Irail vs Hostaway MCP
A side-by-side look at the Irail and Hostaway MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Irail for travel & transportation work as a local process; choose Hostaway MCP for travel & transportation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Irail when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
irail_liveboard, irail_journey, irail_train.
Choose Hostaway MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
HOSTAWAY_ACCOUNT_ID, HOSTAWAY_API_KEY. - You want tools like
list_listings, get_listing, list_reservations.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Travel & Transportation | Travel & Transportation |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | HOSTAWAY_ACCOUNT_IDHOSTAWAY_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 4 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 10 |
| Full listing | View Irail | View Hostaway MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Irail tools 4
irail_liveboardLive departures board at a Belgian train station — Belgian train times SNCB NMBS. Brussels Antwerp Ghent departures with train number, destination, scheduled time, delay in minutes, platform, and canceled flag. Set type to "arrival" for the arrivals board. Station names accept English exonyms and fuzzy input ("Brussels-South", "Antwerp-Central", "Liège-Guillemins"). Example: irail_liveboard({ station: "Brussels-South" })irail_journeyPlan a train journey between two Belgian stations — SNCB NMBS route planner with legs, transfers, live delays, and platforms per leg. Answers "next train from Brussels to Antwerp", "how do I get from Ghent to Liège by rail". Optional depart_at or arrive_by as ISO datetime ("2026-07-20T09:00") or time ("09:00"), interpreted in Belgian local time. Example: irail_journey({ from: "Brussels-South", to: "Antwerp-Central" })irail_trainTrack one Belgian train by its number — is my Belgian train delayed. All stops with scheduled vs actual times, per-stop delay in minutes, platforms, current delay, and live position. Accepts "IC 1832", "IC1832", or "BE.NMBS.IC1832". Train numbers come from irail_liveboard or irail_journey. Example: irail_train({ id: "IC1832" })irail_disturbancesCurrent disturbances, incidents, and planned works on the Belgian rail network (SNCB NMBS Infrabel) — strikes, track works, line closures affecting Belgian train service. Returns title, summary, type (planned or disturbance), link, and last-updated time. Example: irail_disturbances({})
Hostaway MCP tools 10
list_listingsList properties (listings) on the connected Hostaway account. Returns a compact Markdown table with id, name, location, bedrooms/bathrooms, person capacity, and status.get_listingFetch full details for a single Hostaway listing by id. Returns location, capacity, pricing, reputation, and channel URLs as Markdown sections.list_reservationsList reservations on the connected Hostaway account. Optional filters by arrival date range and reservation status. Returns a Markdown table with the most useful operational fields.get_reservationFetch full details for a single Hostaway reservation by id. Returns guest info, dates, pricing breakdown, and channel details.list_calendarGet the availability calendar for a single listing across a date range. Returns per-day availability, status, price, minimum stay, and reserved/blocked counts. Use this to answer 'is property X available between dates A and B?'list_conversationsList guest message threads (conversations) on the connected Hostaway account. Returns a compact Markdown table with conversation id, guest, linked listing/reservation, unread state, and last activity time.list_unread_conversationsList only guest message threads that have unread messages. The most useful tool for answering 'do I have any guests waiting on a reply?'get_conversation_messagesFetch the full message history of a single conversation by id. Returns each message with direction (incoming/outgoing), timestamp, and body.list_owner_statementsList owner financial statements on the connected Hostaway account. Returns a compact table of statement id, name, and status. Useful for revenue and payout reporting.whoamiHealth-check tool — confirms credentials work and returns a quick summary of the connected Hostaway account: counts of listings, reservations, conversations, owner statements, and users. Use this first when setting up to verify the connection.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Irail
{
"mcpServers": {
"irail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-irail"
]
}
}
}
Hostaway MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"prosperkartik-hostaway-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@prosperkartik/hostaway-mcp"
],
"env": {
"HOSTAWAY_ACCOUNT_ID": "YOUR_HOSTAWAY_ACCOUNT_ID_HERE",
"HOSTAWAY_API_KEY": "YOUR_HOSTAWAY_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Irail is categorized under Travel & Transportation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Hostaway MCP belongs to Travel & Transportation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Irail for travel & transportation work and Hostaway MCP for travel & transportation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Irail has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Hostaway MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add irail and prosperkartik-hostaway-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Irail has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Hostaway MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 4 GitHub stars.