Powerduck vs Smithery: Where Should You Host Your MCP Server?
Short answer: A registry is the right place to discover and connect to someone else's service; a generator is the right place to publish your own. If you are hosting an MCP server for an API you actively change, generating it from the contract keeps the tools correct and synced. Listing a generated server in a registry later is optional, not required.
What a registry optimizes for
A registry is built around discovery and connection: a catalog, one-click setup, and managed credentials. It is excellent for third-party services and weak for your own backend, because there is no catalog entry for an API that changes with your code.
What a generator optimizes for
| Need | Registry | Generator |
|---|---|---|
| Find a third-party service | Strong | Not its job |
| Expose your own API | Manual listing | Compiled from spec |
| Stay synced on change | Re-publish by hand | Regenerates |
| Tool provenance | Trust the author | Visible |
The decision rule
If the service is not yours and you just need to connect, use a registry. If the service is yours and the tools must match the contract, generate them. The two answer different questions: where to find a tool, and what the tool should be.
They are not exclusive
Generate the server from the contract for correctness, then list it in a registry for discovery if you want an audience. The generation is the source of truth; the listing is a pointer.
This is part of the Powerduck vs Smithery comparison. Next, read self-hosted vs a gateway.