Browser Control MCP vs Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)

A side-by-side comparison of two Browser Automation servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Browser Control MCP MCP server paired with a Firefox extension for tab management, history search, and reading webpage content. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) Official Browserbase cloud-browser MCP built on Stagehand — natural-language act/extract/observe. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Browser Automation	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	294	3.0k
Last commit	2 months ago	18 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npm install && npm run build`	`npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Browser Control MCP if you prefer its approach (mcp server paired with a firefox extension for tab management, history search, and reading webpage content).

Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Browser Control MCP

Install / run

npm install && npm run build

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-control-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/repo/mcp-server/dist/server.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXTENSION_SECRET": "<secret_on_firefox_extension_options_page>",
        "EXTENSION_PORT": "8089"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)

Install / run

npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browserbase-mcp-stagehand": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@browserbasehq/mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY": "<your-browserbase-api-key>",
        "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID": "<your-browserbase-project-id>",
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Browser Control MCP or Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) — which is better?

Pick Browser Control MCP if you prefer its approach (mcp server paired with a firefox extension for tab management, history search, and reading webpage content). Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Browser Control MCP and Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Browser Control MCP and Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Browser Control MCP →View Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) →More comparisons →