# Comparisons

> How the MCP gateways differ, who each one is built for, and the cases where the honest answer is that you do not need one.

- [AI consultant vs AI automation agency: who to hire](https://elaichi.ai/blog/ai-consultant-vs-automation-agency/) — AI consultant vs AI automation agency: one gives you a plan, the other builds automations. Forward deployed engineers do both, in your apps.
- [AI gateway vs MCP gateway: which one do you need?](https://elaichi.ai/blog/ai-gateway-vs-mcp-gateway/) — AI gateway vs MCP gateway: one governs your apps' calls to models, the other which tools each person's AI client may call, and on whose account.
- [Composio vs Zapier MCP for company use](https://elaichi.ai/blog/composio-vs-zapier-mcp/) — Composio vs Zapier MCP: Composio bills per tool call, Zapier MCP uses two tasks per call, and Elaichi bills per seat at one shared address.
- [Hosted MCP gateway vs running the gateway yourself](https://elaichi.ai/blog/hosted-mcp-gateway/) — A hosted MCP gateway runs the checkpoint every AI tool call passes through. Self-hosting puts it on your servers. Six questions decide which fits.
- [Copilot Studio vs MCP gateway for company apps](https://elaichi.ai/blog/copilot-studio-vs-mcp-gateway/) — Copilot Studio vs MCP gateway: where each one puts the rules about which company app an AI client may reach, and who gets to write them.
- [Docker MCP Gateway vs a managed MCP platform](https://elaichi.ai/blog/docker-mcp-gateway-vs-managed-mcp-platform/) — Docker MCP Gateway vs a managed MCP platform: Docker runs MCP servers in containers you operate. Elaichi serves connectors behind one sign-in URL.
- [Kong vs Cloudflare MCP gateway, or managed connectors?](https://elaichi.ai/blog/kong-cloudflare-mcp-gateway-vs-managed-connectors/) — Kong vs Cloudflare MCP gateway: both govern MCP servers you build or bring. A managed connector platform ships the SaaS connectors already written.
- [Elaichi vs Composio: who writes your connectors?](https://elaichi.ai/blog/elaichi-vs-composio/) — Elaichi vs Composio: Elaichi writes most of its connectors and serves them on one company-wide MCP endpoint. Composio covers more apps, one endpoint per team.
- [Claude and ChatGPT connectors vs one MCP endpoint](https://elaichi.ai/blog/elaichi-vs-native-ai-connectors/) — Claude and ChatGPT connectors fit one client and a few apps. Once a second client repeats the setup, one governed MCP endpoint costs less to run.
- [Lunar MCPX alternative: count your servers first](https://elaichi.ai/blog/lunar-mcpx-alternative-governed-access/) — With no MCP servers to front, the Lunar MCPX alternative is a hosted server like Elaichi. With several, a gateway like MCPX still fits.
- [Running your own MCP servers: the real cost](https://elaichi.ai/blog/self-hosted-mcp-servers-vs-control-plane/) — Running your own MCP servers wins for one internal tool. Managed wins once credentials, token refresh, per-user sign-in and audit multiply.
- [When you don't need an MCP gateway yet](https://elaichi.ai/blog/when-you-dont-need-an-mcp-gateway/) — Per-user connectors plus SSO are enough while you can name everyone connected. That is when you don't need an MCP gateway, and four signals end it.
- [Zapier MCP alternative for a whole company](https://elaichi.ai/blog/zapier-mcp-alternative/) — Elaichi is a Zapier MCP alternative: one organization endpoint with role restrictions and an audit log. What each costs, and when Zapier fits.
- [SCIM and AI agents: where provisioning stops](https://elaichi.ai/blog/identity-provider-scim-vs-mcp-grants/) — SCIM and AI agents meet at the user account: SCIM creates, updates and deactivates it, but it never decides which tools an agent may call.
- [MCP endpoint per team, per person or per company?](https://elaichi.ai/blog/one-endpoint-vs-per-team-endpoint/) — One endpoint per company usually beats an MCP endpoint per team or a server per person: each AI client needs one entry, and a leaver is one action.
- [MintMCP alternative when you run no MCP servers](https://elaichi.ai/blog/mintmcp-alternative/) — If you run no MCP servers, Elaichi is a MintMCP alternative that writes and hosts its own connectors and serves them through one MCP endpoint.
- [Best MCP gateways for company-wide AI access](https://elaichi.ai/blog/best-mcp-gateways/) — The best MCP gateways come in four shapes: a hosted catalog, a gateway you run, a per-member server or a control plane. Pick the shape, then the vendor.
- [Elaichi vs Merge Agent Handler: three forks](https://elaichi.ai/blog/elaichi-vs-merge-agent-handler/) — Elaichi vs Merge Agent Handler comes down to three forks: one address or many, a grant or a stored secret, and who authors the connectors.
- [An API gateway for MCP, or an MCP-native server?](https://elaichi.ai/blog/api-gateway-with-mcp-vs-mcp-native/) — An API gateway for MCP fits when the tools are your own APIs, already behind it. For SaaS accounts your staff sign in to, an MCP-native server fits better.
- [MCP gateway pricing: per seat vs per call](https://elaichi.ai/blog/mcp-gateway-pricing/) — MCP gateway pricing is metered per call, per task or per seat. Per call is cheaper at low volume; per seat is the bill a company can forecast.