What is the key difference between Aria MCP Server and Biothings MCP?

Aria MCP Server belongs to the Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics category with local stdio execution, while Biothings MCP belongs to the Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Aria MCP Server or Biothings MCP 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 Aria MCP Server and Biothings MCP free or paid?

Aria MCP Server operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Biothings MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Aria MCP Server lists 3 tools with 3 views and 3 GitHub stars. Biothings MCP lists 6 tools with 4 views and 34 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Aria MCP Server and Biothings MCP 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

Aria MCP Server vs Biothings MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Aria MCP Server and Biothings 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Aria MCP Server

Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics · Local stdio

Quality: 57/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Biothings MCP

Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics · Local stdio

Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Aria MCP Server if you need specialized Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics tools running via a local process. Choose Biothings MCP if your workspace requires Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Aria MCP Server when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: search_pubmed, search_clinical_trials, search_isrctn.

Explore Aria MCP Server Details

Choose Biothings MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Gene, variant, chemical, and taxon interfaces, Typed BioThings client wrappers, Entrez content and file downloads.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Aria MCP Server pkotecha-eng Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics	Biothings MCP longevity-genie Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics
Summary	Clinical research MCP server for trial coordinators and life sciences teams. Real-time access to PubMed (35M+ papers) and ClinicalTrials.gov (400K+ trials). No API key required.	MCP server to interact with the BioThings API, including genes, genetic variants, drugs, and taxonomic information.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Aria MCP Server Tools (3)

search_pubmed

Search PubMed for peer-reviewed biomedical literature. Read-only operation. No authentication required. Uses NCBI E-utilities public API (rate limit: ~3 requests/sec). Returns up to 10 results per call. No pagination. Returns 'No papers found.' if no results match. Use for: research papers, drug mechanisms, clinical outcomes, disease studies, safety/efficacy data, biomarkers, diagnostics, and any scientific question.

search_clinical_trials

Search ClinicalTrials.gov for clinical studies. Read-only operation. No authentication required. Uses ClinicalTrials.gov v2 public API (no rate limit documented). Returns up to 10 results per call. No pagination. Returns 'No clinical trials found.' if no results match. Use for: active trials, recruiting studies, inclusion/exclusion criteria, phase information, sponsor details, and trial locations.

search_isrctn

Search the ISRCTN registry for UK and European clinical trials. Read-only operation. No authentication required. Complements ClinicalTrials.gov by covering trials at UK academic institutions and European research centers not listed on ClinicalTrials.gov. Returns up to 10 results per call, filtered for relevance. Returns 'No ISRCTN trials found.' if no results match. Use for: UK/European trials, academic institution studies, international coverage beyond ClinicalTrials.gov.

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).

Aria MCP Server Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pkotecha-eng-aria-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "aria-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Biothings MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "longevity-genie-biothings-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "without"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Aria MCP Server is categorized under Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Biothings MCP belongs to Biology, Medicine and Bioinformatics using local stdio subprocess. Select Aria MCP Server when you need capabilities focused on biology, medicine and bioinformatics and Biothings MCP when you require tools for biology, medicine and bioinformatics.

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