SAP
SAP MCP Options Compared: Pros, Cons and Cost
Compare SAP MCP options by pros, cons and cost: Integration Suite MCP Gateway, SAP Build, AWS for SAP, open source and NeKu AI for ECC and S/4HANA.
There is no single “SAP MCP”. SAP, cloud providers, the open-source community and software vendors each offer a different way to connect AI agents to SAP through the Model Context Protocol. The right option depends on who uses it, which SAP systems it reaches, who operates it and what it costs in total.
Short answer
- To expose existing APIs and integration artifacts as governed MCP servers, use the MCP Gateway in SAP Integration Suite.
- To get AI help while building CAP, SAP Fiori, UI5 or MDK applications, use the SAP Build MCP servers.
- To build SAP-centric agents in Joule Studio, use the SAP-provided MCP servers there.
- To let agents on AWS work with S/4HANA, ECC or SuccessFactors OData services, evaluate AWS for SAP MCP Server.
- To experiment or cover a narrow developer task, review the open-source community servers, knowing that you operate them yourself.
- To let SAP teams work with SAP documentation, permitted SAP tasks and read-only business data on ECC or S/4HANA from their MCP clients or their own Flow Builder agents, evaluate NeKu AI SAP MCP Server.
NeKu AI vs SAP Integration Suite, AWS and open source: feature and cost comparison
| Feature | NeKu AI SAP MCP Server | SAP Integration Suite MCP Gateway | AWS for SAP MCP Server | SAP Build MCP servers | Open-source servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | SAP teams and business users on ECC and S/4HANA | Integration teams publishing APIs | Agents running on AWS | Application developers | Experiments and narrow tasks |
| SAP systems | SAP ECC EHP8, SAP S/4HANA 1809 and 2023 | Systems behind the APIs you manage in Integration Suite | S/4HANA, ECC and SuccessFactors OData services | CAP, SAP Fiori, UI5 and MDK projects | Depends on the project |
| SAP documentation research | Yes | Not included | Not included | Guidance for its own frameworks | Some projects |
| Read SAP business data | Yes, read-only | Through the APIs you publish | Yes, through OData | No | Depends on the project |
| Permitted SAP tasks | Yes, permission-controlled | Depends on the APIs you publish | Writes only when the operator enables them | No | Depends on the project |
| Each user’s own SAP permissions | Yes | Depends on authentication setup | Depends on authentication setup | Not applicable | Depends on the project |
| SAP credentials kept from the model | Yes, in the connection layer | Handled by Integration Suite security | Outbound authentication you configure | Not applicable | Your responsibility |
| AI clients | MCP-compatible clients and NeKu AI Flow Builder agents | MCP-compatible clients | MCP clients such as Amazon Quick | MCP-capable developer tools | Depends on the project |
| Where it runs | Managed cloud or on-premise | SAP Integration Suite | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore in your AWS account | Local developer tools | Your environment |
| Operated and updated by | NeKu AI | SAP runtime, your integration team for APIs | Your AWS team | Your developers | You |
| Extra platform needed | No Integration Suite subscription | Integration Suite plan that includes MCP | AWS account with Bedrock AgentCore | None | None |
| License cost | Tailored NeKu AI quote | Integration Suite subscription | Package free | Packages free (Apache 2.0) | Free |
| Ongoing cost | AI client and model usage | API design and maintenance, model usage | AgentCore and model usage, AWS operations | Model usage | Engineering, security and operations time |
SAP-provided MCP servers in Joule Studio serve agents built in Joule Studio and are covered in the next section. The table summarizes public documentation as of November 2026.
Pros and cons of each option
MCP Gateway in SAP Integration Suite
- SAP reach: APIs and integration artifacts managed in Integration Suite.
- Runs on: SAP Integration Suite. Availability depends on the service plan.
- Pros: SAP-managed runtime with built-in authentication, rate limiting, monitoring and MCP specification upgrades. SAP and non-SAP APIs sit behind one governed entry point.
- Cons: It publishes the APIs you already manage in Integration Suite. Every capability must first exist and be designed there as an API or integration artifact.
- Cost items: An Integration Suite subscription with a service plan that includes MCP servers, plus the integration team’s design and maintenance work.
SAP Build MCP servers
- SAP reach: Development environments and projects for CAP, SAP Fiori, UI5 and MDK.
- Runs on: Developer tools connected to SAP Build.
- Pros: Official SAP servers, published as open-source packages under the Apache 2.0 license. Strong for code generation and project guidance.
- Cons: Built for application development. They do not give business users answers from their SAP records.
- Cost items: No package license fee. Developer tooling, AI client and model usage still apply.
SAP-provided MCP servers in Joule Studio
- SAP reach: SAP solutions available to Joule Studio.
- Runs on: SAP Business AI.
- Pros: SAP-managed and designed for agents within the SAP ecosystem.
- Cons: Tied to Joule Studio. It is not a way to bring the MCP clients your teams already use to your SAP systems.
- Cost items: Depends on your SAP Business AI and Joule Studio agreement.
AWS for SAP MCP Server
- SAP reach: SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC and SAP SuccessFactors OData V2 and V4 services. Write operations are available only when the operator enables them.
- Runs on: Amazon Bedrock AgentCore in your AWS account.
- Pros: The package itself has no cost. It reaches ECC and S/4HANA through OData and fits organizations that already run on AWS.
- Cons: Your team deploys and operates it, and its reach is limited to the OData services you expose. Documentation research and ABAP-level tasks are outside its scope.
- Cost items: Amazon Bedrock AgentCore usage, model usage and the AWS operations work for deployment, security and updates.
Open-source community servers
- SAP reach: Depends on the project.
- Runs on: Your own environment.
