Chrome DevTools MCP vs PageMap

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

	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	PageMap Converts raw HTML into compressed, AI-readable page maps (97% token reduction) so agents can read and act on any web page. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Browser Automation	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	45k	32
Last commit	1 month ago	2 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest`	`pip install retio-pagemap`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Chrome DevTools MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick PageMap if you prefer its approach (converts raw html into compressed, ai-readable page maps (97% token reduction) so agents can read and act on any web page).

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add PageMap

Install / run

pip install retio-pagemap

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pagemap": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "retio-pagemap"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Chrome DevTools MCP or PageMap — which is better?

Pick Chrome DevTools MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick PageMap if you prefer its approach (converts raw html into compressed, ai-readable page maps (97% token reduction) so agents can read and act on any web page).

Can I use both Chrome DevTools MCP and PageMap?

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 Chrome DevTools MCP and PageMap work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Chrome DevTools MCP →View PageMap →More comparisons →