Is MCP free? The protocol is; some server tools are paid
MCP itself is a free, open-source standard. Charges come from the servers you connect: a hosted server's owner decides which of its tools bill.
Yes, MCP itself is free: the Model Context Protocol is an open-source standard, and its specification repository is MIT-licensed. What can cost money is the server you connect. A hosted MCP server's owner decides which of its tools bill, so a media server may charge for each image or video it generates and leave its discovery and status calls unbilled.
The protocol facts come from the MCP introduction, its remote servers guide, and the specification repository. The example of a paid server is Sume's hosted MCP server, from MCP tools and gates and MCP OAuth and API keys. All were read on 2026-09-28.
Are MCP servers free or paid?
It depends on the server, not on MCP. The protocol is a specification: it defines how a client such as Claude, ChatGPT, VS Code, or Cursor talks to a server. What a server's tools cost is up to whoever runs it. A local server runs on your own machine; any charges come from the services its tools call. A remote server is hosted on the internet by someone else; the MCP guide says most require authentication, commonly OAuth, API keys, or a username and password. That sign-in ties your calls to an account, and the account is where any charges land.
So ask the question per server: which tools spend, and where does the bill go? For Higgsfield's server, see Higgsfield MCP setup and cost.
What costs money on Sume's MCP server?
Only the tools Sume's docs mark paid. There is no paid OAuth scope: spend comes from the workspace wallet, checked at admission.
| Call | What the docs say about cost |
|---|---|
generate_image, generate_video, music_create, tts_create, stt_create | Paid: the estimate is reserved when the job is accepted |
Any paid tool with dry_run=true | Admission and cost preview only; the job is not submitted |
tools_list, tools_schema, jobs_status, jobs_wait, jobs_result | Discovery and read tools, not in the paid list |
tts_source_get | Read (free) |
crawl_site | Unbilled utility, though it is a write |
video_frames_create | Unbilled: no reservation |
How are Sume's paid MCP tools priced?
From the workspace's USD balance. For video, Sume's video docs say the balance is reserved on submit at the provider's list price × 1.25 for every model, and Sume adds a 5.5% agent fee by default. Successful completion captures the reserved amount; failed jobs and failed queue admission release or refund the reservation where applicable. Per-model rates are on API pricing, and How Sume pricing works covers the wallet.
Can I connect without being able to spend?
Yes. Sume's default OAuth grant is read-only (mcp:read), and in that session mutating and paid tools are hidden; calling one returns insufficient_scope. Spending needs Write turned on at consent (mcp:write) or an API-key session.
- Preview first: call
generation_admission_preview, or the paid tool withdry_run=true, and confirm the estimate and balance. - Cap a call:
max_spend_usdis optional and enforced only when you send it.
Sources
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Written by Sume