Metorial vs Docker MCP Gateway

Docker MCP Gateway (MCP Toolkit, MCP Catalog, MCP Enterprise Gateway) and Metorial both put a governed layer between AI clients and the tools your company uses.

Where Docker MCP Gateway wins: Runs local MCP servers in isolated containers with signed images, SBOMs, secret blocking and network blocking, which a hosted gateway cannot do for stdio servers.

Metorial is the stronger fit if you want Git-synced skills, skills teams write together and one MCP URL for every tool.

Every Docker MCP Gateway fact below links to Docker MCP Gateway's own page. Anything they don't publish is marked "Not published", not "No".

Where Docker MCP Gateway wins

  • Runs local MCP servers in isolated containers with signed images, SBOMs, secret blocking and network blocking, which a hosted gateway cannot do for stdio servers.source
  • Distribution through Docker Desktop: MCP Toolkit ships in an app most developers already have, with a 300+ server catalog and one-command client connect.source
  • Enterprise Gateway offers Cedar policies with default-deny, per-request approval, SIEM-streamed per-user decisions, and an air-gapped appliance available today.source

Key differences

Each cell links to the page it comes from.

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Source licenseFSL-1.1-ALv2 engine (Apache 2.0 after two years); Apache-2.0 integration catalogsourceThe engine (metorial-platform) is source-available under FSL and converts to Apache 2.0 two years after each release. The integration catalog (metorial/metorial) is Apache-2.0.MITsourceEnterprise Gateway / AI Governance features are commercial.
Self-hostYessourceYessourceOSS gateway runs locally or anywhere Docker runs.
Integration catalog1,000+source300+source
One URL for all toolsYessourcePartialsourceOSS gateway defaults to a local stdio endpoint per client; sse/streaming transports expose one endpoint. Enterprise Gateway gives a shared governed endpoint.
Per-user OAuthYessourcePartialsourceEach developer authorizes on their own machine; shared profiles exclude credentials. Per-user OAuth in Enterprise Gateway not stated (it says credentials stay in your secret store).
SSO (SAML or OIDC)YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway (contact sales/invite-only). Docker Business also lists SSO for Docker accounts.
SCIM provisioningYessourcePartialsourceDocker Business account provisioning; MCP-specific SCIM not documented.
Role or group-based tool accessYessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only; OSS uses profiles, not identity-based roles.
Audit log per personYessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only; OSS logs calls locally without user identity.
Create and edit skillsYessourceNot publishedDocker publishes its own open-source Docker Skills (SKILL.md guidance); no customer skills authoring via MCP Gateway documented.
Git sync for skillsYessourceNot published
Own chat app requiredNosourceNosource
Prompt-injection detectionYessourceNot publishedCustom interceptors could be used; no built-in detector documented.
EU data regionYessourceNot publishedDocker-managed multi-tenant cloud is 'coming soon'; customer-VPC deploy covers residency.
SOC 2 Type IIYessourcePartialsourceCompany has SOC 2 Type 2; MCP Gateway/AI Governance not listed in scope (Desktop is).
LLM gateway or model routingNoNot published
Starting price$0 (Dev); Scale from $250/monthsource$0 (open source); Enterprise Gateway contact salessource

Which AI clients each works in

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Claude (web and desktop)YessourceYessourceClaude Desktop example documented.
Claude CodeYessourceYessource
ChatGPTYessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only (ChatGPT Enterprise); local Toolkit is not reachable from ChatGPT.
CursorYessourceYessource
CodexYessourceYessource
GitHub CopilotYessourcePartialsourceVS Code documented; Copilot not named explicitly.
Custom agents (SDK or API)YessourceYessource

Full checklist

Every row we track, with what it means. "Not published" means the vendor's own pages don't say.

Connect

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Integration catalogHow many ready-made integrations or MCP servers the vendor publishes.1,000+source300+source
Verified or official serversThe catalog includes servers the vendor tests or maintains, not only community listings.YessourceYessourceDocker-built images under mcp/ with signed SBOMs; FAQ calls security measures best-effort.
Bring your own MCP serverYou can add an MCP server you built or host yourself.YessourceYessource
Remote (HTTP) MCP serversConnects to MCP servers hosted elsewhere over HTTP.YessourceYessource
Local, stdio or Docker serversRuns MCP servers that ship as local processes or containers.YessourceYessource
One URL for all toolsA user adds one endpoint to their AI client and reaches every approved tool through it.YessourcePartialsourceOSS gateway defaults to a local stdio endpoint per client; sse/streaming transports expose one endpoint. Enterprise Gateway gives a shared governed endpoint.
Version pinningYou can lock an integration to a known version.YessourcePartialsourceServers are versioned OCI images; explicit pinning workflow not documented.
Schema change monitoringChanges to tool definitions are detected and flagged.YessourceNot published

AI clients

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Claude (web and desktop)Documented to work in the Claude apps.YessourceYessourceClaude Desktop example documented.
Claude CodeDocumented to work in Claude Code.YessourceYessource
ChatGPTDocumented to work in ChatGPT.YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only (ChatGPT Enterprise); local Toolkit is not reachable from ChatGPT.
CursorDocumented to work in Cursor.YessourceYessource
CodexDocumented to work in Codex.YessourceYessource
GitHub CopilotDocumented to work in GitHub Copilot.YessourcePartialsourceVS Code documented; Copilot not named explicitly.
Custom agents (SDK or API)Your own agents can use the tools through an SDK or API.YessourceYessource
Own chat app requiredYes means people must work inside the vendor’s own app rather than the AI client they already use.NosourceNosource

Identity and access

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Per-user OAuthTool calls run with each person’s own account, not a shared key.YessourcePartialsourceEach developer authorizes on their own machine; shared profiles exclude credentials. Per-user OAuth in Enterprise Gateway not stated (it says credentials stay in your secret store).
Managed OAuth appsThe vendor provides OAuth apps so you don’t register your own.YessourcePartialsourceToolkit runs OAuth for catalog remote servers (GitHub, Notion, Linear) via browser; whether Docker-owned OAuth apps are used not stated.
Bring your own OAuth appYou can use OAuth apps registered under your own company.YessourceNot published
SSO (SAML or OIDC)People sign in through your identity provider.YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway (contact sales/invite-only). Docker Business also lists SSO for Docker accounts.
SCIM provisioningUsers and groups sync automatically from your identity provider.YessourcePartialsourceDocker Business account provisioning; MCP-specific SCIM not documented.
Role or group-based tool accessAccess to tools follows roles or groups.YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only; OSS uses profiles, not identity-based roles.
Tool-level allow and denyIndividual tools can be allowed or blocked, not only whole servers.YessourceYessourceEnterprise: allow/deny by server, tool, transport and call.
Read-only modesAn integration can be limited to read-only tools.YessourcePartialsourceExpressible as Cedar policy in AI Governance; not a toggle in OSS.

Visibility and security

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Audit log per personEvery call is recorded and tied to the person or agent who made it.YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only; OSS logs calls locally without user identity.
Call tracingTool arguments and results are recorded for debugging and review.YessourceYessource
Log export or SIEMLogs can be exported or streamed to your security tools.YessourcePartialsourceEnterprise Gateway only.
Data redaction or DLPSensitive data in tool traffic can be detected, masked or blocked.YessourcePartialsourceSecret-pattern blocking only (--block-secrets), not general PII redaction.
Prompt-injection detectionTool traffic is inspected for prompt-injection attacks.YessourceNot publishedCustom interceptors could be used; no built-in detector documented.
Tool-poisoning protectionMalicious or changed tool descriptions are detected.YesThrough Protoguard.PartialsourceSupply-chain provenance check, not tool-description scanning.

Skills

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Create and edit skillsTeams can write and edit shared skills in the product.YessourceNot publishedDocker publishes its own open-source Docker Skills (SKILL.md guidance); no customer skills authoring via MCP Gateway documented.
Git sync for skillsSkills sync to or from a Git repository.YessourceNot published
Skills delivered by roleSkills reach people based on their role or group.YessourceNot published
Skills over MCPSkills are served to AI clients through MCP.Not publishedNot published

Deployment

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Source licenseThe license the product’s code is published under, if any.FSL-1.1-ALv2 engine (Apache 2.0 after two years); Apache-2.0 integration catalogsourceThe engine (metorial-platform) is source-available under FSL and converts to Apache 2.0 two years after each release. The integration catalog (metorial/metorial) is Apache-2.0.MITsourceEnterprise Gateway / AI Governance features are commercial.
Self-hostYou can run it on your own infrastructure.YessourceYessourceOSS gateway runs locally or anywhere Docker runs.
VPC or on-premCan be deployed in your own cloud account or data center.YessourceYessource
Air-gappedCan run with no internet connection.YesYessource
EU data regionData can be hosted in the EU.YessourceNot publishedDocker-managed multi-tenant cloud is 'coming soon'; customer-VPC deploy covers residency.

Compliance

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
SOC 2 Type IIHolds a SOC 2 Type II report.YessourcePartialsourceCompany has SOC 2 Type 2; MCP Gateway/AI Governance not listed in scope (Desktop is).
ISO 27001Holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification.Not publishedYessourceCompany-level; product scope not stated.
HIPAASupports HIPAA workloads, usually with a BAA.YesSigns BAAs.Not published
GDPR and DPAStates GDPR compliance and offers a data processing agreement.YessourceA data processing agreement is published at /legal/data-processing-agreement.PartialsourceDPA not mentioned.

