Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) vs Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)

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	Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) Popular community Playwright + API testing MCP server with codegen, screenshots, and device emulation. Verified 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	4.5k
Last commit	16 days ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp`	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server.

Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) 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": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-api-key>",
        "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY": "<your-browserbase-api-key>",
        "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID": "<your-browserbase-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)

Install / run

npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright-mcp-executeautomation": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) or Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) — which is better?

Pick Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server. Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) 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 Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)?

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 Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) 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 Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) →More comparisons →