{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "shopify", "name": "Shopify API + MCP", "vendor": "Shopify", "vendorUrl": "https://www.shopify.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Hosted commerce platform for online stores.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shopify", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shopify.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shopify.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shopify.json", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/shopify-api" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/admin-api-client" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/dev-mcp" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Admin API takes an access token in the X-Shopify-Access-Token header, issued to a custom app in the store or through OAuth for public apps, limited by access scopes such as read_products and write_orders. Storefront API uses a public or private storefront token. UCP MCP requests carry an agent profile, and Checkout MCP requests must be authenticated or signed. The Dev MCP server needs no auth.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Basic $39 a month or $29 billed yearly, Grow $105 or $79, Advanced $399 or $299, Plus from $2,300 a month on a 3-year term. Online card rates on Shopify Payments start at 2.9% + 30 cents on Basic, 2.7% on Grow and 2.5% on Advanced. Using a third-party payment provider adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. 3-day free trial, then a promotional $1 a month for 3 months. Development stores for building apps are free. US prices (https://www.shopify.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$39 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402. Agent checkout runs through UCP and Shopify checkout, paid with the buyer's normal payment methods.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 656603, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://shopify.dev/docs/api", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.cart", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.orders", "commerce.headless" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "typescript", "webhooks", "enterprise" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 75, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 52, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 79, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 40, "reliability": 73, "schema": 92, "security": 71, "transparency": 88 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Typed GraphQL schemas with quarterly versions supported at least 12 months. Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals.", "bestFor": "Agents that shop on real stores or automate a merchant's back office at scale.", "strengths": [ "Typed GraphQL schemas with quarterly versions supported at least 12 months", "UCP on every store, 13 tools for catalogue, cart, checkout and orders, with idempotency keys on checkout", "Granular read and write access scopes per app", "security.txt with a HackerOne programme, and a published subprocessor list", "Free development stores for testing agent flows without real payments" ], "weaknesses": [ "Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals", "Agent surface changes often. Storefront MCP tools moved to UCP, and AI Toolkit skills were consolidated on 25 September 2026", "Checkout calls need signing or authentication, more setup than a plain key", "No Shopify server in the official MCP registry", "Third-party payment providers cost 0.2 to 2 per cent extra per order" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pin an API version in the URL and plan to move at least once a year. Old versions fall forward to the oldest supported one", "Read the throttle status in each response's cost extension and back off one second when throttled", "Send an agent profile in `meta` on every UCP call, and an idempotency key on every checkout write", "Check `userErrors` on every mutation. A 200 response can still carry a failed write", "Add @shopify/dev-mcp while writing code so the agent checks queries against the current schema" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.6, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 75 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 79, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 40, "reliability": 73, "schema": 92, "security": 71, "transparency": 81 }, "provenanceScore": 95 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST \"https://$SHOPIFY_STORE.myshopify.com/admin/api/2026-07/graphql.json\" \\\n -H \"X-Shopify-Access-Token: $SHOPIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"query\":\"{ products(first: 5) { edges { node { id title } } } }\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport stdio shopify-dev-mcp -- npx -y @shopify/dev-mcp@latest", "config": { "mcpServers": { "shopify-dev-mcp": { "args": [ "-y", "@shopify/dev-mcp@latest" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/shopify" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Basic", "unit": "month", "usd": 39, "note": "$29 a month billed yearly" }, { "item": "Grow", "unit": "month", "usd": 105, "note": "$79 a month billed yearly" }, { "item": "Advanced", "unit": "month", "usd": 399, "note": "$299 a month billed yearly" }, { "item": "Plus", "unit": "month", "usd": 2300, "note": "from, on a 3-year term" }, { "item": "Online card rate on Basic", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2.9, "note": "plus 30 cents per transaction, Shopify Payments" }, { "item": "Third-party payment provider fee on Basic", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2, "note": "1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Shopify Inc.", "domain": "shopify.com", "domainRegistered": "2005-03-11", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.shopify.com/legal/terms", "privacy": "https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy", "statusPage": "https://www.shopifystatus.com", "changelog": "https://shopify.dev/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "Store APIs run on each store's myshopify.com domain or the merchant's own domain", "security.txt has no Expires field" ], "score": 95 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shopify.json", "live": { "slug": "shopify", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.shopifystatus.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:58.953871317Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/admin-api-client", "version": "2.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:29:15.076510204Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/dev-mcp", "version": "1.16.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:29:16.488925973Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shopify/shopify-api", "version": "15.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:29:14.188150277Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 718971, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://shopify.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:57.151806983Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "shopify.com", "registered": "2005-03-11", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/shopify.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:03:35.145970721Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://shopify.dev/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:17.511862947Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:17.511862947Z", "fingerprint": "a259e12e9c74" }, { "url": "https://shopify.dev/docs/api/admin-rest", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:20.349159664Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:12:30.174116492Z", "fingerprint": "d77297d69086" }, { "url": "https://www.shopify.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:29.785746787Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:29.785746787Z", "fingerprint": "c090ad8b30b0" }, { "url": "https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:25.627894256Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:16:55.59409922Z", "fingerprint": "dd0fa2f812e3" }, { "url": "https://www.shopify.com/legal/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:27.813599737Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:16:57.712783971Z", "fingerprint": "c70ea5d08606" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:58.953871317Z" } }, "answer": "Shopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "square", "name": "Square", "vendor": "Block, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://squareup.