MCP Client Apps (2026): 10 Places to Run Your MCP Servers

An MCP server does nothing on its own. It needs a host app, the MCP client, to load it and hand its tools to a model. If you're still getting to grips with the protocol, start with my plain English guide to MCP, then come back here to choose where your servers will live.

This isn't a ranking of coding assistants. It's ten apps that can host MCP servers, listed alphabetically and in no particular order, each described from its own documentation as of Oct 2026.

Ten apps that can host your servers

None of these apps' MCP pages spell out a free plan, so every cell reads Not stated, as of Oct 2026. That isn't the same as no free option, so check each app's own site before you settle on one.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Cline	Coding agent with MCP built in	Adding local or remote hosted MCP servers inside the editor	Not stated
Continue	Editor and CLI assistant	MCP servers declared in config, available in agent mode only	Not stated
goose	Open-source agent	Extensions that are built on MCP, with a malware check before activation	Not stated
Jan	Local AI desktop app	MCP in a local-first desktop assistant, with its own security notes	Not stated
Kilo Code	Open-source coding agent	Installing curated MCP servers with project or global scope	Not stated
LibreChat	Self-hosted chat interface	A self-hosted chat UI that leans on MCP for outside tools	Not stated
LM Studio	Local model app	Local and remote MCP servers from version 0.3.17, using Cursor's mcp.json notation	Not stated
OpenCode	Terminal and desktop coding agent	Local and remote MCP servers with OAuth handling	Not stated
Roo Code	Editor coding agent	STDIO, Streamable HTTP and SSE transports for MCP servers	Not stated
Zed	Code editor	MCP servers as editor extensions	Not stated

Each client app in a sentence

Cline

Best for: Adding either local servers or remote hosted servers right inside your editor, alongside the tools the agent already has built in.

Continue

Best for: Developers happy to declare servers in a config file and work in agent mode, since that's the only mode where MCP runs.

goose

Best for: An open-source agent whose extensions are built on MCP and checked for known malware before they're switched on.

Jan

Best for: Running MCP in a local-first desktop assistant whose docs are upfront about the security side of giving a model tools.

Kilo Code

Best for: Installing curated MCP servers from a built-in catalogue, then choosing whether each one applies to one project or globally.

LibreChat

Best for: A self-hosted chat interface for teams who'd like MCP tools in a chat window they run themselves.

LM Studio

Best for: Local models with local or remote MCP servers from version 0.3.17, added through an mcp.json file in Cursor's notation.

OpenCode

Best for: Terminal and desktop work with local and remote MCP servers, with the OAuth sign-in for remote servers handled for you.

Roo Code

Best for: Editor work that needs a choice of STDIO, Streamable HTTP or SSE transports for the servers you connect.

Zed

Best for: Coders who'd like to add MCP servers to their code editor by installing them as extensions.

Supporting MCP isn't the same as being the right host

Every app here says it supports MCP. The differences are in the small print. The Continue docs say MCP can only be used in the agent mode, so servers you add won't do anything in an ordinary chat. The LM Studio docs say it supports both local and remote MCP servers starting from version 0.3.17, so an older install won't see them at all.

Safety notes differ too. The goose docs say it automatically checks external extensions for known malware before activation, and blocks a malicious package if it finds one. Jan's documentation says that granting a model access to external tools is a significant security consideration, and names a compromised tool or a malicious prompt as the risk. Those are the lines to read before you pick a host, not after.

Pick the host by where you already work

• Inside your code editor: Cline lets you add local servers or remote hosted ones, Roo Code handles STDIO, Streamable HTTP and SSE transports, and Zed can take MCP servers as editor extensions.
• At the command line: OpenCode handles local and remote servers and deals with the OAuth sign-in for remote ones.
• From a curated catalogue: Kilo Code installs curated MCP servers for you and lets you choose project or global scope for each.
• In a chat window you host yourself: LibreChat is a self-hosted chat interface that leans on MCP for outside tools.
• On your own computer with local models: the two local model apps on this list both host MCP, one a local-first desktop assistant and the other an app that follows Cursor's mcp.json notation.

Transport and sign-in decide what you can connect

Servers reach a client in different ways. Some run on your own machine and some are hosted elsewhere, and a hosted server only works in a client that supports remote connections. Before you add one, check that your client's docs name remote servers, or the transports the server uses.

Remote servers often sign in with OAuth. A client that handles that flow for you saves a lot of copying tokens about, and it's worth more than any feature list when you're connecting several services.

Three checks before you connect anything

• Mode: find out whether MCP works everywhere in the app or only in an agent mode, and switch to that mode before you judge a server.
• Version: update the app first, because MCP support can arrive in a specific release.
• Safety: read the app's own security notes and only add servers from sources you trust, since a tool the model can call can also be misused through a bad prompt.

If what you're after is help writing code rather than a place to host servers, my list of the best AI coding assistants for business is the better page.

Do you make an MCP client? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on picking an MCP client

Don't switch apps just to get MCP. Start with the one you already open every day, check it supports the servers you need, local or remote, and turn on whatever mode it uses for tools. Add one server, make sure it works, then add the next.

And if you'd rather have an app built for you from a description than wire up servers yourself, my roundup of vibe coding tools is where to look.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an MCP client and an MCP server?

The server provides the tools, such as search or a database. The client is the app that loads those servers and lets a model use them.

Why isn't my MCP server showing up?

Check three things: that you're in the mode the app uses for tools, that your app version supports MCP, and that the server is local or remote in a way your client handles.

Can I use MCP with a local model?

Yes. Two apps here are built around running models on your own computer, and both can host MCP servers.

Is it safe to add any MCP server to my client?

Only add servers you trust. A model with tool access can be steered by a malicious prompt, so read your client's security notes and give each server as little access as it needs.

Are these MCP clients free?

Their MCP pages don't spell out a free plan, so check each app's own site before you commit, as of Oct 2026.