Speakeasy vs. Stainless vs. Postman: MCP server generation showdown

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has emerged as a vital standard for connecting AI agents to APIs and data sources, gaining traction since its introduction by Anthropic in 2024. As MCP becomes more widely adopted, organizations face the challenge of generating production-ready MCP servers from existing API specs. This piece compares three prominent approaches: Speakeasy, Stainless, and Postman, each evaluated on automation, type-safety, deployment flexibility, protocol support, and developer experience. Speakeasy focuses on automation and customization, supporting various protocols and offering both managed and self-hosted options. Stainless provides a code-execution model within its TypeScript SDK, emphasizing code-mode execution for complex workflows but can add overhead for simpler interactions. Postman offers a unique perspective by leveraging its extensive API Network, providing quick access to public APIs without custom coding but lacking some of the advanced features of Speakeasy and Stainless. Ultimately, the choice between these tools depends on specific organizational needs such as protocol requirements, hosting preferences, API size, authentication methods, workflow automation, and the necessity for centralized gateways.