Lightning Enable MCP Server vs Steady MCP by usefulapi
Lightning Enable MCP Server is an MCP server published by refined-element. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, PyPI (MCP servers)). Steady MCP by usefulapi is an MCP server published by usefulapi.io. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-11. 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 |  Lightning Enable MCP Server |   Steady MCP by usefulapi |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 2.3.1 Forks (GitHub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 9 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 1.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 1 Not marked · First seen |
| PyPI (MCP servers) | Listed Version: 2.3.1 Downloads/month (PyPI): 1 035 Downloads/week (PyPI): 120 Forks (GitHub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 9 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 | Lightning Enable MCP Server | Steady MCP by usefulapi |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 2 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 9 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 2 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | 2026-11-09 (worse) | 2026-11-11 (better) |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (LightningEnable.Mcp) | Remote server (steady.usefulapi.io/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 9, secrets among them: 5 | Not published |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/refined-element/lightning-enable-mcp | github.com/m190/usefulapi-mcp |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 3 | 7 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-11-07 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 1 h ago, requires authentication |
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
Lightning Enable MCP Server
AI agent Lightning payments: L402, invoices, wallets, API discovery, budgets, self-serve signup.
Steady MCP by usefulapi
Read publication income, plans and subscriptions; list newsletter subscribers in Steady.
How to run each
Lightning Enable MCP Server
No data for an automatic command: what its marketplaces declare does not say unambiguously how to connect it.
Requires: LIGHTNING_ENABLE_API_KEY (secret), LND_MACAROON_HEX (secret), NWC_CONNECTION_STRING (secret), OPENNODE_API_KEY (secret), STRIKE_API_KEY (secret)
Steady MCP by usefulapi As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http steady https://steady.usefulapi.io/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Steady MCP by usefulapi has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of Steady MCP by usefulapi publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Lightning Enable MCP Server · What it can do: Steady MCP by usefulapi · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Package data comes from the Python Package Index (pypi.org). Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.