 3 collections, 100 records) (15). No retry guidance (0). No SLA found (0). Not labelled beta (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 30.

### Security & auth: Redis MCP +21

- Redis MCP (54): The server holds one Redis username and password, which Redis ACL rules can scope to keys and command categories and an admin can revoke, or Entra ID credentials for Azure Managed Redis with token renewal. TLS certificate checks are required by default. The README's main example passes the password inside `--url` on the command line, and every caller shares the one user (22 of 30). The server has no read-only mode, no allowlist and no confirmation before `delete`, `json_del`, `xdel` or `xgroup_destroy`. The README gives an ACL example for a read-only user, and no tool runs an arbitrary command, so `FLUSHALL`, `CONFIG` and `EVAL` are out of reach (9 of 20). Stored values, pub/sub messages and docs search results reach the model as they are. No injection guidance was found in the README or the docs pages read (2 of 15). Logging goes to stderr at WARNING by default, so calls are not recorded unless the level is lowered. The connection names itself `redis-py(mcp-server_v0.5.1)`, which Redis shows in `CLIENT LIST` (6 of 15). Redis has a valid security.txt, a HackerOne disclosure programme, and SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 on its trust centre. CI runs Bandit and hardened runners, and Dependabot updates are merged within days. The repository has no SECURITY.md and no published advisories (15 of 20).
- ReqRes MCP server (33): No credential to start, and project keys returned by the tool (15 of 30). Writes on the agent's own project only (12 of 20). Every successful result ends with a sponsored message, labelled and 'never written as an instruction', which still puts third-party text in the model's context (3 of 15). No audit log (0). No security programme found (3 of 20). 15 + 12 + 3 + 0 + 3 = 33.

### Payments & pricing: Redis MCP +10

- Redis MCP (60): Read with the self-hosted rule. The server is free under the MIT licence and needs no signup of its own, so 20 + 20 + 20. No x402, MPP or L402 (0). It needs a Redis database, which can be free Redis Open Source on the owner's machine. Redis Cloud prices were not checked. No hosted version of this server was found on the pages read.
- ReqRes MCP server (50): No machine payment protocol (0). Plan prices public (10). Free plan (20). An agent creates a project with no person (20). 0 + 10 + 20 + 20 = 50.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Redis MCP | ReqRes MCP server | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 52 | 30 | Redis MCP +22 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 61 | Redis MCP +3 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 39 | 76 | ReqRes MCP server +37 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 33 | Redis MCP +21 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 50 | Redis MCP +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 47 | 50 | ReqRes MCP server +3 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 77 | 47 | Redis MCP +30 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **54.9 · C** | **48.8 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Redis MCP | ReqRes MCP server |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | Redis | ReqRes |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://reqres.in/mcp` |
| Transports | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT | none |
| Tools exposed | 53 | 7 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.redis/mcp-redis` | `in.reqres/reqres` |
| Last release | 2026-08-04 | none |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | not read yet |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | not read yet |
| Popularity | 633 stars | none |

## How the scores have moved

### Redis MCP

- -0.9 on 4 November 2026: new evidence, checklist, time
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist

### ReqRes MCP server

No score change since it was listed.

## Verdicts

**Redis MCP.** Redis's server, under the MIT licence, maps 53 tools onto Redis commands, with typed inputs and a CI workflow that tests five Python versions against a live Redis. It has no read-only mode, tool annotations or changelog file, no release has followed 0.5.1 of 4 August 2026, and PyPI installs failed to start from 28 July to 5 August.

**ReqRes MCP server.** ReqRes' MCP server is the quickest way for a coding agent to stand up a real hosted backend, with no account, seven annotated tools and paginated records. Every result carries a sponsored line by default, the free tier is small, and unclaimed projects vanish after 72 hours.

## Before you call either

### 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

### ReqRes MCP server

1. Add ?sponsor=0 to the server URL to keep ads out of context
2. Give the user the claim link so the project survives 72 hours
3. Use the public key in frontend code and keep the manage key server-side

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Redis MCP or ReqRes MCP server?

Redis MCP scores 54.9 (C) on agent readiness against ReqRes MCP server's 48.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. ReqRes MCP server leads on agent ergonomics.

### Do Redis MCP and ReqRes MCP server need an API key?

Redis MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. ReqRes MCP server needs no key.

### Can an agent call Redis MCP and ReqRes MCP server without installing anything?

Redis MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. ReqRes MCP server has a hosted endpoint at https://reqres.in/mcp.

### Are Redis MCP and ReqRes MCP server open source?

Redis MCP is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for ReqRes MCP server.


## For agents

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

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