mcp-use vs computer
Two of the top projects in Agent and MCP starters, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
mcp-use
TypeScript framework for building MCP servers with React Views and an Inspector
computer
Durable Object virtual filesystem with container, shell and JavaScript runtimes for agents
Verdict
Both score 84; mcp-use ranks higher on stars, 10,837 to 9,766. Of the 4 score parts we measure for both, mcp-use leads on 2, computer on 1 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionmcp-use leads by 5 points, 84 to 79.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenancemcp-use leads by 4 points, 95 to 91: close to even.
- Agent-readycomputer leads by 30 points, 30 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick mcp-use if you are
TypeScript developers building MCP servers and ChatGPT or Claude apps
- Zod schemas flow from tool input and output into React View props
- Inspector served at /mcp/inspector in dev; headless CLI can call tools and screenshot Views
Pick computer if you are
Cloudflare developers building agents that need a persistent workspace
- One exec entry point across container, shell and JavaScript backends, which connect lazily
- SQLite in the Durable Object is the single authoritative store; isolate backends use Workers RPC with no sync
| What we compare | mcp-use | computer |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 84, widely used | 79, popular |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 95, healthy | 91, healthy |
| Agent-ready | 0, none | 30, minimal |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 10.8k | 9.8k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Docker | No | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
mcp-use
mcp-use is a TypeScript v2 framework, built on the official MCP TypeScript SDK, for writing MCP servers with Zod-typed tools. It binds React Views to tools so they render as interactive apps in hosts such as ChatGPT and Claude. It ships a dev Inspector, a headless client CLI, a View screenshot command, tunneling, and a deploy command targeting Manufact.
Who it is for: TypeScript developers building MCP servers and ChatGPT or Claude apps
Strengths
- Zod schemas flow from tool input and output into React View props
- Inspector served at /mcp/inspector in dev; headless CLI can call tools and screenshot Views
- Built-in tunnel (mcp-use dev --tunnel) for testing in ChatGPT and Claude before deploy
- MIT licensed, with a self-hosting guide alongside the hosted option
Weaknesses
- v2 is a breaking change from v1; a migration guide is needed
- Benchmark and comparison figures are the project's own, not independent
- One-command npm run deploy targets the vendor's Manufact platform
- Example apps live in separate repos, not in the main package
- TypeScript
- Needs Node.js, npm, React, Zod
computer
Cloudflare Computer keeps a workspace filesystem in a Durable Object's SQLite and exposes it through one `workspace.runtime.exec` call. Backends are a FUSE-mounted sandbox container (via the `computerd` daemon), a just-bash shell in a Dynamic Worker, or an ECMAScript module in a Dynamic Worker. The repo includes examples for agents built with pi, TanStack AI and `@cloudflare/think`, plus an MCP example. It is labeled preview only, with unstable APIs.
Who it is for: Cloudflare developers building agents that need a persistent workspace
Strengths
- One exec entry point across container, shell and JavaScript backends, which connect lazily
- SQLite in the Durable Object is the single authoritative store; isolate backends use Workers RPC with no sync
- Container backend gives a full Linux userland through a real FUSE mount
- Many runnable examples: pi, TanStack AI, Think, MCP, egress policies, Artifacts
Weaknesses
- README states preview only, unstable APIs, and not suitable for production
- Tied to Cloudflare Workers, Durable Objects and Dynamic Workers
- Docs under docs/ are a forward-looking spec, not a description of current code
- Unsolicited pull requests are not accepted
- TypeScript
- Needs Cloudflare Workers, Durable Objects, Dynamic Workers, Cloudflare Containers, just-bash
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