Browser MCP vs Playwright MCP
A side-by-side look at the Browser MCP and Playwright MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Playwright MCPBrowser Automation · Local subprocess (stdio)Official Microsoft Playwright MCP server, enabling LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots89ExcellentAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Browser MCP for browser automation work as a local process; choose Playwright 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 Browser MCP 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_get_page_content, browser_extract_list.
Choose Playwright MCP 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_close, browser_resize, browser_console_messages.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | Playwright MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 69/100 · Great | 89/100 · Excellent |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Verified |
| GitHub stars | 58 | 38,407 |
| Directory activity | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 40 | 25 |
| Full listing | View Browser MCP | View Playwright MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Browser MCP tools 40
browser_navigateNavigate the active browser tab to a URL. Reuses the current tab by default (no tab spam). Pass new_tab=true only when you need to keep the current page open. In the current tab the answer is ok:true only when Chrome took the address and the new page is proven loaded within about 25 s (the wait ends half a second before that limit). If the page asks "Leave site?", the default answer is Stay (an armed browser_handle_dialog answers instead) and the reply is error beforeunload-blocked with the tab's actual url: the page may hold unsaved work, so ask the user (browser_ask_user) before you call again with leave_page:true. Other errors, each with sent (was the address sent to Chrome?) and a note on what to do: navigation-in-progress (another navigate is working in this tab, or - with op_id null - an earlier answer to a dialog on the tab is not confirmed yet; wait a moment), dialog-open (a dialog is on screen - answer it with browser_handle_dialog), tab-not-responding (busy page, or a dialog Chrome does not show us), navigation-failed, dialog-unconfirmed, navigation-unconfirmed (no load proven in time; may_complete_later and pending_url say it can still happen - read the tab before sending it again; a download or a 204 answer never loads a page and ends here too), tab-closed (Chrome no longer has the tab), session-changed (another call changed the session's active tab while this one waited; nothing was sent).browser_get_page_contentGet the content of the current page as text or HTML. Pass `selector` to read one part of a large page instead of all of it - on a big logged-in app the full HTML can run past a million characters. The answer is capped at 30000 characters by default and says so when it had to cut, with the real length, so a truncated page is never mistaken for a whole one.browser_extract_listRead the rows of a long or virtualised list by scrolling its container until no new rows appear. Use this instead of browser_get_page_content whenever a page shows a repeating list longer than the viewport - mail lists (Outlook, Gmail), invoice/billing tables, search results, transaction histories. Those UIs keep only ~7 rows in the DOM at a time, so a single page read returns a sliver and looks complete. Pass the CSS selector of one repeating row (e.g. '[role="option"]', 'tr', '[role="listitem"]'); the scrollable ancestor is found automatically. When the tab is the active one in its window, it scrolls with real wheel events, also at the bottom, so a feed that loads more rows on wheel (Threads, X) loads them. A hidden page (a background tab) gets no wheel or scroll events, IntersectionObserver callbacks or animation frames, so a list that loads or renders rows while you scroll stops at what is already there; then reached_end is false and `note` says why. Returns deduplicated row text, scroll_method (wheel or script) and reached_end, which is true only when the list stood at its bottom in a visible page with no new rows, growth or movement for stable_rounds rounds in a row. If the selector matches no rows with text, the answer is error "no-rows".browser_screenshotTake a screenshot of the visible area of the current tab. Returns base64 PNG, or saves to disk if path is provided. The image is in device pixels; when Chrome reports them in time, the answer also gives the CSS viewport size and devicePixelRatio, which browser_click_xy coordinates need. Chrome stays where it is: if its window is covered by other windows, there is no picture and the answer is error "window-covered".browser_execute_scriptExecute JavaScript in the current page. IMPORTANT: the parameter is `code` (NOT `script` - though that alias is accepted), and it must be an EXPRESSION, not statements: use an IIFE `(() => { ...; return x; })()`. Top-level `return` is a syntax error (the handler wraps code in parentheses).browser_double_clickTrue double-click on an element (two trusted press/release pairs with escalating clickCount). Use for open-item actions (calendar events, file lists) where two single clicks would trigger inline-rename instead (e.g. OWA month view). If the mouse would not reach the target at its center - another element lies in front of it (an overlay, a dialog's backdrop), the target does not take clicks there (pointer-events, visibility, clipping), or a different control inside it would get the click (a delete button on a card; for a container that is not clickable itself, its own plain link with a real address (a hash route with a path, such as #/orders, counts; a fragment with no target on the page does not) does not count, nor does a web component's own button that covers it, nor a box with a checkbox, switch or radio role right next to a hidden field and the only one in the nearest label around it, a label of that field (a box inside a closed shadow root cannot be seen and is not counted), which counts as that field) - the answer is ok:false with error "covered" and covered_by. Found before the mouse is sent, nothing is sent; if it comes in front afterwards, the rest of the presses and clicks are stopped (a release the page moves elsewhere is let through), and the answer also has maybe_landed: true, because the page may already have reacted.browser_right_clickRight-click an element (trusted CDP mouse events) to open page-level context