Comparison

Program Integrity Alliance vs io.github.cyanheads/census-mcp-server

Program Integrity Alliance is an MCP server published by Program-Integrity-Alliance. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). io.github.cyanheads/census-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 2026-10-15. 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	Program Integrity Alliance	io.github.cyanheads/census-mcp-server
Docker MCP Catalog	Listed Version: sha256:7b4f383fd466 Forks (GitHub): 1 Pulls (Docker Hub): 13 272 Stars (Docker Hub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 4 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Not listed
Official MCP Registry	Not listed	Listed Version: 0.6.2 Downloads/month (npm): 1 606 Downloads/week (npm): 360 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 2 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

Program Integrity Alliance vs io.github.cyanheads/census-mcp-server
Fact	Program Integrity Alliance	io.github.cyanheads/census-mcp-server
Marketplaces that list it	1	1
Stars (GitHub) (differs)	4 (better)	2 (worse)
Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs)	13 272	No figure on Docker Hub
Forks (GitHub) (differs)	1 (better)	0 (worse)
Last release (differs)	Not published	2026-10-13
Where it runs (differs)	On your machine (mcp/pia)	Remote server (census.caseyjhand.com/mcp)
Transport (differs)	stdio	Streamable HTTP
Tools it declares (differs)	2	Not published
Environment variables it asks for (differs)	1, secrets among them: 1	7, secrets among them: 0
Licence (differs)	MIT	Not stated
Repository (differs)	github.com/program-integrity-alliance/pia-mcp-local	github.com/cyanheads/census-mcp-server
Changes in the last 7 days (differs)	0	1
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

Program Integrity Alliance

In its own words, on Docker MCP Catalog:

An MCP server to help make U.S. Government open datasets AI-friendly.

io.github.cyanheads/census-mcp-server

In its own words, on Official MCP Registry:

Query U.S. Census Bureau data, variables, and geography via MCP.

How to run each

Program Integrity Alliance As a local MCP server: Docker image

Claude Code

claude mcp add --env "PIA_API_KEY=<YOUR_PIA_API_KEY>" --transport stdio pia -- docker run -i --rm -e PIA_API_KEY mcp/pia

Requires: PIA_API_KEY (secret)

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

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http census-mcp-server https://census.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/census-mcp-server has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints

Tools each declares

Only Program Integrity Alliance has

pia_oversight_recommendations
pia_search

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

census_compare_geographies
census_get_variable
census_list_datasets
census_list_geographies
census_list_predicate_values
census_query_data
census_resolve_geography
census_search_variables

Both have

None

Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (io.github.cyanheads/census-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 Program Integrity Alliance asks for

PIA_API_KEY (secret)

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

CENSUS_API_KEY
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: Program Integrity Alliance · What it can do: io.github.cyanheads/census-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 2026-10-15. We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.