Self-hosted vs. hosted MCP: which one fits you?
MCP Self-hosted runs in your own Docker environment. Every tool call (WooCommerce, WordPress, your database, your inbox, your notes) happens on infrastructure you control, not in a third-party cloud.
One download, one command to install and update, no hosted middleman
The same tools, without a shared cloud
What self-hosting really changes
Data location is no longer an issue
There is no hosted copy of your orders, content or notes to ask about. The server runs where you run it.
No outage risk on the vendor side
Downtime at a hosted provider does not affect you. MCP Self-hosted only depends on your own infrastructure.
License checks, no data access
The only thing that calls out is a license check every 72 hours. Your tool data never leaves.
You set the update pace
Update MCP Self-hosted when you are ready, on your own schedule. No forced platform migration.
What runs where
No black box.
MCP Self-hosted runs in your Docker
The server, the tool add-ons and your login details all live in containers you control.
Claude calls the tools it needs
Each tool call goes straight to your own systems: the WooCommerce API, your database, your vault.
Only the license check goes out
About every 72 hours, MCP Self-hosted checks the license with our endpoint. That call holds no tool data.
A compliance review goes faster when there is nothing to explain away
“Where does our data go?” has a one-line answer: nowhere. It stays on infrastructure you already control. That often decides it once a security review is involved.
Read the docs
Self-hosted vs. a hosted MCP provider
| Typical hosted provider | MCP Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Where tool data is processed | The provider’s cloud | Your own Docker environment |
| What leaves your infrastructure | All tool traffic | Only a license check every 72 hours |
| Licensing model | Often a subscription per user | One yearly license per tool, seats included |
| Update control | The provider sets the schedule | You run docker exec … refresh-license when you are ready |
What is the difference in self-hosted vs hosted MCP?
In self-hosted vs hosted MCP, the difference is who runs the server. With MCP Self-hosted you run the MCP server in Docker on your own infrastructure. With an MCP Hosted seat, AddoCore runs the server at mcp.addocore.com and you only connect Claude. Both are our products, both use the same tool add-ons, and both give every seat its own token and its own tools. The choice is about operations and where login details live, not about which tools you get.
How does the self-hosted side of self-hosted vs hosted MCP work?
MCP Self-hosted runs as a Docker container that you start with one script. You buy the MCP Self-hosted license and download a zip from My Account. It contains docker-compose.yml, a pre-filled .env, .env.registry and mcp-update.sh. Fill in .env with the login details for your systems, then run:
./mcp-update.shThe script logs in to the AddoCore container registry, pulls the image and starts mcp-core. The same command installs updates later, and MCP_VERSION decides which version runs. Node.js is inside the image, so the host only needs Docker with Docker Compose. The Docker Compose quickstart walks through every step.
API keys, consumer secrets and application passwords stay in the .env on your server. Tool calls go from your container straight to your store, site, inbox or database.
How does the hosted side work?
An MCP Hosted seat is your own access to the MCP server that AddoCore runs for you. You pick your tools, add the login details for your own systems in My Account and connect Claude with a URL and the token of your seat. There is no Docker, no server and no update to install on your side.
Login details on the hosted server are stored encrypted per seat and only handed to that seat. Billing is monthly or yearly with no minimum term, and the first month is free as a trial. When you cancel, the seat keeps working until the end of the paid period.
Self-hosted vs hosted MCP: how do the costs compare?
In self-hosted vs hosted MCP, the two options price a different unit. MCP Self-hosted is one yearly license; MCP Hosted is billed per seat.
- MCP Self-hosted: MCP Self-hosted costs € 217,80 excl. VAT: € 180,00/yr and includes 3 seats and 1 activation. Tool add-ons start from € 72,60 excl. VAT: € 60,00 per year and are added to the license once. An extra seat costs € 18,15 excl. VAT: € 15,00/yr.
- MCP Hosted: a base price per seat, plus the price of each add-on you pick for that seat. Pay per month or per year.
A team that shares the same tools across several people gets the most out of an MCP Self-hosted license, because the add-ons are licensed once and every seat picks from them. One person who wants to test one tool for a month starts cheaper on a hosted seat. The pricing calculator gives the self-hosted total for your setup.
Self-hosted vs hosted MCP: where does your data go?
With MCP Self-hosted, tool data stays between your container and your own systems. The only call to AddoCore is the license check. It returns entitlements: the list of tools that are allowed to load. A tool without an entitlement is not exposed at all. If AddoCore cannot be reached, a 96-hour grace period keeps every tool running.
