A financial MCP server lets an AI agent such as Claude call a market data API as a tool, without code written for it. We ranked 14 providers on how well an agent can use them. EODHD ranks first with a 72-tool MCP server. We rank thirteenth, because we have no MCP server, and the agent-setup files we do have are described below.
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard for connecting an AI model to outside tools and data. A provider that publishes an MCP server describes its endpoints to the agent in a form the agent can call directly.
How did we rank the providers for AI agents?
Each provider was scored from 0 to 10 on five criteria, from an official MCP server to SDKs in the languages agents write most. The MCP server counts double, and agent-readable docs and data coverage count one and a half.
Which financial MCP server ranks best?
| Rank | Provider | Score | Best for | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EODHD | 9.2 | 72-tool MCP server, broadest coverage | $16.58/mo |
| 2 | Massive | 7.9 | Broadest asset coverage via MCP | $23.20/mo |
| 3 | Financial Modeling Prep | 7.6 | Cheap MCP with fundamentals depth | $22/mo |
| 4 | Alpha Vantage | 7.4 | Hosted MCP with global data reach | $41.58/mo |
| 4 | Intrinio | 7.4 | MCP with fundamentals and options | $150/mo |
| 6 | Alpaca | 7.1 | Official MCP server, free tier | $99/mo |
| 6 | Twelve Data | 7.1 | MCP reaching 190,000+ symbols | $66/mo |
| 8 | Finnhub | 6.9 | MCP server with alternative data | $49.99/mo |
| 9 | Unusual Whales | 6.1 | MCP with an anti-hallucination whitelist | $42/mo |
| 10 | Tradier | 5.9 | MCP with free real-time options | $10/mo |
| 11 | ThetaData | 5.4 | MCP via a local terminal process | $40/mo |
| 12 | ORATS | 5.2 | Official MCP plus an in-house AI agent | $99/mo |
| 13 | Market Data | 5.1 | Agent-setup docs, no MCP server | $12/mo |
| 14 | MarketXLS | 4.9 | MCP-connected spreadsheet formulas | $70/mo |
The five highest-ranked providers, side by side:
| Feature | EODHD | Massive | Financial Modeling Prep | Alpha Vantage | Intrinio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI agents and MCP | Yes, 72-tool MCP server 1 | Yes, dedicated MCP server 2 | Yes, official first-party server 3 | Yes, official hosted MCP server 4 | Yes, on every paid plan 5 |
| Official SDKs | Python, Node.js, R, PHP, C#, Java, MATLAB 6 | Python, JS/TS, Go, Java/Kotlin 7 | Community only (Py, JS, Go, PHP, C#) 8 | Community only, no official SDK 9 | Python, JS, Java, C#, R, Ruby 10 |
| Real-time US stocks | Real-time on ALL-IN-ONE only ($99.99/mo) 11 | Real-time from Advanced ($199/mo) 12 | Real-time claimed on paid tiers 13 | Real-time on paid plans (gated) 14 | IEX/Nasdaq Basic; EquitiesEdge derived 15 |
| US options | Good, EOD-only add-on 16 | Excellent, real-time OPRA (Advanced) 17 | No options product | Basic, real-time endpoint exists 9 | Excellent, OPRA Enterprise-only 18 |
| Fundamentals | Excellent, full financials 11 | Good, ratios add-on $29/mo flat | Excellent: statements, ratios, DCF 19 | Good, full financial statements 9 | Excellent, SEC-sourced, 15+ yrs 20 |
| Free tier | 20 calls/day, 1yr history 11 | 5 calls/min, 2yr history, EOD only 12 | 250 calls/day, EOD only 13 | 25 req/day, EOD only, no real-time 21 | None (paid only, from $150/mo) 22 |
| Cheapest paid plan | $16.58/mo (EOD, annual) 11 | $23.20/mo (Stocks Starter, annual) 12 | $22/mo (Starter, annual) 13 | $41.58/mo (Premium 1, annual) 21 | $150/mo (Individual) 22 |
| Cost of real-time stocks + options | Not offered 16 | $318.4/mo (annual) 12 | Not offered 13 | $166.58/mo (annual) 9 | $150/mo 22 |
Sources for this table, checked 2026-09-26
- eodhd.com/financial-apis-blog/announcing-eodhd-claude-skills-teach-your-ai-the-entire-financial-api
- massive.com/docs
- pulsemcp.com/servers/financial-modeling-prep
- github.com/alphavantage/alpha_vantage_mcp
- intrinio.com/mcp
- eodhd.com/financial-apis/quick-start-with-our-financial-data-apis
- github.com/massive-com
- github.com/FinancialModelingPrepAPI/Financial-Modeling-Prep-API
- alphavantage.co/documentation/
- docs.intrinio.com/documentation/api_v2/getting_started
- eodhd.com/pricing
- massive.com/pricing
- site.financialmodelingprep.com/developer/docs/pricing
- alphavantage.co/realtime_data_policy/
- intrinio.com/financial-market-data/equitiesedge
- eodhd.com/lp/us-stock-options-api
- massive.com/pricing?product=options
- intrinio.com/options
- site.financialmodelingprep.com/
- intrinio.com/equity-market-data-packages
- alphavantage.co/premium/
- intrinio.com/pricing
EODHD
9.2/10 The broadest MCP toolset here, 72 tools, for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Windsurf, at low cost.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 10/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 8/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 9/10
- Price ×1
- 9/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 10/10
Strengths
- 72-tool official MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf
- Broadest coverage here: global EOD, fundamentals, news, options
- Cheap $16.58/mo entry tier reachable by an agent
Weaknesses
- Real-time needs the $99.99/mo top plan
- Free tier for an agent is just 20 calls/day
EODHD’s MCP server exposes 72 tools across global prices and fundamentals, and it works with the main AI clients. Its entry plan is $16.58 a month billed annually, which makes it the cheapest broad data set an agent can reach. Real-time prices need the $99.99 plan.
