This comparison is part of our MCP comparisons, within The MCP Guide. Facts are checked against each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages on the date shown.
Pick Obot if you want an open-source MCP gateway you can self-host for free up to 100 users, with registries and device monitoring in the same code. Pick TrueFoundry if you want a managed AI gateway with per-seat pricing, approval flows and one bill for model and MCP traffic. Both put a governed front door in front of the MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers your staff use.
Checked against: Obot's GitHub README and TrueFoundry's MCP Gateway page on 28 October 2026. eSEOspace did not test either product.
Key Takeaways
- Obot is MIT licensed, and its docs say every edition runs the same open-source code, differing only by license key.
- TrueFoundry's MCP Gateway is a commercial product; its page does not describe it as open source.
- Obot Community is free and self-hosted for up to 100 users and 100 devices. TrueFoundry's free Developer plan covers 3 users and 5 MCP servers.
- TrueFoundry Pro is $25 per user a month; Obot Enterprise and Obot Cloud pricing are not published.
- TrueFoundry offers approval flows per server; Obot adds Obot Sentry, which inventories AI tools and records local tool calls on staff devices.
At a glance
| Item | Obot | TrueFoundry |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT open source | Commercial; not described as open source |
| Hosting | Self-hosted (Docker or Kubernetes) or Obot Cloud | SaaS; VPC, on-prem and data residency on Enterprise |
| Gateway model | Virtual MCP servers (vMCPs) combining catalog servers | Unified gateway with virtual MCPs |
| Access control | By user or identity-provider group | RBAC per MCP server, approval flows |
| Sign-in | Local, GitHub, Google; Entra, Okta, JumpCloud, Auth0 once registered | Okta, Azure AD and other IdPs; OAuth 2.0 |
| Server hosting | Runs MCP servers in isolated containers | Not documented on pages checked |
| Device monitoring | Obot Sentry (beta) | Not documented |
| Model gateway | LLM Gateway included | AI gateway for model and MCP traffic |
| Free tier | Up to 100 users and 100 devices | Up to 3 users, 5 MCP servers, 7-day logs |
| Paid pricing | Contact sales | Pro $25/user/month; Enterprise custom |
Where Obot is stronger
Open source you can inspect
The Obot README describes "an open-source platform for organizations to manage, secure, and govern their AI ecosystems" under the MIT License. The editions page says all editions use the same container image. Your security team can read the code before deploying it.
Larger free tier, self-hosted
Obot Community is free for up to 100 users and 100 devices. Registering for free unlocks Entra, Okta, JumpCloud and Auth0 sign-in, with the same caps. TrueFoundry's free plan stops at 3 users.
Hosting, registries and tunnels in one place
Obot can run MCP servers "in isolated environments as Docker containers or Kubernetes workloads," per the README. MCP and Skills registries expose approved entries through the standard MCP Registry API. MCP tunnels reach servers on private networks over outbound connections, so no inbound port is opened. The README recommends Kubernetes for production because the Docker setup mounts the Docker socket.
Visibility on staff devices
Obot Sentry inventories local AI clients, servers and skills. It installs hooks for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Kiro and VS Code and records local tool calls. The README marks Device Management as beta and tool-call allowlists as experimental. See our Obot spotlight.
Where TrueFoundry is stronger
Approval workflows and per-server roles
TrueFoundry's MCP Gateway page says you can "apply RBAC policies per MCP Server" and "use approval flows to control which roles can access each MCP Server." RBAC means role-based access control. That fits companies with a formal request-and-approve process.
Published per-seat pricing
TrueFoundry lists self-serve prices, so you can budget without a sales call. Obot publishes caps but no dollar prices for Enterprise or Cloud.
Managed service with tracing
TrueFoundry says you can "trace every MCP Server call, agent decision, and LLM request." It runs as SaaS by default, so you do not operate the gateway yourself. The page claims SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR standards and says TrueFoundry is "trusted by 30+ enterprises and Fortune 500 companies." Our TrueFoundry spotlight covers its other features.
Pricing
Both pages were checked on 28 October 2026.
Obot (editions page):
| Edition | Hosting | Cost | Users and devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community | Self-hosted | Free | Up to 100 each |
| Community, registered | Self-hosted | Free | Up to 100 each; adds enterprise sign-in providers |
| Enterprise | Self-hosted | Contact us | Set by contract; adds support |
| Obot Cloud | Hosted by Obot | Free trial, then paid | Set by plan |
TrueFoundry (pricing):
| Plan | Price | Users | Requests | Logs | MCP Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Free | Up to 3 | 10,000 per user a month | 7 days | 5 MCP servers, 1 virtual MCP |
| Pro | $25 per user a month | Unlimited | 20,000 per user a month, pooled | 30 days | Full access, unlimited virtual MCPs |
| Enterprise | Custom annual | Unlimited | Custom | Custom | Full access |
TrueFoundry Pro overage is $20 per additional 100,000 requests. Model-provider charges are separate, and the page says TrueFoundry does not mark up tokens. Self-hosting Obot is free in license terms, but you still pay for the servers and staff time to run it.
Security and admin controls
- Identity. Obot's free registered edition supports Entra, Okta, JumpCloud and Auth0. TrueFoundry lists SSO and custom roles from Pro, with external IdP mapping on Enterprise.
- Audit logs. Obot records MCP and LLM Gateway traffic, token use and cost, and Sentry tool calls, with scheduled exports. TrueFoundry's pricing page lists audit logs and exports on Enterprise; its free plan keeps logs 7 days.
- Change control. Obot pins components to catalog snapshots, so changes need an explicit upgrade, per the README. That helps against silent tool changes, a risk covered in our rug pull attacks guide.
- Guardrails. TrueFoundry Pro includes up to 10 built-in guardrail policies; Enterprise adds custom and third-party ones. Obot offers filters that can inspect, reject or modify requests and responses.
- Data location. Obot self-hosting keeps data in your environment. TrueFoundry offers VPC, on-prem and data residency on Enterprise.
For background, read MCP gateways explained.
Which to choose
- Pick Obot if you want open-source code, self-hosting and a free tier that covers a 100-person company.
- Pick Obot if you also want to see which AI tools and MCP servers staff run on their own laptops.
- Pick TrueFoundry if you want a managed service with published per-seat pricing and no gateway to operate.
- Pick TrueFoundry if your process needs approval flows before a role can use a server.
- Pilot both if you are unsure. Each has a free tier you can try with a few low-risk servers.
See more options in our MCP gateways list and other MCP comparisons.
Next step
Write down who may use which servers, and how long you must keep logs, before you pick a gateway. If you want a second opinion on your setup, our MCP readiness audit reviews your current tools and rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is Obot really free?
The Community edition is free and self-hosted for up to 100 users and 100 devices. Enterprise removes the caps and adds support, with pricing on request. You still pay to host it.
Is TrueFoundry open source?
Its MCP Gateway page does not describe the gateway as open source. TrueFoundry links to some separate open-source projects, but the gateway is a commercial product.
Can either run in my own network?
Obot is designed to be self-hosted on Docker or Kubernetes. TrueFoundry lists VPC, on-prem and data residency options on its Enterprise plan.
Which works with Claude Code and Cursor?
Obot's README says staff can use its gateway and registries from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and other tools. TrueFoundry's page says its gateway connects authorized internal and third-party MCP servers; check its docs for your client.
