Top 10 Most Popular MCP Servers (2025 May)

If you’re diving into the world of modular computing platforms (MCP) in May 2025, you’re in for a treat. The MCP Marketplace has just dropped its latest list of the Top 10 Most Popular MCP Servers, and I’m here to walk you through each one. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started, these servers are the cream of the crop—powerful, versatile, and loved by the community.

We’ll cover what each MCP server does, why it’s awesome, how to install it, and where to dig deeper with documentation and links.

What Are MCP Servers, Anyway?

Before we dive into the list, let’s get the basics down. MCP servers are specialized services or platforms that integrate into the Modular Computing Platform (MCP) ecosystem.

Think of MCP as a hub where developers can plug in tools for everything from version control to browser automation, file management, and even AI-driven workflows. These servers aren’t just standalone apps—they’re designed to work together seamlessly, boosting your productivity and making your life as a coder a whole lot easier.

Why do they matter? In 2025, development is all about efficiency and scalability. MCP servers give you the building blocks to create custom workflows tailored to your needs, whether you’re managing a solo project or collaborating with a global team. The Marketplace ranks them based on popularity, which is a pretty solid indicator of their reliability and usefulness. So, let’s meet the top 10 stars of May 2025!

TOP 10 Most Popular MCP Servers

1. GitHub MCP Server

If there’s one tool that needs no introduction, it’s GitHub. Sitting pretty at the top of the MCP server list, GitHub is the gold standard for version control and collaboration. In the MCP ecosystem, it’s likely integrated so you can manage your repositories, track issues, and automate workflows without leaving your MCP dashboard. I’ve lost count of how many times GitHub has saved my bacon on team projects—it’s indispensable.

What Makes It Awesome

Community Power: Tap into millions of open-source projects.
Repository Hosting: Store your code securely and access it anywhere.
Pull Requests & Code Reviews: Perfect your code with team feedback.
GitHub Actions: Automate builds, tests, and deployments.

Installation

You can run the server via Docker or build from source:

Docker (recommended):

docker run -i --rm \
  -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=<YOUR_TOKEN> \
  -e GITHUB_TOOLSETS="repos,issues,pull_requests,code_security,experiments" \
  ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

Build from source:

git clone https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server.git
cd github-mcp-server/cmd/github-mcp-server
go build -o github-mcp-server
GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=<YOUR_TOKEN> \
  ./github-mcp-server stdio

Quickstart Configuration

Add to your mcp.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "github_token",
        "description": "GitHub Personal Access Token",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "github": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "-e",
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
          "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
        ],
        "env": {
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Link: https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server

2. Browser Tools MCP Server

Browser Tools is your go-to for all things web development. Ranked second, this MCP server probably bundles utilities for debugging, testing, and tweaking browser-based apps. Whether you’re chasing down a pesky bug or optimizing performance, Browser Tools has your back.

What Makes It Awesome

Automation: Script browser tasks to save time.
Debugging: Real-time insights into your web app’s behavior.
Performance Analysis: Pinpoint bottlenecks and speed up load times.

Installation

# Install the Chrome extension and start the server
npm install -g @agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp
# or run directly via npx
npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest

Quickstart

Install the Chrome extension from https://browsertools.agentdesk.ai/.
Launch the MCP server: npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp
Configure mcp.json: { "servers": { "browser-tools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"] } } }

Link: https://github.com/AgentDeskAI/browser-tools-mcp

3. File System MCP Server

Mark3Labs’ Filesystem MCP Server exposes read/write, directory listing, metadata, and search operations over MCP, implemented in Go.

Installation

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server.git
cd mcp-filesystem-server
go build -o mcp-filesystem-server cmd/main.go

Or run via uv:

uv tool install mcp-filesystem-server

Quickstart

Configure mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "./mcp-filesystem-server",
      "args": ["--root", "/path/to/allowed"]
    }
  }
}

Then start the server:

./mcp-filesystem-server --root /your/project

Link: https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server

4. Git Tools MCP Server

Git Tools complements GitHub by adding extra firepower to your version control game. Think advanced commands, visualizations, and merge conflict helpers. If you live in Git, this server is a must-have.

What Makes It Awesome

Power Commands: Beyond basic git commit.
Visuals: See your branch history clearly.
Conflict Resolution: Merge with confidence.

Installation

# From npm
npm install -g @cyanheads/git-mcp-server
# Or via npx
npx @cyanheads/git-mcp-server

Quickstart

Configure mcp.json: { "servers": { "git": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@cyanheads/git-mcp-server"] } } }
Run: npx @cyanheads/git-mcp-server
Use tools like git_status, git_clone, git_commit via MCP calls.

Link: https://github.com/cyanheads/git-mcp-server

5. Sequential Thinking MCP Server

Sequential Thinking sounds like an AI or logic powerhouse. This MCP server might handle sequential processing, task automation, or even AI model training. Perfect for data scientists or anyone into smart workflows.

What Makes It Awesome

Pipelines: Streamline complex processes.
Automation: Chain tasks logically.
AI Power: Build sequential models.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/XD3an/python-sequential-thinking-mcp.git
cd python-sequential-thinking-mcp
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Quickstart

Add to mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["main.py"]
    }
  }
}

Invoke generate_thought, list_thoughts, or summarize_chain tools.

Link: https://github.com/XD3an/python-sequential-thinking-mcp

6. Fetch MCP Server

ZCaceres’ Fetch MCP Server fetches web URLs, returning HTML, JSON, Markdown, or plain text using JSDOM and TurndownService (GitHub).

