Time (Reference) vs Cron Tools
Time (Reference) is an MCP server published by modelcontextprotocol. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Cron Tools is an MCP server published by basitalisandhu. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). 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 |  Time (Reference) |  Cron Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9c46a918633f Forks (GitHub): 11 807 Pulls (Docker Hub): 1 018 113 Stars (Docker Hub): 9 Stars (GitHub): 91 346 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.2.1 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 1 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 | Time (Reference) | Cron Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 91 346 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 1 018 113 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 11 807 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-13 |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/time) | On your machine (ghcr.io/basitalisandhu/mcp-cron-tools:0.2.1) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Licence (differs) | NOASSERTION | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers | github.com/basitalisandhu/dev-mcp-servers |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
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
Time (Reference)
Time and timezone conversion capabilities.
Cron Tools
Parse, explain and validate 5-field cron expressions and list upcoming runs in a time zone.
How to run each
Time (Reference) As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio time -- docker run -i --rm mcp/timeCron Tools As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio mcp-cron-tools -- docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/basitalisandhu/mcp-cron-tools:0.2.1Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Cron Tools publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Time (Reference) · What it can do: Cron Tools · 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.