What is the key difference between Inbox Zero and Alai MCP Server?

Inbox Zero belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with local stdio execution, while Alai MCP Server belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Inbox Zero or Alai MCP Server in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Inbox Zero and Alai MCP Server free or paid?

Inbox Zero operates under a Freemium model (OAuth 2.0). Alai MCP Server operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Inbox Zero lists 6 tools with 1 views and 12,270 GitHub stars. Alai MCP Server lists 11 tools with 3 views and 5 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Inbox Zero and Alai MCP Server together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Inbox Zero vs Alai MCP Server

In-depth architectural comparison of the Inbox Zero and Alai MCP Server MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Inbox Zero

Workplace & Productivity · Local stdio

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: OAuth 2.0

Alai MCP Server

Workplace & Productivity · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Inbox Zero if you need specialized Workplace & Productivity tools running via a local process. Choose Alai MCP Server if your workspace requires Workplace & Productivity integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Inbox Zero when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: OAuth 2.0 (Freemium).
You have access to required keys: GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET, GOOGLE_BASE_URL, MICROSOFT_BASE_URL.
Primary tools included: AI personal assistant for inbox organization and reply drafting, Natural language AI rules for custom email handling, Reply Zero tracking for reply and follow-up management.

Explore Inbox Zero Details

Choose Alai MCP Server when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Inbox Zero elie222 Workplace & Productivity	Alai MCP Server getalai Workplace & Productivity
Summary	An MCP server for Inbox Zero. Adds functionality on top of Gmail like finding out which emails you need to reply to or need to follow up on.	Generate, edit, and export high quality presentations with AI to PDF, PPTX, or a shareable link.
Category & Scope	Workplace & Productivity

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Inbox Zero Tools (6)

AI personal assistant for inbox organization and reply drafting

Natural language AI rules for custom email handling

Reply Zero tracking for reply and follow-up management

Bulk unsubscriber and archiver tools

Smart filing of attachments to Google Drive or OneDrive

Slack and Telegram integration for chat-based inbox control

Alai MCP Server Tools (11)

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Inbox Zero Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elie222-inbox-zero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@inbox-zero/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_BASE_URL": "YOUR_GOOGLE_BASE_URL_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_BASE_URL": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_BASE_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alai MCP Server Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "getalai-alai-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://slides-api.getalai.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Inbox Zero is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Alai MCP Server belongs to Workplace & Productivity using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Inbox Zero when you need capabilities focused on workplace & productivity and Alai MCP Server when you require tools for workplace & productivity.

More alternatives to Inbox Zero More alternatives to Alai MCP Server Workplace & Productivity category hub