Fetch is your data-grabbing expert. Whether it’s APIs, web scraping, or database queries, this server makes fetching data a breeze. It’s a lifesaver for integrating external resources into MCP.

What Makes It Awesome

APIs: Connect to anything, anywhere.
Scraping: Pull web data effortlessly.
Caching: Speed up repeated requests.

Installation

npm install -g fetch-mcp
# or via npx
npx fetch-mcp

Quickstart

{
  "servers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["fetch-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools include fetch_html, fetch_json, fetch_markdown, with custom headers support.

Link: https://github.com/zcaceres/fetch-mcp

7. FireCrawl MCP Server

MendableAI’s FireCrawl MCP Server integrates FireCrawl’s AI‑powered web crawling to produce LLM‑ready markdown or structured data .

FireCrawl is likely a turbo-charged web crawler. Need to scrape data fast? This server’s got you covered with high performance and scalability.

What Makes It Awesome

Speed: Parallel crawling for quick results.
Flexibility: Customize your crawls.
Scale: Handle big jobs with ease.

Installation

# Self‑hosted
npm install -g firecrawl-mcp-server
# or via npx
npx firecrawl-mcp-server

Quickstart

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "firecrawl-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "YOUR-API-KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use tools like scrape, crawl, map, and extract for deep research.

Link: https://github.com/mendableai/firecrawl-mcp-server

8. Browser Use MCP Server

Saik0s’ Browser Use MCP Server empowers AI agents to control and automate browsers (navigation, form filling, scraping) via natural language.

What Makes It Awesome

Automation: Script repetitive actions.
Analytics: Understand browser behavior.
Extensions: Build browser add-ons.

Installation

npm install -g @saik0s/mcp-browser-use
# or
npx @saik0s/mcp-browser-use

Quickstart

Configure in mcp.json:

// Example for Claude Desktop config
"mcpServers": {
    "browser-use": {
      // Option 1: Run installed package
      // "command": "uvx",
      // "args": ["mcp-server-browser-use"],

      // Option 2: Run from local development source
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/mcp-server-browser-use",
        "run",
        "mcp-server-browser-use"
      ],
      "env": {
        // --- CRITICAL: Add required API keys here ---
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
        // "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE_IF_USING_OPENAI",
        // "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE_IF_USING_ANTHROPIC",
        // ... add other keys based on MCP_MODEL_PROVIDER ...

        // --- Optional Overrides (defaults are usually fine) ---
        "MCP_MODEL_PROVIDER": "openrouter", // Use OpenRouter as provider
        "MCP_MODEL_NAME": "google/gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25:free", // Example OpenRouter model
        "BROWSER_HEADLESS": "true",    // Default: run browser without UI
        "BROWSER_USE_LOGGING_LEVEL": "INFO",

        // --- Example for connecting to your own browser ---
        // "MCP_USE_OWN_BROWSER": "true",
        // "CHROME_CDP": "http://localhost:9222",

        // Ensure Python uses UTF-8
        "PYTHONIOENCODING": "utf-8",
        "PYTHONUNBUFFERED": "1",
        "PYTHONUTF8": "1"
      }
    }
}

Invoke run_browser_agent for multi-step browsing workflows.

Link: https://github.com/Saik0s/mcp-browser-use

9. Puppeteer MCP Server

MerajMehrabi’s Puppeteer MCP Server exposes Puppeteer’s browser automation—navigation, clicks, screenshots, form fills—as MCP tools, even connecting to existing Chrome windows.

What Makes It Awesome

Headless: No UI, all power.
Scraping: Grab dynamic content.
Testing: Automate your QA.

Installation

npm install -g puppeteer-mcp-server
# or
npx puppeteer-mcp-server

Quickstart

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "puppeteer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "puppeteer-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Tools include navigate, click, fill, screenshot, and evaluate.

Link: https://github.com/merajmehrabi/puppeteer-mcp-server

10. Playwright MCP Server

Microsoft’s Playwright MCP leverages Playwright’s accessibility snapshots for fast, vision‑free browser automation (navigation, form filling, structured interactions) .

What Makes It Awesome

Multi-Browser: Test everywhere.
Interception: Mock network calls.
Reliability: Robust scripts.

Installation

# VS Code CLI
code --add-mcp '{"name":"playwright","command":"npx","args":["@playwright/mcp@latest"]}'
# Or via npx
npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Quickstart

{
  "servers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Supported tools: browser_snapshot, browser_click, browser_fill, and structured page queries.

Link: https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp

Conclusion

These Top 10 MCP Servers equip AI assistants with the power to interact with code, browsers, file systems, and beyond—transforming LLMs into versatile, tool‑enabled agents.

Whether you’re automating GitHub workflows, crawling complex websites, or orchestrating multi‑step browser tasks, there’s an MCP server ready to plug in and supercharge your agentic applications. Feel free to explore the links above and integrate the perfect MCP server for your next AI‑powered project!

Categorized in:

MCP,

Last Update: May 3, 2025

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What Are MCP Servers, Anyway?

TOP 10 Most Popular MCP Servers

1. GitHub MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart Configuration

2. Browser Tools MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

3. File System MCP Server

Installation

Quickstart

4. Git Tools MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

5. Sequential Thinking MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

6. Fetch MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

7. FireCrawl MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

8. Browser Use MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

9. Puppeteer MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

10. Playwright MCP Server

What Makes It Awesome

Installation

Quickstart

Conclusion

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