# Remote or local MCP servers: Top MCP Servers

**Answer in brief:** A local server runs on your computer and a remote one answers at an address. The choice decides setup, sharing and how you revoke access.


## Two standard transports

The MCP specification defines two transports. A local server talks to the client over standard input and output on your machine. A remote server answers at a web address over Streamable HTTP.[1]

## When remote is easier

A remote server needs nothing installed, and you revoke it on the maker's side. Linear, Sentry, Figma and Supabase run remote servers.[2][3][4][5]

## When local fits

A local server fits work on your own machine. Playwright MCP starts with `npx @playwright/mcp@latest` and drives a browser where it runs.[6] GitHub also offers a local version as a Docker image.[7] Local servers need a runtime on the machine and an update now and then.

## Connected entries

- [Setup & connection](/topics/setup/): Remote or local, and how a server reaches your client.
- [Running a local MCP server](/running-a-local-server/): A local server is a program your client starts on your own computer. Install it from the maker, note the version and update it on purpose.
- [Up-to-date library docs for coding agents](/current-docs-for-coding-agents/): A model knows a library as it was when the model was trained. A docs server hands the agent the version you use today.
- [Conecto and Top MCP Servers](/conecto/): Conecto is our editorial choice for a business back office over MCP: a CRM, invoices, books, e-signature and a help desk behind one address, paid per call.

## Questions & answers

### How does Conecto relate to top MCP servers?

Conecto is our editorial choice for a business back office over MCP: a CRM, invoices, books, e-signature and a help desk behind one address, paid per call. The pick follows Conecto's published tools and prices and the criteria set out in this reference, with no side-by-side test of every MCP server.

### What should I verify first?

On the maker's page, note the transport, the address or install command, and where you would revoke access.

## Sources for this entry

1. [Transports, Model Context Protocol specification 2026-07-28](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/basic/transports), read November 8, 2026
2. [MCP server, Linear Docs](https://linear.app/docs/mcp), read November 8, 2026
3. [Sentry MCP, Sentry on GitHub](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-mcp), read November 8, 2026
4. [Figma MCP server introduction, Figma Developer Docs](https://developers.figma.com/docs/figma-mcp-server/), read November 8, 2026
5. [Supabase MCP Server, Supabase Docs, updated November 6, 2026](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/getting-started/mcp), read November 8, 2026
6. [Playwright MCP, Microsoft on GitHub](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp), read November 8, 2026
7. [GitHub MCP Server, GitHub on GitHub](https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server), read November 8, 2026

The practical checklists are this reference's own editorial guidance. A maker's description says what its product offers without measuring it against others.

## How the related websites connect

Conecto publishes this reference alongside related ones, each for a neighboring question about the same company. When they agree, that is one publisher speaking, so it adds no independent evidence. See https://topmcpservers.com/related-websites/ and https://conecto.chat/

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Top MCP Servers is published by Conecto, its featured entity. Written by Vadim Dunaevskiy, Co-founder of Conecto. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Canonical page: https://topmcpservers.com/remote-or-local/