With MCP Hosted, tool calls run on the AddoCore server, which then calls your systems with the login details you stored. For a team without a server that is the simplest route. For a team whose security review requires login details and tool traffic on their own infrastructure, the self-hosted option is the one that passes.
What stays the same in self-hosted vs hosted MCP?
Most of the daily work is identical. Picking between self-hosted vs hosted MCP does not change how Claude uses the tools:
- Claude Desktop and Claude Code connect over Streamable HTTP, with legacy SSE for older clients.
- Every seat has its own token and its own subset of tools.
- Every tool starts read-only, except Brain, which can make changes from the start. You set a tool to Can make changes on a seat when you want Claude to make changes.
- Adding a tool later needs no reinstall on either option.
When should you move from hosted to self-hosted MCP?
Start hosted when you have no Docker host, or when you want to try one tool before you commit to a year. Move to MCP Self-hosted when login details have to stay on your own servers, when several people need the same tools, or when you want to decide yourself when an update goes live. On self-hosted, an update only happens when you run ./mcp-update.sh.
For most teams the self-hosted vs hosted MCP decision is not permanent. Moving means buying MCP Self-hosted, running the install and creating new seats under My Account → MCP Self-hosted. Each seat gets a new token that you paste into Claude. Tools, modes and read-only defaults behave the same as before.
Still weighing self-hosted vs hosted MCP? If you already run Docker, start with MCP Self-hosted. If you would rather not run a server, try an MCP Hosted seat with the first month free.
Veelgestelde vragen
No. Skills are separate, free downloads — no license or entitlement required.
Yes, per tool and per seat. You choose read-only or Can make changes for each tool when you add a seat in My Account → MCP Self-hosted. Every tool defaults to read-only except Brain, which can make changes from the start. See entitlements vs tool modes.
Yes. Copy the whole install folder, including ./state, and the activation moves with it, because the instance id lives in that folder. On a fresh install, release the old activation on the Activations tab first, then refresh the license on the new server. Activations without a check for 30 days are released automatically. See MCP license management.
Not once delivery has started. EU consumers normally have 14 days to withdraw. Licenses for MCP Self-hosted, add-ons and extra seats are delivered as soon as the order is paid, and at checkout you agree to that and confirm that the right of withdrawal ends with it. The right of withdrawal form lists any order that still qualifies. Business orders cannot be withdrawn through the form.
Just MCP Self-hosted plus whichever add-ons you actually need. Tools you haven’t licensed simply aren’t loaded or exposed to your AI client.
Add a Seat from My Account → MCP Self-hosted. Each Seat gets its own token and can be scoped to only the tools that teammate needs.
MCP Self-hosted costs € 217,80 excl. VAT: € 180,00 per year. Add-ons start from € 72,60 excl. VAT: € 60,00 per year and differ in price. Each line on a license, MCP Self-hosted, every add-on and every extra seat, is its own yearly recurring payment through Mollie with its own renewal date. Some products can be billed monthly, with a 12-month minimum term. The pricing calculator adds up a setup for you.
VAT is calculated at checkout from your billing details. A business in the EU with a valid VAT number gets reverse charge, so enter that number at checkout. For a question about the VAT on an existing order, use the contact form and include the order number.
MCP Self-hosted includes 3 seats and 1 activation. One server can serve three people or devices, each with their own token. A fourth identity needs an extra seat at € 18,15 excl. VAT: € 15,00 per year. A second container on the same license is refused until you release the first activation. MCP seats explains tokens, labels and limits.
MCP Self-hosted sends a small diagnostics payload with every license check, so we can see which version runs and whether checks succeed. It contains no data from your tools, inbox, store or database. MCP diagnostics lists exactly what is sent and what you see in My Account.
Nothing breaks immediately. Your server keeps running on its last successful entitlements for a 96-hour grace period before anything is restricted.
A failed charge puts the line on Payment issue and everything keeps working. If it is still unpaid after 7 days, the line is suspended. For the MCP Self-hosted line that blocks every tool call. A cancelled line runs until the end of the period you paid for and then stops. A suspended license gets no 96-hour grace period; that only covers a server that cannot reach AddoCore. Details are in MCP license renewal.
An activation is one running MCP Self-hosted server. A seat is one person or device that connects to it, with its own token, its own tools and its own setting per tool: read-only or Can make changes. One license can have several seats against a single activation. See MCP seats.
Entirely on your own infrastructure — a Docker container you host yourself. Nothing about a tool call routes through a third-party cloud.
See exactly what runs where
Read the documentation, or get MCP Self-hosted and try it against your own stack.