Loomal Index vs Smithery deployment vs monetization.
Smithery helps you host and deploy MCP servers. Loomal Index helps you get discovered by agents and paid per call. These aren't the same job — they're different layers of the stack, and they fit together cleanly. Here's the comparison.
Smithery and Loomal Index get mentioned in the same breath because both touch MCP servers, but they sit at different points in the lifecycle. One is about running your server; the other is about monetizing it.
If you're trying to decide between them, you probably don't have to — they compose. This page makes the boundary explicit so you know which problem each one solves.
What Smithery does
Smithery focuses on deployment: getting your MCP server hosted, running, reachable, and kept alive. That's the infrastructure for operating a server — the equivalent of where and how your code runs.
It's valuable and necessary, and it's entirely orthogonal to whether or how the server earns money. A deployed server that nobody can discover or pay is still just running.
What Loomal Index does
Loomal Index makes your server discoverable by agents and payable per call. Integrate @loomal/sdk and set a per-call price (from $0.01), and your tools are x402-ready — agents find them in the index and pay in USDC on Base, with a signed receipt on every call. Changing your price later is a one-field edit.
Loomal doesn't host your server; it monetizes it. That's the half Smithery isn't trying to solve, and the half that turns a running server into a revenue stream.
Side by side
Job: Smithery runs your server; Loomal gets it discovered and paid. Layer: Smithery is hosting/infrastructure; Loomal is discovery + payment. Output: Smithery gives you a live endpoint; Loomal gives you agent traffic and per-call revenue. Payment: Smithery has none; Loomal settles USDC on Base per call. Audience: Smithery serves you, the operator; Loomal serves the agents calling your tools.
Because they operate at different layers, there's no overlap to reconcile — you can use one, the other, or both without conflict.
Use both
Deploy with Smithery (or wherever you host — a VPS, a serverless function, your own cluster), then list on Loomal Index to get agent discovery and per-call payment on top. Hosting plus monetization, two layers, no conflict.
Listing on Loomal doesn't move or change your deployment; you just point the listing at the endpoint Smithery (or your host) already gives you.
FAQ
Does Loomal host my MCP server?
No. Loomal Index indexes and monetizes your server wherever it runs — including a Smithery deployment. You point the listing at your existing endpoint; Loomal adds discovery and payment.
Is this an either/or choice?
No. Smithery is for deployment, Loomal Index is for discovery and revenue. Most builders use a host (Smithery or otherwise) and list on Loomal Index on top of it.
What do I need to do to monetize a Smithery-hosted server?
Integrate @loomal/sdk, wrap your tools with requirePayment, set a per-call price (minimum $0.01), and list. Your deployment doesn't change.
Will listing on Loomal affect my deployment?
No. The listing points at the endpoint your host already serves. Loomal adds a discovery and payment layer in front of it without moving or modifying where your code runs.
Can I host somewhere other than Smithery and still use Loomal?
Yes. Loomal is host-agnostic — any reachable MCP endpoint works, whether it's on Smithery, a serverless platform, or your own infrastructure.
List on Loomal Index.
Get discovered by agents and paid per call.