menus (web apps like OWA/Google Docs render their own). Note: Chrome's NATIVE context menu does not open via CDP - only in-page menus. If the mouse would not reach the target at its center - another element lies in front of it (an overlay, a dialog's backdrop), or the target does not take clicks there (pointer-events, visibility, clipping) - the answer is ok:false with error "covered" and covered_by. Found before the mouse is sent, nothing is sent; if it comes in front afterwards, the rest of the presses and clicks are stopped (a release the page moves elsewhere is let through), and the answer also has maybe_landed: true, because the page may already have reacted.browser_click_xyESCAPE HATCH: Click at raw viewport coordinates (CSS pixels) with fully trusted mouse events. Use when a visible button resists every selector strategy (Azure portal dialogs, Knockout-bound divs, canvas UIs): take a screenshot, read the button's position, click its center. Coordinates are CSS pixels, NOT image pixels: convert with the viewport line browser_screenshot returns: x_css = x / W * css_width and y_css = y / W * css_width, where (x, y) is the point in the image and W is the width the image is shown to you at.browser_reattach_debuggerRECOVERY: Force-detach and re-attach the Chrome debugger on the current tab. Use when interactive tools (click/fill/press_key) start timing out or reporting ghost-attach ("Debugger attach failed ... ghost") while list_tabs still works - faster than reloading the extension.browser_clickClick an element on the page. Supports CSS selectors AND text-based selectors. Auto-scrolls element into view. Uses real mouse events (works on Angular/React SPAs and CSP-strict sites like Google, Stripe). A text selector looks inside an open modal dialog first (a <dialog> opened with showModal, or a visible element with aria-modal="true"), exact text before partial. If the mouse would not reach the target at its center - another element lies in front of it (an overlay, a dialog's backdrop), the target does not take clicks there (pointer-events, visibility, clipping), or a different control inside it would get the click (a delete button on a card; for a container that is not clickable itself, its own plain link with a real address (a hash route with a path, such as #/orders, counts; a fragment with no target on the page does not) does not count, nor does a web component's own button that covers it, nor a box with a checkbox, switch or radio role right next to a hidden field and the only one in the nearest label around it, a label of that field (a box inside a closed shadow root cannot be seen and is not counted), which counts as that field) - the answer is ok:false with error "covered" and covered_by. Found before the mouse is sent, nothing is sent; if it comes in front afterwards, the rest of the presses and clicks are stopped (a release the page moves elsewhere is let through), and the answer also has maybe_landed: true, because the page may already have reacted. Examples: "button:text(Get started)", "text=Submit", "#my-button", "a.btn-primary"browser_fillFill a form input field with a value. Supports CSS selectors AND text-based selectors. Auto-scrolls and focuses the element. Works on CSP-strict sites via Chrome Debugger API. For date inputs use browser_set_date, for autocomplete/combobox use browser_set_combobox. With a text selector the field is clicked first, so the same check as browser_click applies: if the mouse would not reach it at its center, nothing is typed and the answer is ok:false with error "covered".browser_press_keyPress a keyboard key (Enter, Tab, Escape, ArrowDown, etc.). Useful for submitting forms, navigating dropdowns, closing dialogs. Supports modifier keys (ctrl, alt, shift, meta). While ctrl, meta or alt is held, no character is typed. With ctrl or meta (and no shift), the letters a, c, x, v, z and y are sent with Chrome's own editing command - select all, copy, cut, paste, undo, redo; z with shift is redo - including on macOS, where Chrome runs no shortcut for a synthetic key without it. The answer names the command that was sent in `shortcut`; `landed` says the page received the key, not what the command did. Paste inserts the user's real clipboard into the page, and copy and cut replace what is on it.- +28 more on the listing page
Playwright MCP tools 25
browser_closeClose the pagebrowser_resizeResize the browser windowbrowser_console_messagesReturns all console messagesbrowser_handle_dialogHandle a dialogbrowser_emulate_mediaEmulate CSS media features for the page, for example switch between the light and dark color scheme. Omitted parameters are left unchanged; null clears an override.browser_evaluateEvaluate JavaScript expression on page or elementbrowser_file_uploadUpload one or multiple filesbrowser_dropDrop files or MIME-typed data onto an element, as if dragged from outside the page. At least one of "paths" or "data" must be provided.browser_findSearch the accessibility snapshot of the current page for text or a regular expression. Returns matching snapshot nodes with a few lines of surrounding context (like search snippets), each shown under its path from the root of the tree, which is cheaper than capturing the whole snapshot when you only need to locate an element and its ref.browser_fill_formFill multiple form fieldsbrowser_press_keyPress a key on the keyboardbrowser_typeType text into editable element- +13 more on the listing page
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.
Browser MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"browser-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@agent360/browser-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Playwright MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"microsoft-playwright-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Browser MCP is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Playwright MCP belongs to Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Browser MCP for browser automation work and Playwright 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.
Browser MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Playwright MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 browser-mcp and microsoft-playwright-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Browser MCP has a quality signal of 69/100 (Great) with 7 views, 0 installs and 58 GitHub stars. Playwright MCP has 89/100 (Excellent) with 6 views, 0 installs and 38,407 GitHub stars.