MCP Server Playwright vs Zen MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Server Playwright and Zen MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Server Playwright when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: browser_navigate, browser_screenshot, browser_click.

Explore MCP Server Playwright Details

Choose Zen MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• You have access to required keys: ZEN_DEBUG_PORT.
• Primary tools included: 20 browser automation tools including navigation, form filling, and screenshots, Direct WebDriver BiDi protocol communication over WebSocket, Supports React, Vue, and Angular apps with native event dispatch.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Server Playwright automatalabs Browser Automation	Zen MCP sh6drack Browser Automation
Summary	An MCP server for browser automation using Playwright	Zen Browser automation via WebDriver BiDi. 20 tools for navigation, form filling, screenshots, and JavaScript evaluation. No Selenium or Playwright required.
Category & Scope	Browser Automation

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "automatalabs-mcp-server-playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sh6drack-zen-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sh6drack-zen-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZEN_DEBUG_PORT": "YOUR_ZEN_DEBUG_PORT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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