Chrome DevTools MCP vs Codex

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Chrome DevTools MCP is Google’s free, open-source MCP server and command line that gives a coding agent Chrome’s DevTools: the console, network, screenshots and performance traces.

Codex, in the ChatGPT desktop app, has a browser of its own, computer use, and an extension that works in your signed-in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi, on a ChatGPT plan.

The short answer

Pick Chrome DevTools MCP

if you debug web apps with an agent reading the console, network and traces
if you want your coding agent to check its own front-end changes in Chrome
if you do performance work with traces next to real-user data

Pick Codex

if you code in the ChatGPT desktop app and want it to check your web app in its browser
if you pay for ChatGPT and want tasks done in your signed-in Chrome
if you want to leave comments right on the page you are building

Or Yabours

if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

Chrome DevTools MCP and Codex, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Chrome DevTools MCP vs Codex
What	Chrome DevTools MCP	Codex	Yab
Made by	Google (Chrome DevTools team)	OpenAI	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac
Price	Free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model	Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), Pro, Business and Enterprise	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
Drives	Google Chrome	Its own browser in the ChatGPT app, your Mac or PC, and your Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi	Yab itself, a browser on your Mac
Your sign-ins	Chrome DevTools MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome 144 or later once you turn on remote debugging.	Codex’s own browser has a separate profile; its extension works in your signed-in browser.	Yab is the browser you sign in to, so agents work with your sign-ins.
Works with	any MCP client, like Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot or Gemini CLI	No	yab mcp and the yab command, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and any MCP client
Open source	Yes	No	No

Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.

Where they differ

What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.

What it drivesa matter of taste

Chrome DevTools MCP has no model of its own: it gives your agent Chrome’s DevTools plus clicks and forms, in its own Chrome profile or, with Chrome 144 and remote debugging on, in your Chrome. Codex, in the ChatGPT desktop app, has a browser with its own profile, computer use across your Mac or PC, and an extension for your signed-in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi.

Your sign-insa matter of taste

Chrome DevTools MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome 144 or later once you turn on remote debugging. Codex’s own browser has a separate profile; its extension works in your signed-in browser.

Which agents can use itChrome DevTools MCP leads

Chrome DevTools MCP works with any MCP client, like Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot or Gemini CLI. Codex has no MCP server or command line for other agents.

PriceChrome DevTools MCP leads

Chrome DevTools MCP: Free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model. Codex: Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), Pro, Business and Enterprise.

Where it runseven

Both run on Mac, Windows and Linux.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

Chrome DevTools MCP

Supports only Google Chrome and Chrome for Testing
Its own profile has none of your sign-ins; your Chrome needs version 144 and remote debugging
Sends usage statistics to Google by default
Brings no model: needs an MCP client and Node.js

Codex

In the desktop app only: not in Codex CLI or the IDE extension
Computer use is limited by region and missing on Linux
Its own browser uses a separate profile and can’t upload files for you
No MCP server for other agents

Yab, honestly

Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
New: first released in September 2026
Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
Closed source

What changed lately

July 9, 2026Codex: Codex app merged into the ChatGPT desktop app
June 2, 2026Chrome DevTools MCP: MCP server and CLI declared stable in Chrome 149
May 7, 2026Codex: Codex Chrome extension launched for macOS and Windows
April 16, 2026Codex: Codex got Computer Use on macOS and an in-app browser
December 11, 2025Chrome DevTools MCP: Added auto-connect to a running Chrome session (Chrome 144)
September 23, 2025Chrome DevTools MCP: Released as a public preview

Questions

Is Chrome DevTools MCP free?

Yes. Free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model.

Is Codex free?

Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), Pro, Business and Enterprise.

Which one works in my signed-in browser, Chrome DevTools MCP or Codex?

Do Chrome DevTools MCP and Codex run on Windows?

Yes, both. Chrome DevTools MCP runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Codex on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is a free Mac browser that Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive through yab mcp, in your own signed-in profile, with Send, Pay and Delete held for your yes. It has an agent of its own too, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan. It is Mac only, and new.

More comparisons

Chrome DevTools MCP vs Claude in Chrome Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP Browser Use vs Chrome DevTools MCP Chrome DevTools MCP alternatives Yab vs Chrome DevTools MCP Codex vs Claude in Chrome Codex vs Playwright MCP Browser Use vs Codex Codex alternatives Yab vs Codex

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeDownload