Free MCP Servers: What Is Actually Free, and What Only Looks Free
Almost every MCP server is free to install. Fewer are free to use, because the server is often a doorway to a paid service or a paid API. This list sorts them by what you actually pay, and ends with the free setups we use ourselves.
Short answer
Most MCP servers are free and open source. The best truly free ones are Playwright MCP, Chrome DevTools MCP, Context7 and the official Filesystem, Fetch, Git and Memory servers. GitHub, Notion, Linear, Supabase and Sentry are free on those services' free plans. For 3D and games, Blender MCP and the Roblox Studio, Unreal and Unity servers cost nothing.
For generating 3D models and images, 3D AI Studio is free to try: a free account gets Prism 3.1 3D previews and GPT Image 2.5 images with free credits in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Claude Code. Watch for servers that need your own paid API key; those bill you per call.
What does free mean for an MCP server?
"Free MCP server" covers three quite different deals. Knowing which one you are looking at saves a surprise later.
Truly free
Open source, runs on your machine, needs no account. Playwright, Chrome DevTools, the reference servers, Blender MCP. The only cost is your AI client.
Free with an account
The server is free, and so is the service if you stay on its free plan. GitHub, Notion, Linear, Supabase and Sentry all work on free tiers, with limits.
Free to try
A free plan or free credits, with more on paid plans. 3D AI Studio works this way: free 3D previews and images, then full quality and every model on a paid plan.
Which MCP servers are free?
Fifteen servers we would recommend, all checked against their makers' documentation. They work in common MCP clients such as Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code; the remote ones also work in the Claude and ChatGPT apps.
| Server | Maker | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playwright MCP | Microsoft | Truly free | Drives a real browser for testing and scraping |
| Chrome DevTools MCP | Chrome DevTools team | Truly free | Console, network and performance debugging |
| Context7 | Upstash | Free; a key raises limits | Current library docs in the prompt |
| Filesystem, Fetch, Git, Memory | MCP project (reference servers) | Truly free | Files, web pages, local repos, simple memory |
| GitHub MCP Server | GitHub | Free with a GitHub account | Issues, pull requests, code search, Actions |
| Notion | Notion | Free with a Notion account | Read and write pages and databases |
| Linear | Linear | Free plan available | Issues and projects |
| Supabase MCP | Supabase | Free tier projects | Database, SQL and logs |
| Sentry | Sentry | Free developer plan | Errors and stack traces |
| 3D AI Studio | 3D AI Studio | Free to try | 3D models and images from any assistant |
| Blender MCP | Blender Lab | Truly free | Operate Blender through its Python API |
| Unity CLI / MCP for Unity | Unity / CoplayDev | Truly free | Drive the Unity Editor |
| Godot AI | hi-godot | Truly free | Drive the Godot editor |
| Roblox Studio MCP | Roblox | Truly free, built into Studio | Scripts, data model and playtests |
| Unreal MCP | Epic Games | Truly free, ships with UE 5.8 | Actors, lighting, materials, Blueprints |
The reference servers are underrated
The MCP project maintains a handful of reference servers on GitHub, in the modelcontextprotocol organisation. Filesystem gives an assistant controlled access to folders you choose, Fetch turns web pages into text, Git works with a local repository, and Memory keeps a small knowledge graph between sessions. They are simple, free and well maintained, which is exactly what you want from a server with access to your files.
For a longer, job-by-job version of this list including paid servers, see our best MCP servers guide.
What is the best free MCP setup for 3D and game development?
This is the area where free got much better in 2026. Every major engine now has a free MCP server, and you can generate assets for free to start with.
- Your engine: the Roblox Studio server is built in, Unreal MCP ships with UE 5.8, the Unity CLI is free, and Godot AI is open source.
- Your 3D software: Blender MCP is free, and so is Blender.
- The assets: 3D AI Studio's free plan generates Prism 3.1 3D previews and GPT Image 2.5 images with free credits, and removes backgrounds.
Orc Warrior
Prism 3.1 · free plan
Done. It is saved to your dashboard, and I can convert it to FBX or STL from here.
Try the 3D AI Studio connector free
Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code or Codex in two minutes and generate 3D models and images with a free account. No API key, no card needed to start.
Connect for freeHow do you install a free MCP server?
Local servers start with a command such as npx. Remote servers are a URL. In Claude Code, both are one line:
# Local: a real browser for the agent claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest # Remote: current library docs claude mcp add --transport http context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp # Remote: 3D models and images (free plan available) claude mcp add --transport http --scope user 3daistudio https://mcp.3daistudio.com/mcp
In Cursor, VS Code and most other editors the same servers go into an mcp.json file. In the Claude and ChatGPT apps only remote servers work, added as custom connectors.
Read next
- Best MCP servers in 2026
Fourteen picks, one per job, including paid ones.
- Make game assets with Claude Code and Cursor
Put the free 3D setup to work.
- Nano Banana MCP
An example of a free server with a paid API behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Are MCP servers free?
Most are. The majority are open source and cost nothing to run. What can cost money is the service behind a server: a GitHub or Notion server is free, but it works with your account on that service, and servers that call paid APIs bill you through your own API key.
What are the best free MCP servers?
For developers: Playwright MCP, Chrome DevTools MCP, Context7 and the GitHub MCP Server. For files and memory: the official Filesystem, Fetch, Git and Memory reference servers. For 3D and games: Blender MCP, the Unity CLI or MCP for Unity, Godot AI, the Roblox Studio and Unreal MCP servers, and 3D AI Studio's free plan for generating 3D models and images.
Is there a free MCP server for 3D models?
Yes. 3D AI Studio's MCP connector has a free plan: a free account can generate Prism 3.1 3D previews and GPT Image 2.5 Flare images with free credits, plus background removal, in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code and other assistants. Blender MCP is also free but operates Blender rather than generating models.
Do free MCP servers work with the free version of Claude or ChatGPT?
It depends on the app, not the server. Custom connectors in Claude and developer mode in ChatGPT depend on your plan. Local servers work in any client that supports them, including free editors such as VS Code and Cursor's free plan, within those tools' own limits.
Are free MCP servers safe?
Free is not the same as safe. Prefer servers made by the vendor of the product they connect to, or popular open source projects with recent releases. A server can do whatever its credentials allow, so use read-only modes and limited keys where they exist.
Where can I find more free MCP servers?
The official MCP Registry lists published servers and who maintains them. Directories such as Glama, PulseMCP, mcp.so and mcpservers.org add search, categories and popularity. The modelcontextprotocol/servers repository on GitHub has the official reference servers.
Tim Karlowitz
Developer & Creative @ Karlowitz Studios
Tim is a creative technologist and developer at Karlowitz Studios in Germany. He specializes in interactive 3D web experiences and automated content pipelines, bringing a rigorous engineering perspective to AI tool evaluation.