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hostfunc vs Val Town
Val Town pioneered the idea of writing and running small TypeScript functions straight from the browser. hostfunc takes the same write-a-function-and-deploy ergonomics and builds it for the agent era: an MCP server that lets Claude create, run, and compose your functions as tools, a live lineage graph, and a platform you can fully self-host under AGPL-3.0.
| Capability | hostfunc | Val Town |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript-first | TypeScript / JavaScript |
| Runtime | Isolated V8 on Cloudflare Workers | Deno-based |
| Triggers | HTTP, cron, email, MCP | HTTP, cron, email |
| Agent / MCP native | Built-in MCP server, scratch functions | Not MCP-native |
| Composition + lineage | fn.executeFunction with a live lineage graph | Functions can import each other; no lineage view |
| Marketplace | Public, forkable function marketplace | Public vals you can fork |
| Self-host | Yes — Docker Compose, your Cloudflare account | Hosted only |
| License | Open source (AGPL-3.0) | Proprietary |
| Free tier | 100 executions/day | Generous free tier |
Choose hostfunc when
- You want agents (Claude or any MCP client) to create, run, and compose functions as first-class tools.
- You want to watch functions compose into systems via a live lineage graph.
- You need the option to self-host the entire platform on your own Cloudflare account.
Choose Val Town when
- You want the most mature browser-first editing experience with a large existing community of public vals.
- You don't need MCP/agent integration or a self-hostable deployment.
- You prefer a Deno-based runtime and its standard library.
Ship your first function in 90 seconds
Sign in, drop in some TypeScript, hit deploy. See the pricing or browse use cases.