Safari MCP vs Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)

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

	Safari MCP Native Safari browser automation for AI agents on macOS — 80 tools, your real logged-in browser, no Chrome. Unverified stdio (local) No auth JavaScript	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	JavaScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	116	4.5k
Last commit	5 days ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx safari-mcp`	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Safari MCP if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Add Safari MCP

Install / run

npx safari-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "safari-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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

Pick Safari MCP if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

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