MCP Server Playwright vs Firefox DevTools MCP
A side-by-side look at the MCP Server Playwright and Firefox DevTools MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Server Playwright for browser automation work as a local process; choose Firefox DevTools MCP for browser automation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Server Playwright when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
browser_navigate, browser_screenshot, browser_click.
Choose Firefox DevTools MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
slim, developer, mozilla.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 297 | 500 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 10 | 4 |
| Full listing | View MCP Server Playwright | View Firefox DevTools MCP |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Server Playwright tools 10
browser_navigateNavigate to a URLbrowser_screenshotTake a screenshot of the current page or a specific elementbrowser_clickClick an element on the page using CSS selectorbrowser_click_textClick an element on the page by its text contentbrowser_fillFill out an input fieldbrowser_selectSelect an element on the page with Select tag using CSS selectorbrowser_select_textSelect an element on the page with Select tag by its text contentbrowser_hoverHover an element on the page using CSS selectorbrowser_hover_textHover an element on the page by its text contentbrowser_evaluateExecute JavaScript in the browser console
Firefox DevTools MCP tools 4
slimthe minimum to browse and interact with pagesdeveloperadds tools for web developersmozillaadds tools for Firefox developersallevery module
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Server Playwright
{
"mcpServers": {
"automatalabs-mcp-server-playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@automatalabs/mcp-server-playwright"
]
}
}
}
Firefox DevTools MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"firefox-devtools-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mozilla/firefox-devtools-mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Server Playwright is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Firefox DevTools MCP belongs to Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Server Playwright for browser automation work and Firefox DevTools MCP for browser automation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MCP Server Playwright is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Firefox DevTools MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add automatalabs-mcp-server-playwright and firefox-devtools-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Server Playwright has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 297 GitHub stars. Firefox DevTools MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 500 GitHub stars.
