MCPifex vs. Glama MCP: Hosted Gateway Comparison 2026

Glama MCP is a directory of MCP servers with an inspector, hosting and a gateway. MCPifex is a hosted gateway for a smaller catalog of servers, with flat plans. Pick Glama when you want to browse widely or deploy your own package. Pick MCPifex when a server in our catalog fits and you want simple, instance-based pricing.

Four things under one name

Glama.ai offers several MCP products, and only one of them is comparable to MCPifex.

• Directory. A searchable registry of open-source MCP servers at glama.ai/mcp/servers. You can filter by language, hosting type and capability, and it has a Directory API. Glama's own count runs past 80,000 listings.
• Inspector. Paste a server URL and Glama starts a temporary sandbox to try its tools without a local install.
• Hosting. Deploy a server from the directory, from a GitHub repo, or from a custom Docker, npm or PyPI package. You get back a Streamable HTTP endpoint at https://glama.ai/endpoints/<connection-profile>/mcp.
• Gateway. Routes Glama-hosted deployments, hosted connectors or an existing remote MCP endpoint through connection profiles, with tool controls and logging.

Hosting is a bring-your-own-package model. MCPifex works the other way: a server has to be in our catalog before we can host it.

Listed is not the same as hosted

A directory lists servers. It doesn't run them. The official MCP Registry is metadata only, and Glama's directory follows the same idea, run by one company. See what an MCP registry is.

Glama Hosting and MCPifex are the third category. They start a server process for you and hand back a live endpoint. A server showing up in a big directory says nothing about whether anyone is running it, storing its credentials or limiting its tools.

How you connect and control access

Both speak MCP over Streamable HTTP. Glama's docs describe OAuth 2.1 credentials with automatic refresh, secrets encrypted at rest, and per-tool access control scoped to a connection profile.

With MCPifex, you create an instance, enable the tools you want, and get an mcpx_ API key. It works as a Bearer header, or as the first path segment (https://mcpifex.com/mcp/<YOUR_MCPX_KEY>) for clients like ChatGPT connectors that can't send headers.

Tools are enforced at the gateway. Destructive tools start off, and a tool that isn't in our catalog for that server is always refused. The PostgreSQL package's connect_db tool is one, so a client can never repoint the server. The PostgreSQL page has the full tool list.

Pricing

Glama's docs say infrastructure is billed on top of the workspace plan, so include both when you estimate. Our numbers are on the pricing page.

Using the gateway without moving your server

Glama's gateway can also front an existing remote MCP endpoint. The server stays with its current operator, and Glama adds connection management and per-tool controls in front. That's separate from paying Glama to host the package.

If you already run a server and only want central controls, this option can change your shortlist. Whichever product you test, trace the route a request takes. Who operates the server? Which account supplies upstream access? Which component refuses a disabled tool?

Which should you choose?

• Glama's directory if you're finding out what MCP servers exist. It's the far larger listing.
• Glama Hosting if the server you need isn't in any curated catalog and you're comfortable deploying a Docker image or GitHub repo yourself, with usage-based billing.
• MCPifex if your server is in our catalog and you'd rather set it up in the portal with per-tool switches and predictable pricing.

As of September 2026, our hosted servers include PostgreSQL, Google Trends and Google Search Console. That's narrower than bring-your-own-code hosting, so check it against your task. Browse the marketplace or start free.

To compare fairly, use the same client and a harmless task on both. Our Claude Code guide and Claude Desktop guide show the MCPifex side. Weighing a broader integration platform instead? See MCPifex vs. Composio.