Browser Use MCP Server vs MCP Server Playwright

In-depth architectural comparison of the Browser Use MCP Server and MCP Server Playwright 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 Browser Use MCP Server when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
• You have access to required keys: OPENAI_API_KEY, CHROME_PATH, PATIENT.
• Primary tools included: Browser control through browser-use, SSE and stdio transport modes, Asynchronous browser operations.

Explore Browser Use MCP Server Details

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.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Browser Use MCP Server co-browser Browser Automation	MCP Server Playwright automatalabs Browser Automation
Summary	browser-use packaged as an MCP server with SSE transport. includes a dockerfile to run chromium in docker + a vnc server.	An MCP server for browser automation using Playwright
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": {
    "co-browser-browser-use-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "playwright"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
        "CHROME_PATH": "YOUR_CHROME_PATH_HERE",
        "PATIENT": "YOUR_PATIENT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Related MCP Server Comparisons