Zillow MCP vs Redfin MCP
A side-by-side look at the Zillow MCP and Redfin MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Zillow MCP for real estate work as a local process; choose Redfin MCP for real estate as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Zillow MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Real Estate domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You want tools like
zillow_search_properties, zillow_sweep_area, zillow_get_property.
Choose Redfin MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Real Estate domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
redfin_search_properties, redfin_sweep_area, redfin_get_property.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Real Estate | Real Estate |
| Quality signal | 63/100 · Good | 64/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 3 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 21 | 22 |
| Full listing | View Zillow MCP | View Redfin MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Zillow MCP tools 21
zillow_search_propertiesSearch Zillow listings by location (city, ZIP, neighborhood, or address) and optional filters (status, price band, beds/baths minimums, home types). Returns matching properties with price, beds/baths, sqft, Zestimate, status, image, and homedetails URL. Works with city/ZIP-level queries (filtered against your criteria) AND with full-address or street-only queries (returns the listings Zillow resolves to directly — filters are not applied in this single-round-trip path; use zillow_get_by_address for the cleanest one-shot address → zpid lookup). Throws LocationNotResolved if Zillow can't pin either a region or matching listings for the input (instead of silently falling back to your default search region). Heads up: Zillow renders ~40 listings per page server-side; this tool auto-paginates by default when `limit` exceeds that, walking subsequent pages and concatenating results (set `auto_paginate: false` to opt out and get the single-page response). For dense markets, price-band the search to enumerate fully. Does NOT return Zestimate history — use zillow_get_zestimate_history for that. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_sweep_areaEnumerate EVERY Zillow listing matching the filters inside a location (resolved like zillow_search_properties) or an explicit bounding box, without silent truncation. Splits the area into map tiles and recursively quarters any tile whose Zillow-reported total exceeds what one query can return, dedupes by zpid and re-applies the numeric filters (drift guard). Returns a completeness summary (requests, tiles, unique listings, tiles still truncated at max depth, drift warnings such as Zillow ignoring the price filter or the viewport) plus the listings, or writes the listings to `output_path` as JSON for large areas (inside the output directory: ZILLOW_OUTPUT_DIR, default ~/Downloads/zillow-mcp). Sequential requests with a delay, paced by the same per-host requests-per-minute throttle as `zillow_bulk_get`; if Zillow's bot-wall blocks a request the sweep stops and returns `{ blocked: true, retry_after_s }` with what it had. Read-only against Zillow; the only write is the optional local output file.zillow_get_propertyFetch a property's full Zillow record by zpid (numeric Zillow Property ID, e.g. 12345) or by homedetails URL. Returns address (Zillow's slugged form), mls_street_address (canonical MLS form — prefer this when it disagrees), neighborhood, price, Zestimate, rent Zestimate, beds/baths, square footage, lot_size (sq ft) plus the derived lot_size_acres (round(lot_size / 43560, 2); both null — never 0 — for condos and listings with no lot), year built, schools, and an `extracted_features` block (lake_front, hot_tub, basement, furnished, dock, community) keyword-parsed from the description. Also returns `zest_vs_list_pct` — the list-vs-Zestimate spread, `(price − zestimate) / zestimate × 100` rounded to 1 decimal: POSITIVE means listed ABOVE the Zestimate, negative below (null when either input is missing). The raw `description` is omitted by default — pass `include_description: true` to keep it; in most cases the extracted features cover what callers need. Price-history and tax-history are also opt-in (`include_price_history: true` / `include_tax_history: true`) — bundle them in to skip a separate call. Provide exactly one of zpid or url. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_get_zestimate_historyHistorical Zestimate values for a property by zpid or homedetails URL. Returns a time series of {date, value, rent?} entries (rent included when Zillow has a rent Zestimate for the property). Note: zillow_get_property returns only the *current* Zestimate as a scalar — call this tool when you need the trend. For some listings (commonly non-Showcase) Zillow renders the trend client-side and omits it from the server-rendered page; then `points` is empty and an explanatory `note` is returned — distinct from a genuine no-history. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_get_saved_searchesThe signed-in user's saved searches on zillow.com (name, filters, new-listing count, notification frequency). Requires the user to be signed in at zillow.com in the bridged browser tab — throws SessionNotAuthenticatedError otherwise. An optional `session_id` (from `zillow_register_session`) is checked against the session registry — an unknown id errors — but it is a label only: the request always goes through whichever browser tab the extension is signed into. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_get_saved_homesThe signed-in user's saved (favorited) homes on zillow.com, flattened across all of the user's collections. Returns address, price, Zestimate, status, and when each home was saved. An optional `session_id` (from `zillow_register_session`) is checked against the session registry — an unknown id errors — but it is a label only: the request always goes through whichever browser tab the extension is signed into. Requires the user to be signed in. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_get_market_reportMarket report for a Zillow region: median sale/list prices, days on market, for-sale inventory, new listings, Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), and year-over-year ZHVI change. Provide either a `region_path` (e.g. "/home-values/6181/brooklyn-ny/") or a full Zillow home-values URL. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.zillow_calculate_mortgageLocal-only mortgage payment calculator. Returns a full PITI breakdown (principal + interest, property tax, insurance, HOA, PMI) and total interest over the life of the loan. No network call — fully deterministic, safe to use for scenario comparison without burning a fetch. Provide either `down_payment` OR `down_payment_percent`; defaults to 20%. Property tax can be given as `property_tax_annual` or `property_tax_rate` (% of home price). PMI applies automatically when LTV > 80% and `pmi_rate` is provided.zillow_get_price_historyListing-price events for a property — listings, price changes, pending, sold, etc. — by zpid or homedetails URL. Returns two parallel arrays: `events` (raw Zillow shape with `event` strings and MLS attribution) and `events_normalized` (cross-MCP shared shape with a fixed `type` enum: Listed/PriceChange/Pending/Contingent/Sold/Withdrawn/Relisted/Delisted). The normalized form lets callers merge histories across real-estate MCPs without re-implementing taxonomy. Sourced from the same homedetails page as zillow_get_property. For some listings (commonly non-Showcase) Zillow omits the history from the server-rendered page; then `events` is empty and an explanatory `note` is returned — distinct from a genuine no-history.zillow_get_tax_historyYear-by-year property-tax record for a property: tax paid, assessed value, and the year-over-year change rates. Sourced from the homedetails page. Useful for spotting reassessment jumps or comparing tax burdens across properties. For some listings (commonly non-Showcase) Zillow omits the history from the server-rendered page; then `events` is empty and an explanatory `note` is returned — distinct from a genuine no-history.zillow_compare_propertiesSide-by-side analysis of 2-25 Zillow properties. **If you just want N property records, use `zillow_bulk_get` instead** — compare is for genuine side-by-side (its pivoted summary table is the value-add); bulk_get is the fetch-many endpoint and accepts up to 200 ids. (Issue #79 raised this cap from 8 to 25 — a 19-listing analysis now fits in one call instead of three.) Provide an array of zpids (or homedetails URLs). Returns the full per-property record per row (with `extracted_features` populated). Pass `include_summary: true` for an extra pivoted summary table (one row per field) — defaults off because `results[].property.*` already carries everything. The raw `description` is omitted from each row by default — pass `include_description: true` to keep it. Errors for individual properties are captured per-row — one bad zpid won't fail the whole call. Calls fan out concurrently (capped at 6 in flight, per issue #78, with retry-once-on-timeout per sub-request to absorb transient SW evictions), paced by the same throttle as `zillow_bulk_get`; a bot-wall block is retried with backoff and, if it persists, reported as `error_kind: "bot_challenge"` (distinct from a missing listing) with `{ blocked, retry_after_s }` on the envelope. The call is bounded by an overall deadline — unsettled rows come back as `error_kind: "pending"`.zillow_calculate_affordabilitySolve for the maximum home price you can afford under the standard 28/36 DTI rule. Inputs: monthly income, recurring monthly debts (car loans, student loans, etc.), down payment, interest rate, and optional property-tax rate / insurance / HOA / loan term. Output: max home price, the binding constraint (front-end vs back-end), and the full PITI breakdown at that price. Same math across the realty MCP cohort (@chrischall/realty-core). No network — pure local math.- +9 more on the listing page
Redfin MCP tools 22
redfin_search_propertiesSearch Redfin listings by location (city, ZIP, neighborhood, or full street address) and optional filters. Resolves the location via Redfin's autocomplete then queries the gis API; full street addresses short-circuit to the single matched home (no gis call). Returns matching properties with price, beds/baths, sqft, year built, address, and the Redfin home URL. `resolved_as` is `'region'` / `'address'`. `coverage` is `'full'` (gis indexed this region), `'profile_only'` (Redfin has profiles for individual addresses here but search isn't indexed — use redfin_get_by_address per property), or `'none'`. `result_cap_hit: true` signals the result page is full — gis returned as many rows as requested (`limit`, default 40, max 350) — so more listings likely exist; raise `limit` or narrow with price/beds filters. ZIP queries that fall into Redfin's cross-continent fallback (e.g. ZIP 28746 returning Seattle results) now error loudly. Only `for_sale` status is supported; `sold` / `for_rent` return an error (use redfin_get_comparable_rentals for rentals, redfin_get_market_report for sold-price trends). Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_sweep_areaEnumerate EVERY for-sale Redfin listing inside a bounding box without silent truncation. Redfin's gis API returns at most 350 homes per call and ignores server-side filters, so this tool searches drawn-map polygons, recursively quarters any tile that hits the cap, dedupes by property_id and re-applies the caller's filters locally. Homes outside the box and tiles where Redfin drifted to another region are left out. Alternatively pass `zips` (ZIP mode) to sweep a list of ZIP regions instead of map tiles, when Redfin ignores drawn-map polygons. Returns a completeness summary (requests, tiles or ZIPs, unique listings, tiles/ZIPs still at the cap, drift warnings) plus the listings inline by default; pass the optional `output_path` to write them to a new JSON file instead, for large areas (inside the output directory: REDFIN_OUTPUT_DIR, default ~/Downloads/redfin-mcp). Sequential requests with a delay. Read-only against Redfin; the only write is the optional local output file.redfin_get_propertyFetch a property's full Redfin record. Provide one of: (a) `url` — full Redfin homedetails URL or path, resolved via the initialInfo endpoint; (b) `property_id` alone — resolved internally by following Redfin's /home/<id> redirect to the canonical listing, then initialInfo; or (c) `property_id` + `listing_id` — fastest, skips resolution and goes straight to aboveTheFold. Returns address, beds/baths, sqft, lot_size (sq ft), year built, price, status, days on market, plus derived fields (lot_size_acres, price_drop_*, hoa_monthly_usd, last_sold_*, tax_annual, extracted_features). lot_size / lot_size_acres are null (never 0) for condos and listings with no public-records lot. `primary_photo_url` is a raw Redfin CDN URL and is dropped on the default `compact` view — pass `view: "full"` for it, or use `redfin_get_property_photos` for the whole gallery. The raw marketing description is OMITTED by default — opt in with `include_description: true`. Set `include_price_history: true` to bundle the full price history (and the cross-MCP-normalized `events_normalized` view) inline; set `include_tax_history: true` for `tax_history`. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_get_saved_homesThe signed-in user's favorited homes on redfin.com. Returns `{ count, homes }` — each home has address, price, beds/baths, status — plus a `note` when none were found (no favorites vs. a page-scrape miss). Requires the user to be signed in. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_get_saved_searchesThe signed-in user's saved searches on redfin.com, derived from the saved-searches page HTML. Returns `{ count, searches }`; each entry is `{ url, region_segment, display_text }`. Requires the user to be signed in. When none are found, `searches` is empty and a `note` explains it may be no saved searches or a page-scrape miss. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_get_market_reportMarket report for a Redfin region: median list/sold prices, $/sqft, sale-to-list ratio, total homes for sale + sold, all with year-over-year and month-over-month change. Provide either (a) `location` — free-text we resolve via autocomplete (best with city names; "New York", "Seattle"; neighborhoods typically return empty data), or (b) `region_id` + `region_type` directly. `property_type` defaults to 1 (all). Each metric returns `{ label, value, unit, yoy_change_fraction, yoy_direction, mom_change_fraction, mom_direction }`. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_calculate_mortgageLocal-only mortgage payment calculator. Returns a full PITI breakdown (principal + interest, property tax, insurance, HOA, PMI) and total interest over the life of the loan. No network call — fully deterministic, safe to use for scenario comparison without burning a fetch. Provide either `down_payment` OR `down_payment_percent`; defaults to 20%. Property tax can be given as `property_tax_annual` or `property_tax_rate` (% of home price). PMI applies automatically when LTV > 80% and `pmi_rate` is provided.redfin_get_price_historyListing-price events for a property — listings, price changes, pending, sold, etc. Each entry has a date, event description, price, days-on-market at that point, and the data-source attribution (MLS, county records, etc.). Also returns the tax-history series from public records. Provide either `url` or `property_id`+`listing_id`. Read-only; safe to call repeatedly.redfin_compare_propertiesFetch and compare 2 to 25 Redfin properties side-by-side. Provide an array of targets, each either a `url` or a `property_id`+`listing_id` pair. Returns the full per-property record (price, beds/baths, sqft, year built, HOA monthly, last sold, derived price-drop, etc.). For >25 properties or workflows that don't need side-by-side analysis use `redfin_bulk_get`. Pass `include_summary: true` for an aligned-by-field `summary` table (default false to save context — the per-row records carry the same data, so emitting both duplicates ~30% of the response weight). Each record's `extracted_features` (lake_front, hot_tub, basement, furnished, dock, community) is always included. The raw marketing description is omitted by default — opt in with `include_description: true`. Errors for individual properties are captured per-row with a `status` (`ok` / `timeout` / `bridge_down` / `protocol` / `pending` / `other`) and `retryable`. Server-side concurrency (~6 in flight) with retry-once-on-timeout per row; the whole call is bounded by an overall deadline, and any row still unsettled then comes back as `status: "pending"` (retryable) with a `pending` count.redfin_get_climate_riskFirst Street Foundation climate risk scores for a property. COVERS: flood (factor 1–10, FEMA zones, 30-year annual chance series), fire (factor 1–10, relative risk, insurance price band, provider count), heat (factor 1–10, cumulative-risk projections at 0/5/10/15/20-year horizons). DOES NOT COVER: landslide. This is the Helene-relevant risk vector in the NC mountains market and many parts of California / the Pacific Northwest. First Street has no landslide product — for that vector check the NC Geological Survey landslide hazard maps (NC-specific) or USGS landslide hazard data (national). Surfaced on every response as `not_covered: ['landslide']`. Response shape: when First Street data is available, `available: true` with the risk blocks; when not, `{ available: false, reason }` where reason is one of `no_first_street_data`, `new_construction`, `address_outside_coverage`. Sourced from Redfin's server-rendered homedetails HTML (no clean stingray endpoint exists). Pass a homedetails URL (full or path) — it must end in a `/home/<propertyId>` segment; any other page is rejected without being fetched. When a `cluster_id` is surfaced, properties with the same value typically share identical climate scores — use that to group N properties and skip redundant fetches.redfin_get_climate_risk_bulkFetch climate risk for up to 100 property URLs in a single call. Same per-property shape as `redfin_get_climate_risk`; output preserves input order. Per-row error capture — properties without First Street data return `{ available: false, reason }` without aborting the batch. Server-side concurrency (~5 fetches in flight) with retry-once-on-timeout per URL. The whole call is bounded by an overall deadline: any URL still unsettled then comes back as `status: "pending"` (retryable) with a `pending` count, so re-run just those. Use this when batching ~60-property workflows where climate risk is the dominant cost. Limitations from the per-property tool apply (no landslide coverage).redfin_get_area_climate_baselineFetch climate risk for a small set of representative URLs in an area, then return their averaged baseline values plus the shared cluster_id when present. Use this as a cheap area-level read BEFORE fanning out a per-property call: if all sample properties agree (same cluster_id, same fire/flood/heat factors), the baseline applies to the whole cluster and N redundant fetches are avoidable. Pass 2–10 URLs you believe represent the area; returns the aggregate plus the per-URL responses for transparency. Server-side concurrency (~5 fetches in flight) with retry-once-on-timeout per URL; the whole call is bounded by an overall deadline, and any sample still unsettled then comes back as `status: "pending"` (retryable) with a `pending` count and is left out of the averages. Limitations of the per-property tool apply (no landslide coverage — note documented in the per-property tool description).- +10 more on 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.
Zillow MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"zillow-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"zillow-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Redfin MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"redfin-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"redfin-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Zillow MCP is categorized under Real Estate and uses a local stdio subprocess. Redfin MCP belongs to Real Estate and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Zillow MCP for real estate work and Redfin MCP for real estate.
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.
Zillow MCP is listed as free. Auth: other. Redfin MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 zillow-mcp and redfin-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Zillow MCP has a quality signal of 63/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Redfin MCP has 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars.