Plugged.in Proxy vs surface
Plugged.in Proxy is an MCP server published by VeriTeknik. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). surface is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Andrew Cove. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-21. 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 |  Plugged.in Proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:b7c32590b270 Forks (GitHub): 30 Pulls (Docker Hub): 35 901 Stars (Docker Hub): 3 Stars (GitHub): 136 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Community marketplace aac/surface | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.12.1 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 9 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 | Plugged.in Proxy | surface |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 136 (better) | 9 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 35 901 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 30 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/pluggedin-mcp-proxy) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 6 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 2, secrets among them: 1 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 1 |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/veriteknik/pluggedin-mcp-proxy | github.com/aac/surface |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-15 |
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
Plugged.in Proxy
A unified MCP proxy that aggregates multiple MCP servers into one interface, enabling seamless tool discovery and management across all your AI interactions. Manage all your MCP servers from a single connection point with RAG capabilities and real-time notifications.
surface
Ad-hoc structured input from one or more recipients via a flexible, distributable interface. The agent generates an ephemeral, task-shaped UI surface of opaque-ID affordances, delivers the URL through any outbound channel, and autonomously drains submissions to react. Also strong for information-dense display. Not for durable apps or simple in-chat questions.
How to run each
Plugged.in Proxy As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "PLUGGEDIN_API_KEY=<YOUR_PLUGGEDIN_API_KEY>" --transport stdio pluggedin-mcp-proxy -- docker run -i --rm -e PLUGGEDIN_API_KEY mcp/pluggedin-mcp-proxyRequires: PLUGGEDIN_API_KEY (secret)
surface As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add aac/surface
/plugin install surface@surfaceCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of surface publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of surface publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Plugged.in Proxy · What it can do: surface · 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.