Needle vs ZUGFeRD Validator
Needle is an MCP server published by needle-ai. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). ZUGFeRD Validator is an MCP server published by zugferd-validator.de. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-17. 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
| Marketplace |  Needle |  ZUGFeRD Validator |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:d3fd314f40c3 Forks (GitHub): 24 Pulls (Docker Hub): 11 616 Stars (Docker Hub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 103 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.2 Downloads/month (npm): 360 Downloads/week (npm): 69 Not marked · First seen |
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
| Fact | Needle | ZUGFeRD Validator |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 103 | No figure on GitHub |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 11 616 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 24 | No figure on GitHub |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/needle-mcp) | Remote server (api.zugferd-validator.de/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 7 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/needle-ai/needle-mcp | github.com/tzatti1/zugferd-validator |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 3 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
Needle
Production-ready RAG service to search and retrieve data from your documents.
ZUGFeRD Validator
Validiert E-Rechnungen (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X, XRechnung) gegen EN 16931 mit Korrekturvorschlägen.
How to run each
Needle As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "NEEDLE_API_KEY=<YOUR_NEEDLE_API_KEY>" --transport stdio needle-mcp -- docker run -i --rm -e NEEDLE_API_KEY mcp/needle-mcpRequires: NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
ZUGFeRD Validator As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http validator https://api.zugferd-validator.de/mcp --header "X-Api-Key: <YOUR_X_API_KEY>"Requires: ZUGFERD_API_KEY (secret), X-Api-Key header
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only ZUGFeRD Validator has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of ZUGFeRD Validator publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only Needle asks for
NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
Only ZUGFeRD Validator asks for
ZUGFERD_API_KEY (secret)
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Needle · What it can do: ZUGFeRD Validator · 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 . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.