Playwright MCP vs Chrome DevTools MCP: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)
Playwright MCP and Chrome DevTools MCP are both listed under MCP servers. GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Chrome DevTools MCP 54,146 (ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp) vs Playwright MCP 38,633 (microsoft/playwright-mcp). Stars measure attention, not quality. Playwright MCP is the better fit for: agents that need to test or navigate web pages. Chrome DevTools MCP is the better fit for: debugging and performance work in a real Chrome. Facts were read from vendor and GitHub pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported; what we ran ourselves is under What we measured.
Our pick: Pick Playwright MCP for agents that need to test or navigate web pages; pick Chrome DevTools MCP for debugging and performance work in a real Chrome. No overall winner: we have not benchmarked them against each other. Updated (America/Chicago).
Evidence: Both tools have a Tested entry (scope on each tool page). The facts in the tables were read from each vendor's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago) and are Reported. The What we measured section lists what we have actually run, with links to the test logs, and what we have not run yet; anything we could not confirm is marked as not captured.
Microsoft · v0.0.83
Tested (smoke test)
Microsoft's MCP server that lets agents drive a browser with Playwright.
Chrome DevTools team (Google) · v1.12.0
Tested (smoke test)
Chrome DevTools for coding agents.
Side by side, from what we recorded
Each row compares one recorded fact for both tools. Rows are not weighted and nothing is added up into a score; the note under each row says what the marker means.
Evidence
Tested (smoke test) for Playwright MCPTested (smoke test) for Chrome DevTools MCPTested = we ran it (smoke test); Reported = we read official sources
Smoke-test result
Passed for Playwright MCPPassed for Chrome DevTools MCPEach tool's own smoke test on the same CPU-only machine; tasks differ unless the logs say otherwise
GitHub stars
38,633 for Playwright MCP54,146 (Chrome DevTools MCP is ahead on this row) for Chrome DevTools MCPAttention, not quality. Read Oct 25, 2026 / Oct 25, 2026
Most recent release we saw
Sep 28, 2026 for Playwright MCPOct 22, 2026 (Chrome DevTools MCP is ahead on this row) for Chrome DevTools MCPMore recent = newer release date; says nothing about quality
Pricing we could verify
Verified from official page for Playwright MCPVerified from official page for Chrome DevTools MCPAbout our evidence only, not about the price
Steps in our setup guide
2 for Playwright MCP2 for Chrome DevTools MCPCounts our guide's steps, not difficulty
Sources we cite
1 for Playwright MCP1 for Chrome DevTools MCPHow much we had to read; more is not better
A list of recorded differences, not a quality score or a ranking. We have not benchmarked these tools against each other; the smoke-test row links each tool's own log. How we label evidence.
What we measured
We ran both Playwright MCP and Chrome DevTools MCP ourselves; the table links each full test log. These are smoke tests on one CPU-only machine, not benchmarks. Both ran the same task on the same local model, so the two results are comparable on that one task only. No language model was involved in either test.
| Test | Playwright MCP | Chrome DevTools MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-on test log (install and a real task) | Tested: Playwright MCP Playwright 1.64.0-alpha-1790635538000, Oct 25, 2026: passed. Playwright MCP 0.0.83 exposed 25 tools and navigated a headless Chrome to a local page in 40.5 ms median (cold start 383 ms). Full test log | Tested: Chrome DevTools MCP chrome_devtools 1.12.0, Oct 25, 2026: passed. Chrome DevTools MCP 1.12.0 exposed 32 tools and opened a page in headless Chrome in 136.6 ms median; our first navigate_page call was rejected for a missing pageId. Full test log |
How we test and label results: methodology. All test logs: test hub.
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Playwright MCP vs Chrome DevTools MCP at a glance
Playwright MCP and Chrome DevTools MCP are both listed under MCP servers. Agentic Weekly's Playwright MCP page names Chrome DevTools MCP as an alternative. Playwright MCP: Microsoft's MCP server that lets agents drive a browser with Playwright. Chrome DevTools MCP: Chrome DevTools for coding agents.
| Feature | Playwright MCP | Chrome DevTools MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Microsoft | Chrome DevTools team (Google) |
| Listed under | MCP servers | MCP servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Pricing model | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Free tier | Free | Free |
| Paid plans | None listed | None listed |
| Platforms | Node.js | Node.js with Chrome |
| Public repository | microsoft/playwright-mcp: 38,633 stars, last push Oct 22, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) | ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp: 54,146 stars, last push Oct 25, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) |
| Latest release we saw | v0.0.83, Sep 28, 2026 | v1.12.0, Oct 22, 2026 |
| Evidence | Tested (scope on its tool page) | Tested (scope on its tool page) |
How Playwright MCP and Chrome DevTools MCP differ
- GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Chrome DevTools MCP 54,146 (ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp) vs Playwright MCP 38,633 (microsoft/playwright-mcp). Stars measure attention, not quality.
- Plans and prices differ and are not like-for-like (credits, seats and usage limits vary), so we do not name a cheaper tool. The Paid plans row above quotes each vendor's plan list as read on Oct 25, 2026.
- Latest release we saw: Chrome DevTools MCP v1.12.0 on Oct 22, 2026; Playwright MCP v0.0.83 on Sep 28, 2026 (24 days earlier).
- Platforms as the vendors list them: Playwright MCP: Node.js. Chrome DevTools MCP: Node.js with Chrome.
Both carry the same license: Apache-2.0. Both are listed as "Free and open source", so compare the plan tables rather than the model.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Playwright MCP if: agents that need to test or navigate web pages. Skip it if: you need DevTools-level performance traces (see Chrome DevTools MCP).
- Pick Chrome DevTools MCP if: debugging and performance work in a real Chrome. Skip it if: you want cross-browser test automation.
Strengths and limits
| Feature | Playwright MCP | Chrome DevTools MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Apache-2.0; Backed by the Playwright team | Apache-2.0; Active releases |
| Limits | Version is still 0.0.x; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobs | Chrome-focused; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobs |
What we did not verify
- Output quality, speed and reliability beyond the smoke tests listed under What we measured: not compared.
FAQ
Is Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP open source?
Playwright MCP: Apache-2.0. Chrome DevTools MCP: Apache-2.0. Licenses come from each project's GitHub repository or the vendor's own pages, read Oct 25, 2026; read the license text itself before redistributing or building a competing service.
Does Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP have a free plan?
Playwright MCP: Free: . Chrome DevTools MCP: Free: . Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices and limits change, so confirm on each vendor's page.
Which was updated more recently, Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP?
Playwright MCP's newest release we saw is v0.0.83 (Sep 28, 2026); Chrome DevTools MCP's is v1.12.0 (Oct 22, 2026). Read Oct 25, 2026 from the official release page or repository; a newer date is not a quality ranking.
What is the main difference between Playwright MCP and Chrome DevTools MCP?
GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Chrome DevTools MCP 54,146 (ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp) vs Playwright MCP 38,633 (microsoft/playwright-mcp). Stars measure attention, not quality. Plans and prices differ and are not like-for-like (credits, seats and usage limits vary), so we do not name a cheaper tool. The Paid plans row above quotes each vendor's plan list as read on Oct 25, 2026.
Sources
- Playwright MCP repository (GitHub) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- Chrome DevTools MCP repository (GitHub) (fetched 2026-10-25)
Related
Page history
- : First published. Facts read from vendor pages and the GitHub API on 2026-10-25.
Markdown version for agents: /compare/playwright-mcp-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md
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