Compare · Browser Automation
Browser vs Playwright MCP Server
Browser exposes 21 tools and adds about 1,574 tokens to every model turn. Playwright exposes 25 tools and adds about 3,710. Playwright costs 2.4× as much context. Measured by connecting to each server and counting its tool list, not from the README.
 Browserbytedance |  Playwrightmicrosoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Context tax | ~1,574 tok/turn(leaner) | ~3,710 tok/turn |
| Tools | 21 | 25 |
| Cost per 1,000 turns (Claude Sonnet 5.5, uncached) | $3.15 | $7.42 |
| Security score | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Cold start | 1,438 ms | 965 ms |
| Runs | Local or hosted | Local (stdio) |
| Needs keys | None declared | None declared |
| Freshness | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 39k | 38k |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Official MCP registry | Yes | Yes |
Install in Claude Code
Browser
claude mcp add browser -- npx -y @agent-infra/mcp-server-browser
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 · 15
- browser_go_back
- browser_go_forward
- browser_form_input_fill
- browser_get_markdown
- browser_get_text
- browser_read_links
- browser_new_tab
- browser_tab_list
- browser_switch_tab
- browser_close_tab
- browser_get_download_list
- browser_screenshot
- browser_select
- browser_get_clickable_elements
- browser_scroll
In both · 6
- browser_navigate
- browser_evaluate
- browser_click
- browser_hover
- browser_close
- browser_press_key
Only in Playwright · 19
- browser_resize
- browser_console_messages
- browser_handle_dialog
- browser_emulate_media
- browser_file_upload
- browser_drop
- browser_find
- browser_fill_form
- browser_type
- browser_navigate_back
- browser_network_requests
- browser_network_request
- browser_run_code_unsafe
- browser_take_screenshot
- browser_snapshot
- browser_drag
- browser_select_option
- browser_tabs
- browser_wait_for
Questions
- Which uses fewer tokens, Browser or Playwright?
- Browser: its tool definitions take about 1,574 tokens per turn against 3,710 for Playwright (2.4× more). Tool definitions are resent on every model turn.
- Do Browser and Playwright have the same tools?
- They share 6 tool names; Browser has 15 more and Playwright has 19 more.
- Are Browser and Playwright hosted or local?
- Browser: local or hosted. 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.