ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel vs mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

A side-by-side comparison of two Productivity servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel Automate Excel via AI - Power Query, DAX, VBA, PivotTables, charts through Excel's native COM API (Windows only). Unverified stdio (local) No auth C#	mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) Read, search, and edit your Obsidian vault through the Local REST API community plugin. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	C#	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	196	3.6k
Last commit	2 days ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer`	`uvx mcp-obsidian`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Add ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel

Install / run

dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excelmcp---mcp-server-for-microsoft-excel": {
      "command": "mcp-excel",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Add mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

Install / run

uvx mcp-obsidian

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-obsidian-obsidian-local-rest-api": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-obsidian"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-rest-api-key>",
        "OBSIDIAN_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel or mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) — which is better?

Pick ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Can I use both ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel →View mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) →More comparisons →