Perplexity API Platform vs ShowMeStepByStep
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). ShowMeStepByStep is an MCP server published by rt1966. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-27. 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 |  ShowMeStepByStep |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 1.2.1 Downloads/month (npm): 102 467 Downloads/week (npm): 16 084 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 0.2.0 No figure published Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:7816f45a6f26 Forks (GitHub): 387 Pulls (Docker Hub): 80 988 Stars (Docker Hub): 17 Stars (GitHub): 2 589 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 | ShowMeStepByStep |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 3 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 2 589 | No figure on GitHub |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 80 988 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 387 | No figure on GitHub |
| Last release (differs) | 2026-10-17 (better) | 2026-10-15 (worse) |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (@perplexity-ai/mcp-server) | Remote server (www.showmestepbystep.com/api/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 3 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 2, secrets among them: 1 | Not published |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 2 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/ppl-ai/modelcontextprotocol | github.com/rt1966/showmestepbystep |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 2 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Not responding since 2026-10-24 |
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
ShowMeStepByStep
Search, browse, and cite 409 step-by-step how-to tutorials (steps, tools, video credit).
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-serverShowMeStepByStep As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http showmestepbystep https://www.showmestepbystep.com/api/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only ShowMeStepByStep has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Only Perplexity API Platform has
perplexity_askperplexity_reasonperplexity_research
Only ShowMeStepByStep has
get_tutoriallist_categorieslist_recent_tutorialslist_tutorials_by_categoryrequest_tutorialsearch_tutorials
Both have
None
Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (ShowMeStepByStep as of 2026-10-17). More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of ShowMeStepByStep publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Perplexity API Platform · What it can do: ShowMeStepByStep · 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.