Google Mail MCP vs Gmail

In-depth architectural comparison of the Google Mail MCP and Gmail 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

G

Choose Google Mail MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Google Mail MCP Details

Choose Gmail when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Gmail Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	G Google Mail MCP Communication	Gmail Communication
Summary	Gmail over MCP from your own account: search, read threads and messages, labels and drafts.	Gmail integration with OAuth authentication, message search, batch operations, and Sheets export
Category & Scope	Communication	Communication
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-mail-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "google-mail-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-3": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mcp-z/cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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