Needle Remote vs recallnest
Needle Remote is an MCP server published by docker. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). recallnest is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by aliceljy. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-18. 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 Remote |  recallnest |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: not stated No figure published Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Community marketplace aliceljy/recallnest | Not listed | Listed Version: 4.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 4 Stars (GitHub): 15 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 Remote | recallnest |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | No figure on GitHub | 15 |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | No figure on GitHub | 4 |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-17 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server (mcp.needle.app/mcp) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP | Not stated |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 3, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 2 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | Not stated | github.com/aliceljy/recallnest |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 3 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-15 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | Answered with HTTP 301 (38 h ago) | no remote endpoint we check |
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 Remote
Production-ready RAG service to search and retrieve data from your documents.
recallnest
Local-first memory system: store, search, and recall context across sessions and terminals. Powered by LanceDB with hybrid retrieval.
How to run each
Needle Remote As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http needle https://mcp.needle.app/mcpRequires: NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
recallnest As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add aliceljy/recallnest
/plugin install recallnest@AliceLJYCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Needle Remote has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Only Needle Remote asks for
NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
Only recallnest asks for
JINA_API_KEY (secret)LOCAL_MEMORY_CONFIGRECALLNEST_MCP_TIER
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Needle Remote · What it can do: recallnest · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.