Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) vs Chrome DevTools MCP

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

	Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) Official Browserbase cloud-browser MCP built on Stagehand — natural-language act/extract/observe. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	Chrome DevTools MCP Lets coding agents drive a real Chrome: automate input, read console and network, record performance traces. Unverified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Browser Automation	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	3.0k	45k
Last commit	1 month ago	29 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp`	`npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want a verified, documented setup.

Pick Chrome DevTools MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

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>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Chrome DevTools MCP

Install / run

npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) or Chrome DevTools MCP — which is better?

Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want a verified, documented setup. Pick Chrome DevTools MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) and Chrome DevTools MCP?

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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) and Chrome DevTools MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) →View Chrome DevTools MCP →More comparisons →