Playwright MCP vs Chrome DevTools MCP
Two tested agent tools and MCP servers for browser automation, compared only on what we measured. Verdict from the data: Both scored 100/100; Playwright MCP lists 25 tools (est. 3,688 schema tokens) vs Chrome DevTools MCP 32 tools (est. 6,048 schema tokens).
Last tested 2026-10-22
How we test: methodology. Not tested by us: security, output quality, and behaviour with real credentials.
Test results
| Field | Playwright MCP | Chrome DevTools MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Package | @playwright/mcp | chrome-devtools-mcp |
| Score | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Status | working | working |
| Install | pass (20 pts)npm install @playwright/mcp (Node 20, Linux) succeeded in 1s. | pass (20 pts)npm install chrome-devtools-mcp (Node 20, Linux) succeeded in 1s. |
| Handshake | pass (30 pts) MCP initialize + tools/list over stdio succeeded with no credentials; 25 tools listed in 9.0s. | pass (30 pts) MCP initialize + tools/list over stdio succeeded with no credentials; 32 tools listed in 17.9s. |
| Maintenance | pass (25 pts) Repo pushed 0 days before test; 38,487 GitHub stars. | pass (25 pts) Repo pushed 0 days before test; 53,964 GitHub stars. |
| Docs | pass (15 pts) README over 3,000 chars; install instructions present; mcpServers config example present. Automated check of the package's own README (README shipped in npm package). | pass (15 pts) README over 3,000 chars; install instructions present; mcpServers config example present. Automated check of the package's own README (README shipped in npm package). |
| License | pass (10 pts) Apache-2.0 (OSI-approved). | pass (10 pts) Apache-2.0 (OSI-approved). |
| Tools listed | 25 | 32 |
| Tool schema tokens (est.) | ~3,688 | ~6,048 |
| Small-model friendly (schema heuristic) | medium | medium |
| Small-model runs | Not tested | qwen2.5-3b-instruct-q4km: 33% tasks completed (3 runs) qwen2.5-1.5b-instruct-q4km: 0% tasks completed (3 runs) |
| Functional tasks | navigate to https://example.com/: pass (browser_navigate) read page title (expect "Example Domain"): pass (browser_navigate) | navigate to https://example.com/: pass (new_page) read page title (expect "Example Domain"): pass (new_page) |
| Needs API key | No (worked without one) | No (worked without one) |
| Deprecated | No | No |
| GitHub stars | 38,487 | 53,964 |
| Version tested | 0.0.83 | 1.11.0 |
| Last tested | 2026-10-22 | 2026-10-22 |
| Security review | Not tested | Not tested |
| Output quality | Not tested | Not tested |
| With real credentials | Not tested | Not tested |
Raw logs: Playwright MCP (Microsoft) · Chrome DevTools MCP (Google). More: best MCP servers for browser automation · compare any servers.
FAQ
Which is better for small local models, Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP?
Both are rated 'medium' by our schema heuristic. Playwright MCP loads fewer schema tokens into context (~3,688). Chrome DevTools MCP small-model runs: qwen2.5-3b-instruct-q4km completed 33% of tasks over 3 runs; qwen2.5-1.5b-instruct-q4km completed 0% of tasks over 3 runs. Playwright MCP has no small-model runs yet.
Do Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP need an API key?
Playwright MCP: No. It completed the MCP handshake and listed 25 tools with no credentials on 2026-10-22. Chrome DevTools MCP: No. It completed the MCP handshake and listed 32 tools with no credentials on 2026-10-22.
Is Playwright MCP or Chrome DevTools MCP deprecated?
Playwright MCP: no, as of 2026-10-22. Chrome DevTools MCP: no, as of 2026-10-22.