Compare · Browser Automation
Browser Use vs Playwright MCP Server
Browser Use exposes 2 tools and adds about 1,623 tokens to every model turn. Playwright exposes 25 tools and adds about 3,710. Playwright costs 2.3× as much context. Measured by connecting to each server and counting its tool list, not from the README.
 Browser Usebrowser-use |  Playwrightmicrosoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Context tax | ~1,623 tok/turn(leaner) | ~3,710 tok/turn |
| Tools | 2 | 25 |
| Cost per 1,000 turns (Claude Sonnet 5.5, uncached) | $3.25 | $7.42 |
| Security score | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Cold start | 4,325 ms | 965 ms |
| Runs | Local (stdio) | Local (stdio) |
| Needs keys | None declared | None declared |
| Freshness | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 118k | 38k |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Official MCP registry | Yes | Yes |
Install in Claude Code
Browser Use
claude mcp add browser-use -- uvx browser-use --cli-mcp
Playwright
claude mcp add playwright -- npx -y @playwright/mcp
Tools
By name, from each server's live tool list. The same name can still behave differently.
Only in Browser Use · 2
- browser_exec
- browser_screenshot
In both · 0
- none
Only in Playwright · 25
- browser_close
- browser_resize
- browser_console_messages
- browser_handle_dialog
- browser_emulate_media
- browser_evaluate
- browser_file_upload
- browser_drop
- browser_find
- browser_fill_form
- browser_press_key
- browser_type
- browser_navigate
- browser_navigate_back
- browser_network_requests
- browser_network_request
- browser_run_code_unsafe
- browser_take_screenshot
- browser_snapshot
- browser_click
- browser_drag
- browser_hover
- browser_select_option
- browser_tabs
- browser_wait_for
Questions
- Which uses fewer tokens, Browser Use or Playwright?
- Browser Use: its tool definitions take about 1,623 tokens per turn against 3,710 for Playwright (2.3× more). Tool definitions are resent on every model turn.
- Do Browser Use and Playwright have the same tools?
- No tool names overlap: Browser Use has 2 tools and Playwright has 25.
- Are Browser Use and Playwright hosted or local?
- Browser Use: local (stdio). Playwright: local (stdio).
Token counts use the o200k tokenizer on each server's tool definitions as an agent receives them; clients that load tools lazily pay less. Prices are Claude Sonnet 5.5 input at $2/MTok. Want to check one yourself? Run npx mcpskillhub test <package> — how it works.