Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs Alpaca Mcp

In-depth architectural comparison of the Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Alpaca Mcp 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?

I

Choose Interactive Brokers (IBKR) when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Finance & Fintech domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Details

Choose Alpaca Mcp when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Finance & Fintech domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
• You have access to required keys: ALPACA_PAPER_API_KEY, ALPACA_PAPER_API_SECRET.
• Primary tools included: get_account_info_tool, place_market_order, place_limit_order.

Explore Alpaca Mcp Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	I Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Finance & Fintech	Alpaca Mcp laukikk Finance & Fintech
Summary	Analyze global markets and manage your portfolio	An MCP Server for the Alpaca trading API to manage stock and crypto portfolios, place trades, and access market data.
Category & Scope	Finance & Fintech	Finance & Fintech

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": {
    "interactive-brokers-ibkr": {
      "url": "https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/trading/ai-integrations.php"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "laukikk-alpaca-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_PAPER_API_KEY": "YOUR_ALPACA_PAPER_API_KEY_HERE",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_API_SECRET": "YOUR_ALPACA_PAPER_API_SECRET_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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