Updated March 27, 2026
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic for connecting AI models to external tools, data sources, and services. MCP provides a universal interface for tool use, enabling any AI agent to interact with any MCP-compatible server. The protocol specification includes tool discovery, execution, and context sharing, creating an interoperable ecosystem for AI agents.
Agentic payments for APIs — agents can discover, access, and pay for hundreds of APIs via MCP with no API key management.
Core capabilities each platform advertises.
What each tool does well, and the limitations to keep in mind.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Choose Anthropic MCP if you wantChoose if you want
Choose Orthogonal if you wantChoose if you want
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