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API Documentation

Everything you need to connect your AI agents to Toolradar. MCP server for Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client, or use the REST API directly.

REST + MCP endpoints

Thousands

Tools indexed

10,000/day

Free tier calls

Quickstart

Get up and running in under 2 minutes. There are two ways to use Toolradar:

Via MCP

For Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP client. Your AI agent calls Toolradar tools natively.

Jump to MCP setup →

Via REST API

Standard HTTP endpoints. Works from any language, framework, or agent platform. JSON responses.

Jump to endpoints →

1. Get an API key

Sign in and generate a free key from your dashboard. Free tier: 10,000 calls/day, every tool. No key at all: 500 calls/day.

2. Make your first call

curl

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tr_live_your_key_here" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/search?q=project+management&limit=3"

Authentication

All API requests require an API key. Pass it via the Authorization header or as a key query parameter.

Header (recommended)

Authorization: Bearer tr_live_your_key_here

Query parameter (fallback)

GET /api/v1/search?q=crm&key=tr_live_your_key_here

Keep your key secret. Don't commit it to version control or expose it in client-side code. Use environment variables (TOOLRADAR_API_KEY).

Rate Limits

The free tier allows 10,000 API calls per day per account: all the keys of one account share it, so a second key does not add calls. A key self-provisioned with POST /api/v1/keys gets the same 10,000, shared by the keys provisioned from one IP. With no key, 500 calls a day per IP. The counters reset at midnight UTC.

Rate limit headers returned with every API response
Header	Description
X-RateLimit-Limit	Your daily call limit (e.g. 100)
X-RateLimit-Remaining	Calls remaining today
X-RateLimit-Reset	ISO timestamp when the limit resets

When the limit is exceeded, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests. Need higher limits? Contact us.

Base URL

https://toolradar.com/api/v1

All endpoint paths below are relative to this base URL.

search_tools

Search and filter software tools. Uses full-text search backed by Meilisearch.

GET /search

Search tools by keyword, category, pricing model. Returns paginated results sorted by relevance or score.

Parameters

q string Search query (e.g. "project management", "CRM with API")

category string Filter by category slug (e.g. "developer-tools"). Use list_categories to get valid slugs.

pricing string Filter by pricing model: "free", "freemium", or "paid"

sort string Sort order: "score" (editorial rating), "recent" (newest), "trending" (most upvotes this week)

limit integer Results per page: 1-50 (default 10)

offset integer Pagination offset (default 0)

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/search?\
q=email+marketing&pricing=freemium&limit=3"

Response

{
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "Mailchimp",
      "slug": "mailchimp",
      "tagline": "All-in-one marketing platform...",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "editorialScore": 85,
      "communityScore": 4.2,
      "reviewCount": 12,
      "categories": ["email-marketing"],
      "affiliateUrl": "https://toolradar.com/api/go/...",
      "toolradarUrl": "https://toolradar.com/tools/..."
    }
  ],
  "total": 142,
  "limit": 3,
  "offset": 0,
  "query": "email marketing",
  "filters": { "pricing": "freemium" }
}

get_tool

Get complete information about a specific tool.

GET /tools/:slug

Returns full tool details: description, TL;DR, pros, cons, features, pricing breakdown, editorial scores, review synthesis, and alternatives.

Parameters

slug string required Tool slug (e.g. "notion", "linear", "figma"). Use search_tools to find slugs.

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/tools/notion"

Response

{
  "name": "Notion",
  "slug": "notion",
  "tagline": "All-in-one workspace...",
  "description": "Notion is an all-in-one...",
  "website": "https://notion.so",
  "pricing": "freemium",
  "editorialScore": 87,
  "tldr": [
    "All-in-one workspace combining...",
    "Free for individuals...",
    "Best for teams consolidating..."
  ],
  "pros": ["Replaces multiple tools...", ...],
  "cons": ["Steep learning curve...", ...],
  "features": ["Block-based docs...", ...],
  "pricingSummary": {
    "model": "freemium",
    "free": true,
    "startingPrice": "$10/mo",
    "tierCount": 4
  },
  "pricingDetails": { "tiers": [...] },
  "reviewSynthesis": {
    "summary": "...",
    "highlights": [...],
    "limitations": [...]
  },
  "alternatives": [
    { "name": "Coda", "slug": "coda", ... }
  ],
  "categoryNames": ["Documentation", ...],
  "affiliateUrl": "https://toolradar.com/api/go/...",
  "toolradarUrl": "https://toolradar.com/tools/notion"
}

compare_tools

Compare 2 to 4 tools side by side with computed insights.

GET /compare?slugs=:slug1,:slug2,:slug3

Returns full details for each tool plus a comparison object with best overall, best value, and most reviewed.

Parameters

slugs string required Comma-separated tool slugs, 2-4 tools (e.g. "notion,linear,asana")

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/compare?\
slugs=notion,linear,asana"

Response

{
  "tools": [
    { "name": "Notion", "editorialScore": 87, ... },
    { "name": "Linear", "editorialScore": 91, ... },
    { "name": "Asana", "editorialScore": 87, ... }
  ],
  "comparison": {
    "bestOverall": "linear",
    "bestValue": "linear",
    "mostReviewed": "notion",
    "scoreComparison": {
      "notion": 87, "linear": 91, "asana": 87
    },
    "pricingComparison": {
      "notion": "freemium",
      "linear": "freemium",
      "asana": "freemium"
    }
  }
}

get_alternatives

Find alternatives and competitors for a specific tool.

