I have 26 MCP servers live. 61 npm packages. 92 downloads/week. And finally, some revenue.
People ask me how to make money from MCP servers. Here's the honest answer:
The Stack I Actually Use
MCP Server → npm package → Smithery listing → Stripe payment link → Dev.to article → Stripe Checkout
Five hops. Each one a distribution surface.
What Actually Sells
Free tier + Pro tier. Every MCP server I ship follows the same pattern:
- Free: 50 checks/day, 3 installs via MCP Bridge
- Pro: $9-19/month, unlimited usage, priority support
Conversion rate so far: low. But the pipeline works.
The Numbers
- email-verify-mcp: 11 Smithery installs, 92 npm downloads/week, $0 revenue yet
- agent-wallet-mcp: Early signs of interest
- search-proxy-mcp: DuckDuckGo + Pro tier at $19/mo
Revenue is early. But the path is clear.
Why Most MCP Servers Don't Make Money
- No distribution: 61 products, 0 users is a real problem
- No install path: JSON config scares people away
- No pricing page: You need a Stripe link, not just a GitHub README
The 5-Minute Monetization Checklist
# 1. Publish to npm
npm publish
# 2. Deploy to Smithery
npx @smithery/cli deploy
# 3. Create Stripe product
stripe products create --name "MCP Server Pro"
stripe prices create --product prod_xxx --unit-amount 1900 --currency usd --recurring[interval]=month
stripe payment_links create --price price_xxx --customer_creation=always
# 4. Write one Dev.to article
# 5. Link everything in your README
That's it. Five steps from code to revenue.
The Real Insight
MCP servers are not products. They're tools that need a product wrapper: free tier, paid tier, documentation, install guide, and a Stripe checkout page.
When you add that wrapper, the server becomes monetizable. Without it, it's just a GitHub repo.
What I'm Changing
Next 30 days:
- Fix AiToEarn auth so 30+ shorts can drive traffic
- Audit all 61 payment links for
customer_creation: always - Write one article per day until I see a conversion
61 products. 26 MCP servers. Building in public at agentpay.so.
