Context7 vs MCP reference servers
Updated : the last week a score, rank or safety result on this page changed.
- Maintenance 30%6721
- Adoption 30%3960
- Docs 20%6969
- Community 20%, not measured yet––
Context7 scores 9 points higher. Context7 leads on maintenance; MCP reference servers leads on adoption.
What this does not tell you
Scores are percentiles of public GitHub signals. Nobody here tested these tools hands-on, so the higher score is not a verdict on which suits your project. Yellow marks the higher value.
Which one fits you
From measured data and licences, not from testing.
Pick Context7 if
- Recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 67).
Pick MCP reference servers if
- You want the more widely adopted option (adoption 60).
- You want the tool whose automated scan found no issues.
Safety side by side
Automated scan, 2 Nov 2026. Not a manual audit.
- CautionContext72 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
- No issues foundMCP reference serversNo issues found in this week’s scan
Why different labels?
A label partly reflects how much of each tool is visible and scannable, not only how risky it is. A tool without a lockfile cannot get a dependency check.
- Context7: 2 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
- MCP reference servers: no issues found
Repo facts
Yellow = the higher value, where higher is better.
| Fact | Context7 | MCP reference servers |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 57 | 48 |
| Stars | 64,060 | 91,744 |
| Last push | 1 Nov | 29 Oct |
| Releases, 90 days | 10+ | 6 |
| Licence | MIT | Apache-2.0 / MIT |
| Open source | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Type | MCP server | MCP server |
| Runs locally | yes | yes |
| Hosted option | unknown | unknown |
“Runs locally” and “Hosted option” are read from each README automatically (or from the official docs where noted); “unknown” means no evidence was found, not that it is absent.
Questions about Context7 vs MCP reference servers
Answers use this week's StackGrade data.
Context7 or MCP reference servers: which scores higher on StackGrade?
Context7 scores 9 points higher in Week 45: Context7 57, MCP reference servers 48 out of 100. The score combines maintenance, adoption and docs (percentiles of public GitHub signals): Context7 67, 39 and 69; MCP reference servers 21, 60 and 69. Community (20% weight) is not measured yet. It is not a hands-on test, so a higher score does not say which tool suits your project.
Is Context7 or MCP reference servers safer to use?
Safety labels from the automated scan of 2 Nov 2026: Context7: Caution, 2 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV); MCP reference servers: No issues found, no issues found in this week’s scan. It is an automated scan, not a manual audit.
Which is more widely used, Context7 or MCP reference servers?
By GitHub stars: MCP reference servers 91,744, Context7 64,060. Adoption score (percentile among all 52 tracked tools): Context7 39, MCP reference servers 60. Stars are one public signal and do not measure real-world use.
Which licences do Context7 and MCP reference servers use?
Context7: MIT; MCP reference servers: Apache-2.0 / MIT. Read each licence text before commercial use.
Should I pick Context7 or MCP reference servers?
Pick Context7 if recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 67). Pick MCP reference servers if you want the more widely adopted option (adoption 60); you want the tool whose automated scan found no issues. This comes from measured public data and licences only, not from hands-on testing.
Full comparison table, every criterion
| Context7upstash/context7 | MCP reference serversmodelcontextprotocol/servers | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 57 | 48 |
| Rank | #19 overall · #2 in use case | #29 overall · #4 in use case |
| Maintenance (30%) | 67 | 21 |
| Adoption (30%) | 39 | 60 |
| Docs (20%) | 69 | 69 |
| Community (20%) | not measured | not measured |
| Safety | Caution
| No issues found |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 / MIT |
| Open source | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Stars | 64,060 | 91,744 |
| Last push | ||
| Type | MCP server | MCP server |
| Runs locally | yes (README: "npm install -g") | yes (README: "npx -y @") |
| Hosted option | unknown | unknown |
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