---
title: "firecrawl vs stealth-browser-mcp"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/firecrawl-firecrawl-vs-vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp"
tools: ["firecrawl-firecrawl", "vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp"]
---

# firecrawl vs stealth-browser-mcp

*GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick firecrawl when firecrawl is primarily TypeScript; stealth-browser-mcp is Python; pick stealth-browser-mcp when stealth-browser-mcp is primarily Python; firecrawl is TypeScript.

[firecrawl](https://firecrawl.dev) reports 149k GitHub stars, 8.5k forks, and 395 open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. [stealth-browser-mcp](https://github.com/vibheksoni/stealth-browser-mcp) has 1.5k stars, 227 forks, and 1 open issues, last pushed May 24, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [firecrawl's repository](https://github.com/firecrawl/firecrawl) and [stealth-browser-mcp's repository](https://github.com/vibheksoni/stealth-browser-mcp).

| | [firecrawl](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl.md) | [stealth-browser-mcp](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | The API to search, scrape, and interact with the web at scale. 🔥 | The only browser automation that bypasses anti-bot systems. AI writes network hooks, clones UIs pixel-perfect via simple chat. |
| Stars | 149,109 | 1,501 |
| Forks | 8,524 | 227 |
| Open issues | 395 | 1 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Adopt for | FireCrawl is an API-driven toolkit built for conducting scalable searches, scraping tasks, and interactive operations with the web using AI agents. | - |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | AGPL-3.0 license requires that any changes to FireCrawl's source code also be made available as free software when the adapted version is used. | MIT |
| Categories | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [firecrawl](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl.md) | [stealth-browser-mcp](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Steady (60%) |
| Days since push | 0d | 47d |
| Open issues (now) | 395 | 1 |
| Owner type | Organization | User |
| Security scan | No lockfile | No MCP manifest |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp/trust.md) |

## Decision facts: firecrawl

- **Hosting:** self hosted - FireCrawl can be deployed on your infrastructure, giving you complete control over where and how the API interacts with web data.
- **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker
- **Adopt for:** FireCrawl is an API-driven toolkit built for conducting scalable searches, scraping tasks, and interactive operations with the web using AI agents.
- **License detail:** AGPL-3.0 license requires that any changes to FireCrawl's source code also be made available as free software when the adapted version is used.

## Choose when

### Choose firecrawl if…

- firecrawl is primarily TypeScript; stealth-browser-mcp is Python.
- License: firecrawl is AGPL-3.0, stealth-browser-mcp is MIT.
- FireCrawl can be deployed on your infrastructure, giving you complete control over where and how the API interacts with web data.
- Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker.
- Tags unique to firecrawl: ai-agents, crawler, scraping, search.
- When you need to automate complex web interactions that require understanding context or content from multiple sources, leveraging its AI agent capabilities.

### Choose stealth-browser-mcp if…

- stealth-browser-mcp is primarily Python; firecrawl is TypeScript.
- License: stealth-browser-mcp is MIT, firecrawl is AGPL-3.0.
- Tags unique to stealth-browser-mcp: ai-agent-tools, ai-tools, anthropic, anti-bot-bypass.
- Also covers Developer Tools.

## When NOT to use firecrawl

- For lightweight scraping tasks where minimal data extraction is sufficient and speed is of utmost importance without the need for advanced AI analysis.
- If you require open-source components under a license other than AGPL-3.0, as this license may impose certain restrictions on derivative works.

## When NOT to use stealth-browser-mcp

- AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism.
- Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough.
- Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between firecrawl and stealth-browser-mcp?

firecrawl: The API to search, scrape, and interact with the web at scale. 🔥. stealth-browser-mcp: The only browser automation that bypasses anti-bot systems. AI writes network hooks, clones UIs pixel-perfect via simple chat.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose firecrawl over stealth-browser-mcp?

Choose firecrawl over stealth-browser-mcp when firecrawl is primarily TypeScript; stealth-browser-mcp is Python; License: firecrawl is AGPL-3.0, stealth-browser-mcp is MIT; FireCrawl can be deployed on your infrastructure, giving you complete control over where and how the API interacts with web data; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Tags unique to firecrawl: ai-agents, crawler, scraping, search; When you need to automate complex web interactions that require understanding context or content from multiple sources, leveraging its AI agent capabilities.

### When should I choose stealth-browser-mcp over firecrawl?

Choose stealth-browser-mcp over firecrawl when stealth-browser-mcp is primarily Python; firecrawl is TypeScript; License: stealth-browser-mcp is MIT, firecrawl is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to stealth-browser-mcp: ai-agent-tools, ai-tools, anthropic, anti-bot-bypass; Also covers Developer Tools.

### When should I avoid firecrawl?

For lightweight scraping tasks where minimal data extraction is sufficient and speed is of utmost importance without the need for advanced AI analysis. If you require open-source components under a license other than AGPL-3.0, as this license may impose certain restrictions on derivative works.

### When should I avoid stealth-browser-mcp?

AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.

### Is firecrawl or stealth-browser-mcp more popular on GitHub?

firecrawl has more GitHub stars (149,109 vs 1,501). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are firecrawl and stealth-browser-mcp open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (firecrawl: AGPL-3.0, stealth-browser-mcp: MIT).

### Where can I find alternatives to firecrawl or stealth-browser-mcp?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [firecrawl alternatives](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl/alternatives) and [stealth-browser-mcp alternatives](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp/alternatives) ([firecrawl markdown twin](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl/alternatives.md), [stealth-browser-mcp markdown twin](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-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/firecrawl-firecrawl-vs-vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, firecrawl or stealth-browser-mcp?

firecrawl: Very active. stealth-browser-mcp: Steady. 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 firecrawl and stealth-browser-mcp?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [firecrawl trust report](/tools/firecrawl-firecrawl/trust); [stealth-browser-mcp trust report](/tools/vibheksoni-stealth-browser-mcp/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=firecrawl-firecrawl`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=firecrawl-firecrawl)
- 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/_