- Pros: Free to try, fast to start and easy to inspect.
- Cons: Under SAP’s guidance you carry full responsibility for security, availability, updates and SAP API Policy compliance. Maintenance and quality vary by project.
- Cost items: No license fee. Engineering time for hardening, security review, operations and MCP specification upgrades is the main cost.
NeKu AI SAP MCP Server
- SAP reach: SAP ECC EHP8, SAP S/4HANA 1809 and SAP S/4HANA 2023.
- Runs on: A managed cloud service or on-premise.
- Pros: SAP documentation, permission-controlled SAP tasks and read-only business data in one SAP MCP server, available to MCP-compatible clients and to agents you build in NeKu AI Flow Builder. It works within each user’s SAP permissions, keeps SAP credentials in the connection layer and does not require an SAP Integration Suite subscription. NeKu AI maintains the server, including MCP specification updates.
- Best fit: SAP teams that want AI clients and their own agents to work with ECC or S/4HANA within existing SAP permissions, starting with one read-only use case.
- Cost items: A tailored NeKu AI license based on products, users, usage, deployment and support, plus AI client and model usage.
This comparison summarizes public documentation as of November 2026. Check each provider’s current documentation before you decide.
What does an SAP MCP server cost?
The license or subscription is rarely the largest cost. The comparison table above lists what each option charges; compare the total effort for your first use case.
Every option also needs an AI client and model usage. Beyond that, account for these costs:
- Building: designing APIs or tools, connecting SAP systems and testing permissions.
- Securing: authentication, keeping credentials out of the model, audit logs and security reviews.
- Operating: monitoring, incident handling and availability.
- Upgrading: the MCP specification still introduces breaking changes. Someone has to update the server.
A free package can become the most expensive option once your team owns building, securing, operating and upgrading it. A managed product moves most of that work to the provider.
How to choose
Answer four questions before you compare products.
- Who is the user? A developer building an application, an integration team publishing APIs, or a business user asking questions about SAP records need different options.
- Which SAP systems must it reach? Cloud services managed in SAP Integration Suite, on-premise ECC or S/4HANA, or development projects?
- Read or change? Decide whether the first use case only reads information or also changes SAP records. Start with read-only use wherever you can.
- Who carries operational responsibility? Someone must own security updates, availability, monitoring and MCP specification upgrades.
If your API landscape already runs through SAP Integration Suite, start there. If your users work in ECC or S/4HANA and want to use AI clients or their own agents within their own SAP permissions, a dedicated SAP MCP server is the closer fit.
What SAP expects from third-party MCP servers
SAP Architecture Center describes how third-party MCP servers may access SAP solutions. Any option outside SAP’s own MCP infrastructure, including NeKu AI, falls under this guidance. The main expectations are:
- The SAP API Policy is followed in full.
- Every connection is authenticated and authorized.
- The rate limits of the underlying SAP APIs are respected.
- Long-lived credentials are not stored in the MCP server, and a user’s token is not passed through unchanged.
- The customer or partner deploying the server carries operational responsibility, including security, availability and upgrades.
SAP also notes that the MCP specification is still changing. Plan for upgrades whichever option you choose.
Questions to ask any provider
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Does the AI act within the SAP user’s own permissions? | An MCP connection should never widen what a user can see or do in SAP. |
| Are reading and changing data separated? | A read-only start limits the impact of mistakes. |
| Do SAP credentials reach the model or the client? | Credentials should stay in the connection layer. |
| Can every tool call be traced to a user and a system? | Audit and incident review depend on it. |
| Which SAP releases and clients are supported? | Compatibility gaps surface late in a pilot. |
| Who updates the server when the MCP specification changes? | Breaking changes need an owner. |
Ask NeKu AI the same questions. The SAP MCP Server page answers them for NeKu AI.
Why NeKu AI is a practical choice for ECC and S/4HANA teams
- No new integration platform. NeKu AI connects to SAP ECC EHP8, SAP S/4HANA 1809 and SAP S/4HANA 2023 without an SAP Integration Suite subscription.
- One server instead of several. SAP documentation, permission-controlled SAP tasks and read-only business data come through one connection, so you do not have to assemble and secure separate servers.
- Your clients and your own agents. Teams use the MCP clients they prefer, and you can build your own SAP agents with models and approval steps in NeKu AI Flow Builder.
- Users keep their SAP permissions. The AI works within each user’s SAP authorizations. Reading and changing data are separated, and you can start read-only.
- Credentials stay out of the model. SAP credentials remain in the connection layer and are not returned to the model or client.
- No server to maintain. NeKu AI runs as a managed cloud service or on-premise and maintains the server, including MCP specification updates.
- A small, measurable start. Begin with one read-only business question and a scoped quote.
To prepare a first evaluation, read the client connection guide and the read-only OData guide. Request a demo with one business question.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official SAP MCP server?
SAP offers several. The MCP Gateway in SAP Integration Suite publishes your APIs as MCP servers, SAP Build provides MCP servers for CAP, SAP Fiori, UI5 and MDK development, and Joule Studio includes SAP-provided MCP servers. Each covers a different use case.
Can I use MCP with SAP ECC?
Yes. AWS for SAP MCP Server reaches ECC through OData services. NeKu AI SAP MCP Server supports SAP ECC EHP8 for documentation, permitted tasks and read-only business data.
How much does an SAP MCP server cost?
Package prices range from free open-source servers to SAP subscriptions and commercial licenses. The larger cost is usually building, securing, operating and upgrading the server. Compare the total effort for your first use case.
Is an open-source SAP MCP server safe for production?
It can be, if your team takes full responsibility for security, updates and SAP API Policy compliance, as SAP’s guidance for third-party MCP servers requires.