Pricing

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
Public pricingPrices are published on the vendor’s site.YessourcePartialsourceOSS gateway free; Docker subscription prices public but list no MCP features; Enterprise Gateway is Talk to sales.
Free tierA free plan or free edition exists.YessourceYessource
Starting priceThe lowest published paid price, as listed.$0 (Dev); Scale from $250/monthsource$0 (open source); Enterprise Gateway contact salessource
Pricing modelHow the vendor charges: per seat, usage, platform fee, or a mix.Flat monthly plans with paid add-ons (extra seats, tool calls)sourceFree OSS + Docker Desktop subscriptions (per user/month) + sales-led Enterprise Gateway / AI Governancesource

Model layer

FeatureMetorialDocker MCP Gateway
LLM gateway or model routingRoutes model traffic, not only tool traffic.NoNot published
Cost tracking per personShows AI spend per person or team.NoNot published

Which should you pick?

SituationPickWhy
Rolling AI out to every employee in the clients they already useEitherBoth connect to existing AI clients. Compare the client list below.
You must self-hostEitherBoth document a self-hosted option.
You need an LLM gateway or model routing todayA dedicated model routerMetorial doesn't ship an LLM gateway, and Docker MCP Gateway's pages don't state one.
Teams should share skills, not only toolsMetorialMetorial lets teams write skills together and deliver them by role.
You are building integrations into your own productEitherBoth offer an SDK or API for your own agents.

Pricing

Published prices only. Nothing is estimated.

Metorial

  • Metorial Dev: $0 monthsource
  • Metorial Scale: $250 monthsource
  • Metorial for Enterprise: Contact salessource

Docker MCP Gateway

  • MCP Gateway (open source): $0 MIT license, self-runsource
  • Docker Personal: $0 /mosource
  • Docker Pro: $11 monthly / $9 annual per user/monthsource
  • Docker Team: $16 monthly / $15 annual per user/monthsource
  • Docker Business: $24 per user/monthsource
  • MCP Enterprise Gateway / AI Governance: Contact sales not publishedsource

What each Metorial plan includes

From the Metorial pricing page.

IncludedMetorial DevMetorial ScaleMetorial for Enterprise
Tool calls per month500,0002,500,000Custom
Callbacks10,000100,000Custom
Workforce seats220Custom
Provider integrations10UnlimitedUnlimited
Log retention30 days90 daysCustom
Production accessNot includedIncludedIncluded

On every plan

  • Slack and email support
  • Auth Connections: Unlimited
  • Sessions: Unlimited
  • Concurrent Connections: Unlimited
  • Developer API Access
  • Custom Integrations
  • Remote MCP Servers
  • Managed MCP Servers

Docker MCP Gateway limits

As published by the vendor.

  • Catalog size: 300+ serverssource
  • Per-tool container resources: 1 CPU, 2 GB memorysource
  • Docker Desktop version for current Toolkit UI: 4.62 and latersource
  • Enterprise availability: MCP Gateway as part of Docker AI Governance is invite-onlysource

Moving from Docker MCP Gateway to Metorial

  • Remote MCP servers you use through Docker MCP Gateway can be added to Metorial as they are.
  • OAuth apps registered under your company can be reused, so people sign in the way they do today.
  • Sign-in moves to your identity provider through SAML; groups decide who gets which tools.
  • Skills, policies and audit history in Docker MCP Gateway don't transfer automatically. Talk to us about moving them.

Book a demo to plan the move with us.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Metorial and Docker MCP Gateway.

  1. Is Docker MCP Gateway open source?
    Docker MCP Gateway lists: MIT.
  2. Yes, Docker MCP Gateway documents a self-hosted option.
  3. Yes, Docker MCP Gateway documents ChatGPT support. (with limits)
  4. Metorial's Dev plan is free and Scale starts at $250 a month. Docker MCP Gateway doesn't publish prices, so a direct comparison needs a quote.
  5. Yes. Metorial is SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant, with EU and US regions.
  6. Metorial's engine is published under FSL-1.1-ALv2 engine (Apache 2.0 after two years); Apache-2.0 integration catalog. You can self-host it or use the hosted platform.

Checked October 17, 2026. 38 Docker MCP Gateway facts are sourced, each linked in its row. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it. All product names are trademarks of their owners.

Try Metorial next to Docker MCP Gateway

Start free, self-host from GitHub, or talk to us about your rollout.