The hosted MCP gateway for any agent. Connect once in Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok (grok.com) without a VPC project: specialist tools, one connection, one bill, and an audit log on Business and above. TrueFoundry is the stronger pick when MCP and the model gateway must run inside your VPC, on-prem, or air-gapped.
Prices checked 20 August 2026 on truefoundry.com/pricing and truefoundry.com/mcp-gateway. ToolRouter from toolrouter.com/pricing.
Which is best for you: ToolRouter or TrueFoundry?
Pick TrueFoundry if infra owns the decision. Their MCP gateway is a registry for *your* MCP servers, with RBAC, IdP federation, and traces. Developer is $0 (50K requests/mo, register up to 5 MCP servers, 50K tool calls). Pro is $499/mo (1M requests, 25 MCP servers, 1M tool calls). Pro Plus is $2,999/mo. Enterprise is custom and is the tier that lists VPC / on-prem and air-gapped deployment. TrueFoundry is also an AI gateway (models, routing, caching), not only MCP.
Pick ToolRouter if you want the specialist catalog hosted for you — no Kubernetes, no gateway plane, no $499 floor. Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Grok Bot, or Cursor once. Free tools stay free. Paid skills start at $0.005. Lite $9, Plus $19.
ToolRouter vs TrueFoundry features
| Feature | ToolRouter | TrueFoundry |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Hosted specialist-tool catalog | AI gateway + MCP gateway + (on Enterprise) your cloud |
| Where it runs | ToolRouter-hosted | SaaS; VPC / on-prem / air-gap on Enterprise |
| Catalog | Specialist tools ToolRouter runs | Register *your* MCP servers (5 / 25 / 50 / custom) |
| MCP | One hosted catalog endpoint | Unified MCP gateway, registry, RBAC |
| Company billing | One bill; shared credits; seats from $29 | Pro $499/mo; Pro Plus $2,999/mo; extra usage billed |
| Audit log | Business and above | Audit logs on Pro Plus / Enterprise |
| List price (20 Aug 2026) | Free tools; from $0.005/use; Lite $9; Plus $19. No required monthly list for catalog use | Developer $0; Pro $499; Pro Plus $2,999; Enterprise custom |
| Self-host | No | Yes on Enterprise (VPC / air-gap). Self-hosting infra ~$600–$1,000/mo in their FAQ |
| Honest win | Hosted, no VPC project | Run inside your own VPC |
Pros, cons, and ToolRouter limits vs TrueFoundry
TrueFoundry wins on deployment shape. If data and MCP must never leave your domain, ToolRouter cannot satisfy that requirement. TrueFoundry also combines model routing and MCP in one control plane, which ToolRouter does not.
ToolRouter wins on time-to-catalog. There is no Pro $499 gate to call hosted SEO, search, or generation tools. Companies centralize MCP by adding one hosted connection, not by registering servers in a gateway.
ToolRouter limits (real):
- No VPC, on-prem, or air-gap.
- You do not register arbitrary internal MCP servers into ToolRouter the way TrueFoundry’s registry works.
- ToolRouter is not an LLM gateway (no virtual models, semantic cache, or weight-based routing).
TrueFoundry limits (real):
- Pro starts at $499/mo — two orders of magnitude above ToolRouter Lite $9 / Plus $19.
- Developer is capped (50K requests, 5 MCP servers).
- You bring (or build) the MCP servers. TrueFoundry’s win is the gateway, not a hosted specialist generation/SEO catalog.
Who should pick ToolRouter or TrueFoundry
Company: ToolRouter when the goal is a hosted catalog and one bill across assistants. TrueFoundry when platform engineering must keep MCP in-VPC and already runs (or will run) an AI gateway.
Product team: ToolRouter, unless the product cannot leave the VPC.
Solo: ToolRouter. TrueFoundry Developer is a real free tier for gateway experiments, but it is still a gateway product, not a specialist catalog.
ToolRouter vs TrueFoundry FAQ
Does TrueFoundry include a specialist tool catalog like ToolRouter?
Not as the headline. TrueFoundry’s MCP gateway registers and governs MCP servers you bring. ToolRouter hosts the specialist catalog.
Can ToolRouter run in my VPC?
No. That is TrueFoundry’s honest win (Enterprise). ToolRouter is hosted.
How do the list prices compare?
20 August 2026: TrueFoundry Developer $0, Pro $499/mo, Pro Plus $2,999/mo. ToolRouter: free tools, paid from $0.005/use, Lite $9, Plus $19, no required monthly list for catalog use.
Is TrueFoundry only an MCP gateway?
No. Pricing and product pages lead with the AI gateway (models, routing, guardrails). MCP is a column on the same plan table.
Where do I start?
Compare hub. Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Grok Bot, or Cursor.