Agentic Index
Klavis AI vs Smithery (2026)
Klavis and Smithery are the two names in MCP server infrastructure, both open source first with hosted layers: Klavis offers its open source Strata MCP server free to self host, with a hosted managed service running a free tier plus paid plans for higher usage and built in OAuth and multi tenant auth across six hundred plus tools, while Smithery runs the MCP registry, free to browse, install, list, and use via CLI, with paid Hobby, Pro, and Custom plans priced on hosted runtime. Klavis is the production auth and hosting layer; Smithery is the discovery registry with hosting attached.
| At a glance | Klavis AI | Smithery |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent infrastructure | Agent infrastructure |
| Entry price | Open source Strata server free; hosted free tier; paid plans for higher usage; Enterprise | Free registry, CLI, install, and listing; hosted plans (Hobby, Pro, Custom); usage based hosting |
| Free / trial | Open source Strata server free to self host, plus a free hosted tier | Free to browse, install, list, and use the CLI; local install is free |
| Pricing confidence | public partial | public partial |
| Feature |
S
Smithery
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Action & orchestration | ||
|
Integrations & Tool Calling Ability to connect agents to real systems through native integrations, OAuth-authenticated actions, custom tools, APIs, webhooks, or MCP-compatible tools. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Workflow Orchestration Ability to sequence, branch, retry, route, and combine deterministic workflow nodes with autonomous agent steps. |
Partial | Partial |
|
Triggers & Channel Coverage How agents wake up and where they work: schedules, webhooks, message events, CRM events, inbox events, chat, email, voice, and collaboration tools. |
Partial | No / Not documented |
| Knowledge & context | ||
|
Knowledge Grounding & RAG Ability to ground agent behavior in company data through document ingestion, retrieval, external knowledge APIs, semantic search, or RAG layers. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
|
Memory & State Persistence Ability to persist context across a run, conversation, workflow, user, team, or longer-term memory layer. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
| Control & trust | ||
|
Human Oversight & Guardrails Approval steps, consent checkpoints, escalation rules, structured guardrails, policy constraints, and pause/resume controls. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
|
Security, Identity & Governance RBAC, SSO, auditability, encryption, least-privilege tool access, compliance posture, and data handling policy. |
Full / Explicit | Partial |
|
Observability & Auditability Traces, logs, execution histories, metrics, audit events, and debugging detail for production agent behavior. |
No / Not documented | Partial |
|
Deployment & Data Residency Deployment modes and options, including SaaS, dedicated cloud, VPC, on-prem, hybrid, local runtime, and self-hosting. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
| Solution readiness | ||
|
Prebuilt Agents, Templates & Packs Ready-made workflows, packaged employees, templates, blueprints, industry solutions, and role-specific agents that reduce time-to-value. |
Partial | Full / Explicit |
| Platform extensibility | ||
|
Model Flexibility & Routing Ability to work across multiple foundation models, route tasks to different models, or let buyers bring their own providers and keys. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
|
APIs, SDKs & MCP Extensibility Composability layer: stable APIs, SDKs, MCP tool consumption/serving, custom tools, and integration into internal systems. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Testing, Debugging & Optimization Testing, debugging, scoring, retries, fallbacks, quality gates, and optimization loops for improving agent workflows before and after deployment. |
Partial | No / Not documented |
| Specialist automation | ||
|
Browser & Computer Use Browser, desktop, or remote/local computer control for workflows that cannot be handled through stable APIs alone. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
Pricing snapshot
Sourced from the Index pricing dataset · open each vendor's profile for full detail.
| Pricing |
S
Smithery
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Entry price Lowest public entry point |
Open source Strata server free; hosted free tier; paid plans for higher usage; Enterprise | Free registry, CLI, install, and listing; hosted plans (Hobby, Pro, Custom); usage based hosting |
|
Pricing confidence How public the numbers are |
Public — partial | Public — partial |
|
Billing Primary billing axis |
usage (MCP tool calls and servers) | usage (hosted server runtime and tool calls) |
|
Variable cost Workload / overage exposure |
Medium variable cost | Medium variable cost |
|
Free tier / trial Try before you buy |
Free tierTrial
|
Free tier
|
|
Buying motion Self-serve vs sales call |
Mixed | Mixed |
Choose Klavis AI if
- Multi tenant OAuth across hundreds of tools is the production requirement.
- A managed MCP layer with enterprise options fits your deployment.
- Self hosting the open source server is your starting point.
Choose Smithery if
- Discovering and installing MCP servers is the immediate need.
- Free registry access and CLI workflows fit your development loop.
- Hosted runtime pricing only when you need it keeps cost near zero.