Playwright MCP Server vs Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)

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

	Playwright MCP Server Microsoft's official browser-automation MCP using Playwright's accessibility tree (no vision model). Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) Popular community Playwright + API testing MCP server with codegen, screenshots, and device emulation. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Developer Tools	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	24k	4.5k
Last commit	9 days ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest`	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

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

Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer its approach (popular community playwright + api testing mcp server with codegen, screenshots, and device emulation).

Add Playwright MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest

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

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

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

Playwright MCP Server or Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) — which is better?

Pick Playwright MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer its approach (popular community playwright + api testing mcp server with codegen, screenshots, and device emulation).

Can I use both Playwright MCP Server 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 Playwright MCP Server 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 Playwright MCP Server →View Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) →More comparisons →