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Square is Block's commerce and payments platform for sellers. Its REST API covers catalogue, orders, payment links, payments, inventory and customers, with seven SDKs and a beta MCP server hosted at mcp.squareup.com.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json", "repo": "https://github.com/square/square-mcp-server", "license": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "square" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "square-mcp-server" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "squareup" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Access needs a Square account and an application created in the Developer Console, both self-serve. Two token types go in the `Authorization: Bearer` header. A personal access token gives unrestricted access to the owner's own account, with a separate sandbox token. OAuth access tokens are limited to the scopes a seller grants, expire after 30 days and can be refreshed and revoked. The remote MCP server signs in through OAuth, and Square keeps an allowlist of MCP clients that may register.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "The API and sandbox carry no charge. Sellers pay processing fees, 2.9% + 30 cents for card payments through the payments APIs in the US. Square Free is $0 a month, Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location. The sandbox lets an agent start without a contract (https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "2.9% fee", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index at developer.squareup.com/llms.txt or the OpenAPI spec (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 3, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 453743, "pypiWeekly": 72138, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://developer.squareup.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/square/connect-api-specification/master/api.json", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.orders", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.cart", "commerce.headless", "payments.card", "payments.checkout" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "sandbox", "graphql", "typescript", "python", "status-page", "bug-bounty" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-16", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 69.2, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 156, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.", "bestFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec with 332 operations and 1,476 schemas, regenerated for API version 2026-09-16", "OAuth scopes are split by read and write for each resource, and access tokens expire after 30 days", "78 request schemas carry an `idempotency_key`, and the docs describe backoff with jitter for 429 responses", "Free sandbox at connect.squareupsandbox.com with test cards, and API Logs kept for 28 days", "Deprecated APIs are typically retired at least 12 months after deprecation, with dated release notes each month" ], "weaknesses": [ "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only", "No numeric rate limits were found for the REST API. Only GraphQL states a figure, 10 queries a second", "No SLA was found in the developer terms or documentation", "The status page recorded widespread latency and errors on 27 September 2026, including payment authorisation", "A personal access token grants unrestricted access to the whole Square account", "97 of the 332 operations in the spec are marked beta" ], "agentNotes": [ "Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only", "Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads", "Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped", "Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write", "Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 69.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 56 }, "provenanceScore": 84 }, "connect": { "install": "npx square-mcp-server start", "http": "curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/locations \\\n -H 'Square-Version: 2026-09-16' \\\n -H 'Authorization: Bearer {SANDBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN}' \\\n -H 'Content-Type: application/json'", "config": { "mcpServers": { "mcp_square_api": { "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/square" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Card payment through the payments APIs (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2.9, "note": "plus 30 cents per transaction" }, { "item": "ACH bank transfer through the API (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 1, "note": "$1 minimum, $5 fee cap" }, { "item": "Square Free", "unit": "month", "usd": 0, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Plus", "unit": "month", "usd": 49, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Premium", "unit": "month", "usd": 149, "note": "per location" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Block, Inc.", "domain": "squareup.com", "domainRegistered": "2007-05-26", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "privacy": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "statusPage": "https://www.issquareup.com", "changelog": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Square Developer Terms of Service (last updated 10 September 2026) are an agreement with Block, Inc. and govern the APIs, SDKs and developer tools. Payment processing through an API is also subject to Square's General Terms.", "The Privacy Notice for Square Sellers and Website Visitors (last updated 15 September 2026) names Block, Inc., 1955 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612 as the entity for US sellers, with other Square entities for Canada, Japan, Australia and the EU.", "The API answers at connect.squareup.com and the remote MCP server at mcp.squareup.com. The sandbox uses the separate domain squareupsandbox.com.", "squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt and developer.squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. The security page links a Bugcrowd programme.", "RDAP for squareup.com gives a registration date of 2007-05-26." ], "score": 84 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.json", "live": { "slug": "square", "probe": { "target": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:59.27689094Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 59, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 80, "p95ms24h": 137, "samples24h": 19, "samples30d": 19, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 19, "ok": 19 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.issquareup.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:59.998723569Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:17:18.308620553Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "62494a1dd472" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:44.136652202Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "18b57fb2f3f3" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:40.889937356Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "10ccc5457da5" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:59.27689094Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Shopify", "b": "Block, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-09-16", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-08-01", "b": "2026-09-10", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-07-07", "b": "2026-09-15", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "657k npm/wk", "b": "454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.6/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Shopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Shopify API + MCP or Square?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Shopify API + MCP and Square need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Shopify API + MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Square has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.", "question": "Can an agent call Shopify API + MCP and Square without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 73 against 58", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 92 against 87", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 88 against 70" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better" ], "goodFor": "Agents that shop on real stores or automate a merchant's back office at scale.", "slug": "shopify", "watchFor": "Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "goodFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "slug": "square", "watchFor": "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only" } ], "job": { "capability": "commerce.products", "name": "Commerce products" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-shopify.json", "title": "commercetools vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.json", "title": "commercetools vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-shopify.json", "title": "Elastic Path API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.json", "title": "Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-shopify.json", "title": "Medusa API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.json", "title": "Medusa API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-shopify.json", "title": "Saleor API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.json", "title": "Saleor API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-shopware.