GET /alternatives/:slug

Returns AI-identified alternatives sorted by editorial score. These are real competitors, not just tools in the same category.

Parameters

slug string required Tool slug (e.g. "jira", "slack", "figma")

limit integer Max alternatives to return: 1-20 (default 10)

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/alternatives/figma"

Response

{
  "tool": {
    "name": "Figma",
    "slug": "figma",
    "editorialScore": 92,
    ...
  },
  "alternatives": [
    {
      "name": "Canva",
      "slug": "canva",
      "tagline": "Design anything...",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "editorialScore": 87,
      ...
    },
    {
      "name": "Framer",
      "slug": "framer",
      "editorialScore": 87,
      ...
    }
  ]
}

get_pricing

Get detailed pricing information for a tool.

GET /pricing/:slug

Returns the full pricing breakdown: tiers with prices and features, free trial availability, and expert pricing verdict when available.

Parameters

slug string required Tool slug (e.g. "figma", "github")

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/pricing/figma"

Response

{
  "name": "Figma",
  "slug": "figma",
  "pricingModel": "freemium",
  "pricingUrl": "https://figma.com/pricing",
  "pricingDetails": {
    "tiers": [
      {
        "name": "Starter",
        "price": "Free",
        "features": [
          "3 Figma and 3 FigJam files",
          "Unlimited collaborators",
          ...
        ]
      },
      {
        "name": "Professional",
        "price": 15,
        "period": "/editor/month",
        "features": [...]
      }
    ],
    "hasFreeTrial": false,
    "startingPrice": 15
  },
  "verdict": "...",
  "affiliateUrl": "https://toolradar.com/api/go/..."
}

list_categories

List all software categories with tool counts.

GET /categories

Returns all top-level categories with subcategories and the number of published tools in each. Use category slugs to filter search results.

Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://toolradar.com/api/v1/categories"

Response

{
  "categories": [
    {
      "name": "AI & Automation",
      "slug": "ai-automation",
      "description": "AI-powered tools...",
      "icon": "brain",
      "toolCount": 86,
      "subcategories": [
        {
          "name": "AI Writing",
          "slug": "ai-writing",
          "toolCount": 24
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Developer Tools",
      "slug": "developer-tools",
      "toolCount": 145,
      ...
    }
  ]
}

MCP Setup

The Toolradar MCP server lets AI assistants call our API natively. No HTTP code needed, the agent calls tools like search_tools directly.

Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "toolradar": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "toolradar-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TOOLRADAR_API_KEY": "tr_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Terminal

claude mcp add toolradar -- npx -y toolradar-mcp

# Then set your API key as an environment variable:
export TOOLRADAR_API_KEY=tr_live_your_key_here

Cursor

In Cursor settings, add a new MCP server:

Cursor MCP config

Name: toolradar
Command: npx -y toolradar-mcp
Environment: TOOLRADAR_API_KEY=tr_live_your_key_here

Any MCP client

The server uses stdio transport. Run it as a subprocess:

Shell

TOOLRADAR_API_KEY=tr_live_... npx -y toolradar-mcp

Environment variables

Environment variables of the Toolradar MCP server
Variable	Required	Description
TOOLRADAR_API_KEY	Yes	Your API key from the dashboard
TOOLRADAR_API_URL	No	Custom API URL (default: https://toolradar.com/api/v1)

MCP Tools Reference

Once connected, your AI agent has access to these 6 tools. Each tool maps 1:1 to a REST endpoint.

MCP tools and the REST endpoint each one calls
MCP Tool	REST Endpoint	Description
search_tools	GET /search	Search tools by keyword, category, pricing
get_tool	GET /tools/:slug	Full tool details
compare_tools	GET /compare?slugs=...	Compare 2-4 tools side by side
get_alternatives	GET /alternatives/:slug	Find alternatives to a tool
get_pricing	GET /pricing/:slug	Detailed pricing breakdown
list_categories	GET /categories	All categories with tool counts

Example prompts

Once connected, try asking your AI assistant:

"Find the best free project management tools"

"Compare Notion, Clickup, and Asana"

"What are the alternatives to Jira?"

"How much does Figma cost?"

"Show me AI writing tools under $20/month"

"What categories of software tools are available?"

Error Codes

API error codes, what they mean and what to do
Code	Meaning	What to do
400	Bad Request	Check your parameters (e.g. slugs must be 2-4 for compare)
401	Unauthorized	Missing, invalid, or expired API key
404	Not Found	Tool slug doesn't exist or isn't published
429	Rate Limited	Daily limit exceeded. Wait until midnight UTC or upgrade
500	Server Error	Something went wrong on our side. Retry or contact us
503	Service Unavailable	Search index temporarily down. Retry in a few seconds

All error responses return JSON with an error field:

{ "error": "Tool not found." }

Ready to get started?

Generate your free API key and connect your agents in under 2 minutes.

Get your free key

For Agents

Why agents pick Toolradar as their tool layer.

Browse tools

See the tools the API returns.

Editorial policy

How tools are scored and ranked.

API Documentation

Quickstart

Via MCP

Via REST API

1. Get an API key

2. Make your first call

Authentication

Rate Limits

Base URL

search_tools

Parameters

Request

Response

get_tool

Parameters

Request

Response

compare_tools

Parameters

Request

Response

get_alternatives

Parameters

Request

Response

get_pricing

Parameters

Request

Response

list_categories

Request

Response

MCP Setup

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

Any MCP client

Environment variables

MCP Tools Reference

Example prompts

Error Codes

Ready to get started?

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