Placement API vs RankControl
A side-by-side look at the Placement API and RankControl MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
R
RankControlMarketing · Local subprocess (stdio)Connect your RankControl workspace to Claude, Cursor or any MCP client. Plan and publish articles, find backlink prospects and draft outreach, and check Google and Bing rankings plus citations in six AI engines.52GoodAuth: oauth 2.0Verdict: choose Placement API for marketing work over a hosted endpoint; choose RankControl for marketing as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Placement API when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Marketing domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
PLACEMENT_KEY. - You want tools like
search_placements, plan_links, compare_domain.
RChoose RankControl when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Marketing domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | R RankControl | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Marketing | Marketing |
| Quality signal | 48/100 · Fair | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | OAuth 2.0 |
| Pricing | Not declared | Paid service |
| Required env vars | PLACEMENT_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner |
Tools & capabilities
Placement API tools 5
search_placementsSearch ~550k priced placements deduplicated by domain, with verification, score and price plausibility on every rowplan_linksA brief in (links, topic, DR, budget, strategy) → a costed plan of named domains, each with `why`, held at price for four hourscompare_domainEverything about one publisher: listings and spread, verification, web-graph, survival, outcomes, Placement Score, market referencetarget_profileYour page's backlink profile and the competitor links you can reproducibly buy, pricedkeyword_winnersWhat the sites that rank for a keyword look like, and what they buy
RankControl tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
Placement API
{
"mcpServers": {
"placement-api": {
"url": "https://api.placementapi.com/mcp"
}
}
}
RankControl
{
"mcpServers": {
"rankcontrol": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"rankcontrol"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Placement API is categorized under Marketing and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. RankControl belongs to Marketing and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Placement API for marketing work and RankControl for marketing.
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.
Placement API has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. RankControl is listed as a paid service. Auth: oauth 2.0. 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 placement-api and rankcontrol as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Placement API has a quality signal of 48/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. RankControl has 52/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars.