Free MCP servers are usually free to run but still need an account, an API key or your own hosting, and the services they connect to may charge. For social media, SkedCast's hosted MCP server connects Claude, ChatGPT, Muse or any MCP client to your accounts, included from the Solo plan.
Key takeaways
- "Free MCP server" usually means free server software, not a free underlying service.
- Check what the server wraps: a paid platform API still needs a paid account, MCP server or not.
- A server for a free/open protocol (e.g. Bluesky’s AT Protocol) can be genuinely free end-to-end.
- A hosted vendor’s MCP access is typically gated by that vendor’s own plan, not priced separately.
Two different meanings of "free"
Free to RUN: the server’s source code is open and costs nothing to self-host — you still pay for whatever it connects to, if that thing costs money. Free END-TO-END: both the server and the service it wraps cost nothing — this is only true for genuinely free/open underlying services.
Checking before you assume "free"
Ask two questions before calling any MCP server free: does the underlying platform API it wraps require a paid account or subscription, and does connecting it to a hosted AI client (ChatGPT’s Developer Mode, for instance) itself require a paid plan on THAT side. A server can be free open-source code while both of those still cost money.
Best free MCP servers: where a hosted vendor’s MCP access fits
A vendor-hosted MCP server (like SkedCast’s) is typically gated behind that vendor’s own subscription plan rather than priced as a separate add-on — check the vendor’s pricing page for which plan tier includes API/MCP access rather than assuming it’s bundled everywhere or costs extra everywhere.
FAQ
- Is SkedCast’s MCP server free to use?
- MCP access is a plan entitlement — see the pricing page for which plan tier includes it. It isn’t priced as a separate metered add-on.
- If an MCP server is open-source, is it automatically free to use?
- The server code is free to self-host, but check what it connects to — an open-source MCP server that wraps a paid platform API still needs that paid account behind it.
- Which AI assistants can connect to SkedCast?
- SkedCast is available as a connector in Claude, ChatGPT and Muse, and any other MCP client can use the same server.
- Can an AI assistant publish without my approval?
- Every tool that changes something is marked as a write, so the assistant's host asks you to confirm, and SkedCast's approval steps still apply.
- Which SkedCast plan includes the MCP server?
- MCP access is included from the Solo plan up.