What is the best alternative to Crossref?

The top-rated alternatives to Crossref in the Developer Tools category include Wikipedia, Crates, Jsonplaceholder. These servers offer complementary or alternative capabilities depending on your deployment stack and authentication requirements.

How do Crossref alternatives differ in installation and runtime?

Crossref and its alternatives vary by runtime requirement (Node.js/npx, Python/uvx, Docker, or remote HTTP/SSE endpoints). Check the specification comparison table above to verify command requirements before installing.

Are alternatives to Crossref free and open source?

Most MCP servers listed on AllMCPs are open source tools under MIT or Apache licenses that you can self-host or run locally with Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurf.

How do I side-by-side compare Crossref with a specific alternative?

Click the "Compare side-by-side →" button on any alternative card to see an in-depth comparison matrix covering feature lists, stars, npm downloads, install configurations, and schema specifications.

Developer Tools• MCP Alternatives Guide

Best Alternatives to Crossref

Looking for an alternative to Crossref? Whether you need a different runtime environment, custom authentication support, or alternative API integrations in the Developer Tools ecosystem, we have cataloged and compared the top alternative MCP servers below.

Browse all Developer Tools servers →View Crossref Specs →

Target Reference Server

Crossref Overview

Crossref MCP — wraps the Crossref REST API (academic papers, free, no auth)

Server Name	Runtime	Auth	Pricing	GitHub Stars	Downloads	Action
C Crossref (Target)	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Current
W Wikipedia	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
C Crates	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
J Jsonplaceholder	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
D Dictionary	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
D Disify	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
E Emojihub	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
E Epa Emissions	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
F Fruityvice	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
N Npm	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
P Pypi	uvx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
Q Quotable	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →
R Rxnorm	npx	Free/None	Free	—	—	Compare →

Best Alternatives to Crossref

Crossref Overview

Specification Matrix: Crossref vs Alternatives

Detailed Evaluation of Crossref Alternatives

Wikipedia

Crates

Jsonplaceholder

Dictionary

Disify

Emojihub

Epa Emissions

Fruityvice

Npm

Pypi

Quotable

Rxnorm

Frequently Asked Questions: Crossref Alternatives