--- title: "chrome-devtools-mcp vs playwright-mcp" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-microsoft-playwright-mcp" tools: ["chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp", "microsoft-playwright-mcp"] --- # chrome-devtools-mcp vs playwright-mcp *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## Verdict Pick chrome-devtools-mcp if chrome-devtools-mcp offers specialized tools for browser-based development and debugging aimed specifically at coding agents using TypeScript; pick playwright-mcp if playwright MCP server implementation in TypeScript under Apache-2.0 license. [chrome-devtools-mcp](https://npmjs.org/package/chrome-devtools-mcp) reports 50k GitHub stars, 3.5k forks, and 90 open issues, last pushed Aug 25, 2026. [playwright-mcp](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@playwright/mcp) has 36k stars, 3.1k forks, and 6 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [chrome-devtools-mcp's repository](https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp) and [playwright-mcp's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp). | | [chrome-devtools-mcp](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp.md) | [playwright-mcp](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Developer tools to enhance coding efficiency and debugging capabilities | Playwright MCP server | | Stars | 49,700 | 36,452 | | Forks | 3,480 | 3,057 | | Open issues | 90 | 6 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | chrome-devtools-mcp offers specialized tools for browser-based development and debugging aimed specifically at coding agents using TypeScript. | Playwright MCP server implementation in TypeScript under Apache-2.0 license. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [chrome-devtools-mcp](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp.md) | [playwright-mcp](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 3d | | Open issues (now) | 90 | 6 | | Stars delta | +2.1k (30d) | +960 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -21 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Node.js**: [chrome-devtools-mcp](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp.md) - Node.js runtime; [playwright-mcp](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp.md) - Node.js runtime ## Decision facts: chrome-devtools-mcp - **Adopt for:** chrome-devtools-mcp offers specialized tools for browser-based development and debugging aimed specifically at coding agents using TypeScript. ## Decision facts: playwright-mcp - **Adopt for:** Playwright MCP server implementation in TypeScript under Apache-2.0 license. ## Choose when ### Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if… - Tags unique to chrome-devtools-mcp: browser, chrome, chrome-devtools, debugging. - - When your project is heavily dependent on browser interactions and requires advanced debugging capabilities specific to Chrome - More GitHub stars (50k vs 36k) - visibility, not fit. ### Choose playwright-mcp if… - Tags unique to playwright-mcp: playwright. - playwright-mcp ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Need a TypeScript-based Playwright MCP server to scale your automated browser testing. ## When NOT to use chrome-devtools-mcp - - If your development environment does not revolve around Chrome or if browser compatibility across different browsers is a primary concern - - When you are working on non-TypeScript projects, as this tool may not provide the same level of utility and customization options ## When NOT to use playwright-mcp - Don't require TypeScript or are looking for a different language implementation of playwright MCP services. - Do not need multi-client support or can manage with single-client interactions without needing an MCP server setup. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and playwright-mcp? chrome-devtools-mcp: Developer tools to enhance coding efficiency and debugging capabilities. playwright-mcp: Playwright MCP server. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose chrome-devtools-mcp over playwright-mcp? Choose chrome-devtools-mcp over playwright-mcp when Tags unique to chrome-devtools-mcp: browser, chrome, chrome-devtools, debugging; - When your project is heavily dependent on browser interactions and requires advanced debugging capabilities specific to Chrome; More GitHub stars (50k vs 36k) - visibility, not fit. ### When should I choose playwright-mcp over chrome-devtools-mcp? Choose playwright-mcp over chrome-devtools-mcp when Tags unique to playwright-mcp: playwright; playwright-mcp ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Need a TypeScript-based Playwright MCP server to scale your automated browser testing. ### When should I avoid chrome-devtools-mcp? - If your development environment does not revolve around Chrome or if browser compatibility across different browsers is a primary concern - When you are working on non-TypeScript projects, as this tool may not provide the same level of utility and customization options ### When should I avoid playwright-mcp? Don't require TypeScript or are looking for a different language implementation of playwright MCP services. Do not need multi-client support or can manage with single-client interactions without needing an MCP server setup. ### Is chrome-devtools-mcp or playwright-mcp more popular on GitHub? chrome-devtools-mcp has more GitHub stars (49,700 vs 36,452). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are chrome-devtools-mcp and playwright-mcp open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (chrome-devtools-mcp: Apache-2.0, playwright-mcp: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to chrome-devtools-mcp or playwright-mcp? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [chrome-devtools-mcp alternatives](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp/alternatives) and [playwright-mcp alternatives](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp/alternatives) ([chrome-devtools-mcp markdown twin](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp/alternatives.md), [playwright-mcp markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-microsoft-playwright-mcp.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, chrome-devtools-mcp or playwright-mcp? chrome-devtools-mcp: Very active. playwright-mcp: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for chrome-devtools-mcp and playwright-mcp? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [chrome-devtools-mcp trust report](/tools/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp/trust); [playwright-mcp trust report](/tools/microsoft-playwright-mcp/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcp) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_