What is the key difference between MCP Arr and Notch?

MCP Arr belongs to the Multimedia Process category with local stdio execution, while Notch belongs to the Multimedia Process category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install MCP Arr or Notch 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 MCP Arr and Notch free or paid?

MCP Arr operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required). Notch operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Arr lists 49 tools with 2 views and 196 GitHub stars. Notch lists 5 tools with 20 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Arr and Notch 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

MCP Arr vs Notch

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Arr and Notch 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

MCP Arr

Multimedia Process · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Notch

Multimedia Process · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 45/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Arr if you need specialized Multimedia Process tools running via a local process. Choose Notch if your workspace requires Multimedia Process integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Arr when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Multimedia Process domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: SONARR_URL, SONARR_API_KEY, RADARR_URL, RADARR_API_KEY, LIDARR_URL, LIDARR_API_KEY, PROWLARR_URL, PROWLARR_API_KEY.
Primary tools included: arr_status, arr_search_all, search.

Explore MCP Arr Details

Choose Notch when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Multimedia Process domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Product page to video ad generation, Product page to image ad generation, Creative brief to video ad generation.

Explore Notch Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	M MCP Arr Multimedia Process	N Notch Multimedia Process
Summary
Category & Scope	Multimedia Process	Multimedia Process
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Arr Tools (49)

arr_status

Get connection status for all configured *arr services

arr_search_all

Search across all configured services simultaneously

Generic discovery tool for remote MCP clients such as ChatGPT

fetch

Generic detail-fetch tool for items returned by `search

sonarr_get_series

List all TV series in your library

sonarr_search

Search for TV series by name (returns tvdbId for adding)

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).

MCP Arr Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-arr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-arr-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARR_URL": "YOUR_SONARR_URL_HERE",
        "SONARR_API_KEY": "YOUR_SONARR_API_KEY_HERE",
        "RADARR_URL": "YOUR_RADARR_URL_HERE",
        "RADARR_API_KEY": "YOUR_RADARR_API_KEY_HERE",
        "LIDARR_URL": "YOUR_LIDARR_URL_HERE",
        "LIDARR_API_KEY": "YOUR_LIDARR_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PROWLARR_URL": "YOUR_PROWLARR_URL_HERE",
        "PROWLARR_API_KEY": "YOUR_PROWLARR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Notch Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notch": {
      "url": "https://app.usenotch.ai/mcp/setup"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Arr is categorized under Multimedia Process and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Notch belongs to Multimedia Process using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select MCP Arr when you need capabilities focused on multimedia process and Notch when you require tools for multimedia process.

More alternatives to MCP Arr More alternatives to Notch Multimedia Process category hub