Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP

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.

Playwright MCP is Microsoft’s free, open-source MCP server that lets an agent drive Chrome, Edge, Firefox or WebKit through Playwright, in a profile of its own by default.

Both are free MCP servers from browser makers. Chrome DevTools MCP is for debugging in Chrome: the console, network and performance traces. Playwright MCP drives Chrome, Edge, Firefox or WebKit and is built for automation and tests.

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 Playwright MCP

if you run agents in CI and tests that need a clean, repeatable browser
if you want it in any MCP client: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code
if you check pages in Chromium, Firefox and WebKit

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 Playwright MCP, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP
What	Chrome DevTools MCP	Playwright MCP	Yab
Made by	Google (Chrome DevTools team)	Microsoft	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	Free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
Drives	Google Chrome	Chrome, Edge, Firefox or WebKit	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.	Playwright MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome or Edge through its extension.	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	any MCP client, like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code	yab mcp and the yab command, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and any MCP client
Open source	Yes	Yes	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. Playwright MCP has no model of its own: your agent drives Chrome, Edge, Firefox or WebKit, reading pages as accessibility snapshots, in a profile of its own, a clean one, or your Chrome through extension mode.

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. Playwright MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome or Edge through its extension.

Which agents can use iteven

Chrome DevTools MCP works with any MCP client, like Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot or Gemini CLI. Playwright MCP works with any MCP client, like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code.

Priceeven

The same for both: free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model.

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

Playwright MCP

Its own profile has none of your sign-ins unless you use extension mode
Extension mode works only in Chrome and Edge
Brings no model: needs an MCP client and Node.js
Microsoft suggests its command line for coding agents, since MCP uses more tokens

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

June 2, 2026Chrome DevTools MCP: MCP server and CLI declared stable in Chrome 149
January 26, 2026Playwright MCP: Microsoft published Playwright CLI (@playwright/cli), suggested for coding agents
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
March 13, 2025Playwright MCP: First published on npm as @playwright/mcp

Questions

Is Chrome DevTools MCP free?

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

Is Playwright MCP free?

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

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

Do Chrome DevTools MCP and Playwright MCP run on Windows?

Yes, both. Chrome DevTools MCP runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Playwright MCP 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 Codex Browser Use vs Chrome DevTools MCP Chrome DevTools MCP alternatives Yab vs Chrome DevTools MCP Playwright MCP vs Claude in Chrome Codex vs Playwright MCP Browser Use vs Playwright MCP Playwright MCP alternatives Yab vs Playwright MCP

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

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

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