MCP Server Cost Calculator
Estimate token cost of MCP tool interactions.
With the default inputs, $0.0588 per MCP session — 8 tool interactions · ~$882.00/month. Enter your own numbers below to recompute instantly; the full step-by-step math is shown under the worked example.
Results update automatically as you type.
- Interactions / session
- 8
- Cost / session
- $0.0588
- Cost / month
- $882.00
Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers expose tools an agent can call. Each interaction consumes tokens. Estimate the cost per session based on how many MCP interactions occur.
How this is calculated
Cost per session = MCP interactions × (input tokens per interaction × input price + output tokens per interaction × output price), scaled by sessions per day × 30. Each MCP interaction sends tool definitions and context in and gets a result back — all billed as tokens.
Is this a good result? What to do next
MCP cost is really token cost in disguise: large tool schemas and verbose results make every interaction pricier. Keep the exposed tool surface lean and results compact and the per-session cost stays low.
Typical planning ranges
- Each interaction
- input + output tokens
- Cost drivers
- schema size + result verbosity
- Volume multiplier
- sessions × interactions
Ranges are typical planning figures to sanity-check your result, not authoritative benchmarks. Your numbers will vary with use case, volume, and vendor.
How to improve this number
- Expose only the tools a session actually needs.
- Trim tool schemas and truncate large results.
- Cache stable tool definitions where supported.
Common mistakes
- Sending large, verbose tool schemas on every interaction.
- Returning full payloads when a summary would do.
When to use a different approach
For function/tool calling generally, use the tool call cost calculator. For the full agent, use the AI agent cost calculator.
Worked example (defaults)
With the default inputs above, here is the result:
- Interactions / session
- 8
- Cost / session
- $0.0588
- Cost / month
- $882.00
Sources & references
Frequently asked questions
What drives MCP cost?+
Tool definitions and results are tokens too. Large tool schemas and verbose results raise the cost of every interaction, so keep them lean.