Massive
7.9/10 A dedicated MCP server (391 stars) reaches the broadest asset coverage here for an agent.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 8/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 8/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 9/10
- Price ×1
- 5/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 9/10
Strengths
- Dedicated MCP server, 391 GitHub stars
- Broadest coverage: stocks, options, forex, crypto, futures
- 4 official SDK languages
Weaknesses
- Real-time data an agent would want is gated to $199/mo
- Trustpilot 2.3/5 (6 reviews)
Massive’s MCP server has more than 390 GitHub stars and reaches every asset class Massive sells. Its documentation includes setup guides for AI coding tools. The real-time data an agent would want starts at $199 a month.
Financial Modeling Prep
7.6/10 An official first-party MCP server reaches deep fundamentals and filings for $22/month.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 9/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 7/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 8/10
- Price ×1
- 8/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 5/10
Strengths
- Official first-party MCP server
- Cheap $22/mo entry tier, MCP included
- Deep fundamentals, filings, and 13F data reachable
Weaknesses
- No options data reachable by the agent at all
- No official SDK, community-maintained only
Financial Modeling Prep runs an official MCP server that gives an agent financial statements and 13F holdings from $22 a month. It has no options data.
Alpha Vantage and Intrinio
7.4/10 An official hosted MCP server reaches broad global data, but the free tier caps at 25 requests/day.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 9/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 6/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 8/10
- Price ×1
- 8/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 5/10
Strengths
- Official hosted MCP server (alphavantage/alpha_vantage_mcp)
- Broad coverage: stocks, forex, crypto, fundamentals, news, technicals
Weaknesses
- Free tier is only 25 requests/day for the agent to use
- No official SDK, community-maintained only
Alpha Vantage hosts an official MCP server over its global data, but the free plan allows 25 requests a day, which an agent spends in minutes. Intrinio includes its MCP server on every paid plan, from $150 a month, with no free tier.
7.4/10 An MCP server ships on every paid plan, reaching deep fundamentals and options, but never for free.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 9/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 7/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 8/10
- Price ×1
- 2/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 9/10
Strengths
- Official MCP server on every paid plan
- 6 official SDK languages
- Deep fundamentals and OPRA options Greeks reachable
Weaknesses
- No free tier, floor is $150/mo before an agent can even connect
Market Data
5.1/10 No MCP server, but llms.txt and agent-setup prompts route 7 coding tools to the SDK.
- An official MCP server ×2
- 0/10
- Docs an agent can read ×1.5
- 8/10
- What the agent can reach ×1.5
- 4/10
- Price ×1
- 9/10
- SDKs agents already know ×1
- 9/10
Strengths
- llms.txt plus agent-setup prompts for 7 coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.)
- 6 official SDK languages including Python and JS/TS
- Free tier an agent can use immediately, no card
Weaknesses
- No official MCP server
- Coverage limited to US stocks, options, and mutual funds
We have no MCP server. What we have is an llms.txt file and an agent setup page with a prompt for seven AI coding tools. They tell the agent to use our official SDK in the user’s language and to read the token from an environment variable. We wrote them because, left alone, the agent writes its own HTTP client even when an official SDK exists, and a hand-written client misses details such as our 203 status code for cached answers.
Do you need an MCP server to use market data with an agent?
No. An agent can call any REST API if it can read the documentation, and it writes better code against an SDK than against raw endpoints. An MCP server helps most in a chat tool such as Claude Desktop, where the agent calls the data during a conversation rather than writing a program.
For an agent that writes code, clear documentation and an SDK matter more.
Is a product that shows only derived scores still commercial?
Yes, if other people see it. In August 2026 a startup building a paid options research service asked to use our API only on its servers, as a replacement for Yahoo Finance. Its customers would only ever see its own scanner scores and option picks, never our prices.
We still classed it as commercial use, because the output served a paid product to other people, and we referred it to our partner Intrinio. The same rule separates it from the personal case: a subscriber who feeds our data into an AI assistant for his own trading stays on a personal plan.
Why does our API accept one IP address at a time?
The exchanges treat a data product as controlled when the vendor can show that one customer device at a time reads the data and none of it is passed on. That status is what keeps our real-time prices low, so each account accepts one IP address and no serverless functions.
The rule has a cost, and we have watched it. In September 2026 a customer calling our API from Google Apps Script, whose outbound IP addresses rotate, hit the limit. We explained why and pointed him to our Sheets add-on, which refreshes safely. Thirty-three minutes later he wrote that Massive allowed his setup, and asked us to cancel.
Can an AI agent use a personal data plan?
Usually yes, if nobody else sees the output. Our rule is that a fully automated research pipeline for your own use is still personal use when an AI assistant reads it. Display to other people is what makes it commercial. Other providers set their own lines, and the ranking of financial data providers compares their commercial terms.
The protocol itself is described at modelcontextprotocol.io.