Comparisons
The independent Smithery alternative
Smithery.ai was the leading independent MCP registry and CLI platform. On August 5, 2026, it was acquired by Arcade.dev and began pivoting to enterprise credential management. MCPVault is the independent alternative: a community-first directory that grades servers, runs live verification and has no enterprise agenda.
Feature comparison
MCPVault spawns servers in a sandbox and runs a real MCP handshake
Recency, adoption, license and docs signals computed nightly
Post-acquisition cadence unclear
MCPVault lets any maintainer claim and edit their listing
Verified MCPVault listings earn a do-follow link to the project site
Each tool within a server gets its own indexed page on MCPVault
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed and more
Smithery was acquired by Arcade.dev on August 5, 2026
What no other directory does
Verification that lapses when the badge disappears
Every other directory grants a badge once and never checks again. MCPVault re-runs the full verification weekly: a live stdio handshake plus a check that the MCPVault embed badge is still present in the README or on the project site. Remove the badge, fail the handshake, or let the server go offline and the verification lapses automatically. The do-follow link pauses, the status badge on your README updates in real time and you get an email. This is the difference between a trust signal and a sticker.
When Smithery (Arcade.dev) is the right choice
You need enterprise credential management and SSO-backed server authentication.
Your team is already inside the Arcade.dev ecosystem and wants integrated tooling.
You need cloud-hosted MCP server execution rather than a public discovery directory.
Common questions
Why is Smithery no longer the best option for community MCP discovery?
Smithery.ai was acquired by Arcade.dev on August 5, 2026 and is pivoting to enterprise use cases. The independent community registry it represented is no longer its focus. MCPVault fills that gap as a fully independent, community-first directory.
Does MCPVault actually run the servers it lists?
Yes. Verified servers are spawned in a sandbox environment and must complete a real MCP stdio handshake, including initialize and tools/list calls, before the badge is granted. The check runs weekly and the badge lapses automatically if the server fails or the MCPVault embed is removed from the README.
Is claiming a listing on MCPVault free?
Claiming, editing and requesting verification are all free during early access. Verification requires the MCPVault badge to be visible in the project README or site. Featured placement and sponsorship are the paid options.
What happens if I remove the MCPVault badge from my README after verification?
The weekly re-check includes a badge presence check. If the badge is missing, the verification lapses: the status reverts to claimed, the do-follow link is paused and the badge on your listing updates everywhere it is embedded. Re-adding the badge and passing the next re-check restores it.
Try the independent alternative
5,000+ servers indexed, nightly refreshes, live verification and a free claim mechanic. No enterprise ownership.