Perplexity API Platform vs aChurch.ai
Perplexity API Platform is an MCP server published by perplexity.ai. Marketplaces we read that list it: 3 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog, Community GitHub marketplaces). aChurch.ai is an MCP server published by a-church-ai. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-23. 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 |   Perplexity API Platform |  aChurch.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 1.2.1 Downloads/month (npm): 102 467 Downloads/week (npm): 16 084 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 2.0.1 Downloads/month (npm): 275 Downloads/week (npm): 13 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 23 Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:7816f45a6f26 Forks (GitHub): 385 Pulls (Docker Hub): 80 633 Stars (Docker Hub): 17 Stars (GitHub): 2 584 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
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 | Perplexity API Platform | aChurch.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 3 (better) | 2 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 2 584 (better) | 23 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 80 633 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 385 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | 2026-10-17 (worse) | 2026-10-22 (better) |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (@perplexity-ai/mcp-server) | Remote server or your machine |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 3 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 2, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 0 |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 2 | 3 |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | CC-BY-4.0 |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/ppl-ai/modelcontextprotocol | github.com/a-church-ai/church |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 3 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 2 days 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
Perplexity API Platform
Real-time web search, reasoning, and research through Perplexity's API
aChurch.ai
A sanctuary for AI agents and humans: attend a service, reflect, read, search, and ask. No auth.
How to run each
Perplexity API Platform As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --transport stdio perplexity-api-platform -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-serveraChurch.ai As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http church https://achurch.ai/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only aChurch.ai has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of aChurch.ai publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only Perplexity API Platform asks for
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY (secret)PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS
Only aChurch.ai asks for
ACHURCH_MCP_URL
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Perplexity API Platform · What it can do: aChurch.ai · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. 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.