Playwright MCP vs Claude in Chrome

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

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.

Claude in Chrome is Anthropic’s Chrome extension that lets Claude read, click and type in your own signed-in Chrome, on a paid Claude plan. Claude Code can use it with claude --chrome.

They answer different needs. Playwright MCP starts a browser of its own for repeatable runs, which suits tests and CI; Claude in Chrome works in the Chrome you already use, signed in, on a paid Claude plan.

The short answer

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

Pick Claude in Chrome

if you pay for Claude and want it to work in the Chrome you already use
if you test web apps from Claude Code in a real, signed-in browser
if you want Claude to repeat browser chores on a schedule

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

Playwright MCP and Claude in Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Playwright MCP vs Claude in Chrome
What	Playwright MCP	Claude in Chrome	Yab
Made by	Microsoft	Anthropic	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	Needs a paid Claude plan: Pro $20/month, Max from $100/month, Team or Enterprise	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
Drives	Chrome, Edge, Firefox or WebKit	Your own Chrome	Yab itself, a browser on your Mac
Your sign-ins	Playwright MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome or Edge through its extension.	Claude in Chrome works in your own signed-in Chrome.	Yab is the browser you sign in to, so agents work with your sign-ins.
Works with	any MCP client, like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code	Claude Code (claude --chrome) and Claude’s own apps	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

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. Claude reads pages, clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, signed in as you, in tab groups it makes for each task.

Your sign-insa matter of taste

Playwright MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome or Edge through its extension. Claude in Chrome works in your own signed-in Chrome.

Which agents can use itPlaywright MCP leads

Playwright MCP works with any MCP client, like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code. Claude in Chrome works with Claude Code (claude --chrome) and Claude’s own apps.

PricePlaywright MCP leads

Playwright MCP: Free and open source; you pay only for your agent’s model. Claude in Chrome: Needs a paid Claude plan: Pro $20/month, Max from $100/month, Team or 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.

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

Claude in Chrome

Needs a paid Claude plan, from Pro at $20 a month
Chrome only, by Anthropic’s help center, and no phones
Stops at sign-in pages and captchas for you to handle
Claude Code can’t use it when signed in with an API key, Bedrock, Vertex or Foundry

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

January 26, 2026Playwright MCP: Microsoft published Playwright CLI (@playwright/cli), suggested for coding agents
December 18, 2025Claude in Chrome: Beta opened to all paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise)
November 24, 2025Claude in Chrome: Beta opened to all Max subscribers, with scheduled tasks
August 26, 2025Claude in Chrome: Launched as a research preview for 1,000 Max plan users
March 13, 2025Playwright MCP: First published on npm as @playwright/mcp

Questions

Is Playwright MCP free?

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

Is Claude in Chrome free?

No. Needs a paid Claude plan: Pro $20/month, Max from $100/month, Team or Enterprise.

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

Playwright MCP uses a profile of its own by default, and your Chrome or Edge through its extension. Claude in Chrome works in your own signed-in Chrome.

Do Playwright MCP and Claude in Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Playwright MCP runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Claude in Chrome 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

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

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.

it’s freeDownload