browser-use-mcp-server 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-use-mcp-server Let AI agents control a real web browser to browse, navigate, and extract data via browser-use + Playwright. Unverified SSE (remote) API key Python	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	Python	TypeScript
Transport	SSE (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	822	3.0k
Last commit	1 month ago	18 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uv tool install browser-use-mcp-server`	`npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick browser-use-mcp-server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

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

Add browser-use-mcp-server

Install / run

uv tool install browser-use-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-use-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:8000/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

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-use-mcp-server or Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) — which is better?

Pick browser-use-mcp-server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install. 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-use-mcp-server 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-use-mcp-server 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-use-mcp-server →View Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) →More comparisons →