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Shopware", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-shopware" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-snipcart.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-snipcart" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-swell.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-vendure.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-woocommerce" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.json", "title": "Shopware vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.json", "title": "Snipcart API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.json", "title": "Square vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.json", "title": "Square vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 15, "edge": "shopify", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "shopify": 73, "square": 58, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 5, "edge": "shopify", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "shopify": 92, "square": 87, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "square", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "shopify": 79, "square": 83, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "shopify", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "shopify": 71, "square": 67, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "shopify": 40, "square": 40, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "shopify", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "shopify": 85, "square": 81, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 18, "edge": "shopify", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "shopify": 88, "square": 70, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Shopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do commerce products.", "verdicts": { "shopify": "Typed GraphQL schemas with quarterly versions supported at least 12 months. Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals.", "square": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.min.md" }, "markdown": "Shopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do commerce products.\n\n- Shopify API + MCP: grade BB, 75/100, rank #52 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shopify.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shopify.json\n- Square: grade B, 69.2/100, rank #156 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Shopify API + MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents that shop on real stores or automate a merchant's back office at scale.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 73 against 58\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 92 against 87\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 88 against 70\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n\nWatch for: Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals\n\n### Square (B)\n\nGood for: Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Shopify API + MCP | Square | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 73 | 58 | Shopify API + MCP +15 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 92 | 87 | Shopify API + MCP +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 83 | Square +4 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 67 | Shopify API + MCP +4 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 85 | 81 | Shopify API + MCP +4 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 70 | Shopify API + MCP +18 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **75 · BB** | **69.2 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Shopify API + MCP | Square |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Shopify | Block, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT |\n| Tools exposed | none | 3 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-16 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-08-01 | 2026-09-10 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-07-07 | 2026-09-15 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |\n| Popularity | 657k npm/wk | 454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Shopify API + MCP.** Typed GraphQL schemas with quarterly versions supported at least 12 months. Closed platform. You can't self-host or change checkout internals.\n\n**Square.** The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Shopify API + MCP\n\n1. Pin an API version in the URL and plan to move at least once a year. Old versions fall forward to the oldest supported one\n2. Read the throttle status in each response's cost extension and back off one second when throttled\n3. Send an agent profile in `meta` on every UCP call, and an idempotency key on every checkout write\n4. Check `userErrors` on every mutation. A 200 response can still carry a failed write\n5. Add @shopify/dev-mcp while writing code so the agent checks queries against the current schema\n\n### Square\n\n1. Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only\n2. Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads\n3. Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped\n4. Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write\n5. Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Shopify API + MCP or Square?\n\nShopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do Shopify API + MCP and Square need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Shopify API + MCP and Square without installing anything?\n\nShopify API + MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Square has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"shopify\", \"b\": \"square\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare shopify square`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shopify.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Shopify API + MCP or Square\n\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-shopify.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.md)\n- [commercetools vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-shopify.md)\n- [commercetools vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.md)\n- [Elastic Path API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-shopify.md)\n- [Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.md)\n- [Medusa API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-shopify.md)\n- [Medusa API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.md)\n- [Saleor API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-shopify.md)\n- [Saleor API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Shopware](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-shopware.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-snipcart.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-swell.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-vendure.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-woocommerce.md)\n- [Shopware vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.md)\n- [Snipcart API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.md)\n- [Square vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.md)\n- [Square vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.md)\n- [Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Shopify API + MCP vs Square", "url": "" } ], "description": "Shopify API + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against Square's 69.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do commerce products. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Shopify API + MCP BB 75", "Square B 69.2", "scores" ], "h1": "Shopify API + MCP vs Square", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-shopify-vs-square.png", "path": "/compare/shopify-vs-square", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Square for AI agents, BB 75 vs B 69.2", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2250, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }