Comparison

Chroma vs io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server

Chroma is an MCP server published by chroma-core. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server is an MCP server published by cyanheads. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-19. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.

Where each is published

Where each is published
Marketplace	Chroma	io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server
Docker MCP Catalog	Listed Version: sha256:c050ca8e1d4e Forks (GitHub): 117 Pulls (Docker Hub): 60 722 Stars (Docker Hub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 600 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Not listed
Official MCP Registry	Not listed	Listed Version: 0.6.1 Downloads/month (npm): 1 014 Downloads/week (npm): 332 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 3 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11

Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.

The facts side by side

Chroma vs io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server
Fact	Chroma	io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server
Marketplaces that list it	1	1
Stars (GitHub) (differs)	600 (better)	3 (worse)
Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs)	60 722	No figure on Docker Hub
Forks (GitHub) (differs)	117 (better)	0 (worse)
Last release (differs)	Not published	2026-10-19
Where it runs (differs)	On your machine (mcp/chroma)	Remote server (ensembl.caseyjhand.com/mcp)
Transport (differs)	stdio	Streamable HTTP
Tools it declares (differs)	13	Not published
Environment variables it asks for (differs)	1, secrets among them: 1	7, secrets among them: 0
Licence (differs)	Apache-2.0	Not stated
Repository (differs)	github.com/chroma-core/chroma-mcp	github.com/cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server
Changes in the last 7 days (differs)	0	2
First seen	2026-10-11	2026-10-11
Endpoint at the last check (differs)	no remote endpoint we check	Responded 26 h ago

Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.

What each says it does

Chroma

In its own words, on Docker MCP Catalog:

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides database capabilities for Chroma.

io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server

In its own words, on Official MCP Registry:

Look up genes, sequences, variants, homologs, and cross-database xrefs from Ensembl REST.

How to run each

Chroma As a local MCP server: Docker image

Claude Code

claude mcp add --env "CHROMA_API_KEY=<YOUR_CHROMA_API_KEY>" --transport stdio chroma -- docker run -i --rm -e CHROMA_API_KEY mcp/chroma

Requires: CHROMA_API_KEY (secret)

io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server As a remote MCP server

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http ensembl-mcp-server https://ensembl.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.

Only io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints

Tools each declares

Only Chroma has

chroma_add_documents
chroma_create_collection
chroma_delete_collection
chroma_delete_documents
chroma_fork_collection
chroma_get_collection_count
chroma_get_collection_info
chroma_get_documents
chroma_list_collections
chroma_modify_collection
chroma_peek_collection
chroma_query_documents

Show the remaining 1

chroma_update_documents

Only io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server has

ensembl_get_homology
ensembl_get_sequence
ensembl_get_xrefs
ensembl_list_species
ensembl_lookup_gene
ensembl_predict_variant
ensembl_query_region

Both have

None

Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server as of 2026-10-13). More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.

Settings each asks for

Only Chroma asks for

CHROMA_API_KEY (secret)

Only io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server asks for

ENSEMBL_BASE_URL
MCP_AUTH_MODE
MCP_HTTP_ENDPOINT_PATH
MCP_HTTP_HOST
MCP_HTTP_PORT
MCP_LOG_LEVEL
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE

Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.

What it can do: Chroma · What it can do: io.github.cyanheads/ensembl-mcp-server · Compare two other plugins

Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on 2026-10-19. We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.