ToolRouter is a hosted MCP gateway. One catalog of tools for Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok. ToolRouter is the hosted catalog of tools. OpenRouter and Ramp route models. We don’t. The best MCP gateways for companies in 2026 are:
- ToolRouter — Best for a hosted specialist catalog across Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok
- Composio — Best for hundreds to 1,000+ managed SaaS app connectors
- Zapier MCP — Best for workflow automation plus 9,000+ apps
- TrueFoundry — Best for running MCP inside your VPC, on-prem, or air-gap
- MintMCP — Best for a quoted compliance posture (healthcare / fintech)
- Portkey — Best for LLM guardrails with an MCP control plane
- Arcade — Best for per-user auth so agents act as each employee
Prices checked 20 August 2026 on the vendor sites linked below. ToolRouter catalog use has no required monthly list price: free tools stay free, paid skills start at $0.005 per use, optional Lite $9/mo and Plus $19/mo.
Why companies pick ToolRouter as an MCP gateway
A company MCP gateway should give every assistant the same tools, clear billing with seats when teams share, and a trail of who called what. ToolRouter hosts the specialist catalog product and research teams actually call in chat — image, video, SEO, research, search, security — over MCP, CLI, or REST.
It is not a workflow canvas, not a model router, and not 1,000 SaaS logins. Those jobs belong to Zapier, OpenRouter / Portkey / Ramp, and Composio. Many companies keep ToolRouter beside one of those, not instead of them.
ToolRouter MCP gateway comparison
| ToolRouter | Composio | TrueFoundry | MintMCP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Hosted specialist catalog | Managed SaaS connectors | MCP + LLM gateway you can put in-VPC | Compliance-heavy MCP gateway |
| MCP | One hosted catalog | Custom tools and MCP on Free and Pro | Registry for *your* MCP servers (5–50+ by plan) | Hosted MCP / virtual MCPs |
| Company billing | Seats from $29 + shared credits | No per-seat list; Free 3 members, Pro unlimited | Pro $499/mo; Pro Plus $2,999/mo | Per-user licensing; custom quote |
| Audit log | Business and above | 7–30 day log retention by plan | Pro Plus / Enterprise | Tamper-proof logs; SIEM export |
| Self-host | No — hosted | Not the default path | VPC / on-prem / air-gap on Enterprise | Cloud or self-hosted |
| List price (20 Aug 2026) | Free tools; from $0.005/use; Lite $9; Plus $19 | Free; Pro $29/mo; Enterprise custom | Developer $0; Pro $499; Enterprise custom | Quoted / not public |
| Honest win | Hosted catalog; companies centralize MCP | App-connector breadth | Run inside your own VPC | Formal audit / compliance quotes |
Sources: composio.dev/pricing, truefoundry.com/pricing, mintmcp.com/pricing, toolrouter.com/pricing. Zapier, Portkey, and Arcade prices live on the vs pages linked below.
When ToolRouter is not the MCP gateway to pick
Pick Composio or Zapier MCP when the agent must act inside Gmail, Salesforce, Slack, and a long tail of SaaS. Pick TrueFoundry when MCP must never leave your VPC. Pick MintMCP when legal will not sign without a quoted BAA / SOC 2 pack. Pick Portkey when the pain is LLM guardrails, not a tool catalog. Pick Arcade when each end user must authorize the agent. Pick OpenRouter or Ramp when the job is routing models — ToolRouter does not.
ToolRouter should not be sold as any of those products.
ToolRouter MCP gateway FAQ
Is ToolRouter the best MCP gateway for every company?
No. It is first on this list for a *hosted specialist catalog*. Other gateways win SaaS connectors, workflows, VPC, compliance quotes, model guardrails, or per-user auth.
Is ToolRouter the same as Composio’s Tool Router?
No. Composio has a product feature historically called “Tool Router” (now Sessions). ToolRouter at toolrouter.com is a different company and a hosted specialist catalog. See ToolRouter vs Composio.
Can ToolRouter run in my VPC?
No. That is TrueFoundry’s honest win on Enterprise. ToolRouter is hosted. See ToolRouter vs TrueFoundry.
How do companies pay for ToolRouter as a gateway?
No required monthly list for catalog use. Free tools stay free. You only pay when a paid tool works. Failed paid calls don’t charge. Free tools never charge. Paid tools start at $0.005. Optional Lite $9/mo and Plus $19/mo. Team seats start at $29/seat/mo with a shared credit pool. See pricing.
Does ToolRouter replace Zapier?
No. Zapier wins workflows and 9,000+ apps. ToolRouter wins in-chat specialist tools and a shared company catalog. See ToolRouter vs Zapier MCP.
Want a more focused comparison? See ToolRouter vs Composio · ToolRouter vs TrueFoundry · ToolRouter vs MintMCP · All comparisons.