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Compare scores, permissions, risks, and fit in one decision-focused table.

DimensionPlaywright MCPMicrosoft's official Playwright-based browser automation MCP serverPlaywright MCP ServerPlaywright-based browser automation MCP server
FMRS78 / 100 · B66 / 100 · C
Reliability13 / 209 / 20
Security and permissions12 / 2011 / 20
Maintenance18 / 2015 / 20
Documentation18 / 2017 / 20
Setup experience17 / 2014 / 20
Best for
  • Scenarios where an AI assistant needs to actually drive a browser to complete a task
  • Web automation testing and end-to-end verification
  • Developers who need browser automation from Claude Desktop, VS Code, and similar clients
  • Users doing web testing and scraping
Not for
  • Simple static-text scraping (a lightweight scraper is a better fit)
  • Environments sensitive to browser resource usage that can't run a full browser engine
  • Environments requiring strict sandboxing that disallow AI-controlled browsers
  • Claude Desktop users needing HTTP/SSE mode (Claude Desktop currently requires stdio mode)
Required permissions
  • Requires installing and running a browser engine (Chromium/Firefox/WebKit) locally or on a server
  • browser_navigate can visit any URL; browser_evaluate can run arbitrary JavaScript in the page context
  • Runs real browsers (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit) locally
  • Automatically downloads and installs browser binaries on first use
  • Writes log files to ~/playwright-mcp-server.log
  • Binds a local port in HTTP mode (default 8931)
Risks and side effects
  • browser_evaluate executing arbitrary scripts carries risk if a malicious page is visited — restrict to trusted sites or an isolated environment
  • Long-running browser instances consume significant memory and CPU
  • AI can execute JavaScript in a real browser, potentially accessing and manipulating sensitive web content
  • Automatic browser downloads consume disk space and bandwidth
  • HTTP mode binds to localhost only; exposing it via SSH tunnels still requires caution
Supported clientsClaude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Cline, Amp, Kiro, LM Studio, Antigravity, GooseClaude Desktop, Claude Code, Cline, Cursor, VS Code
Tools101