{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "name": "Chrome DevTools MCP", "vendor": "Google (Chrome DevTools team)", "vendorUrl": "https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools", "kind": "mcp", "category": "browser", "summary": "Lets coding agents control and inspect a live Chrome instance.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "repo": "https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "stdio" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "chrome-devtools-mcp" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "Local process; supports custom WebSocket headers when attaching to an authenticated remote Chrome endpoint.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Open source; no hosted service.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No payments. Local open-source server.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 59, "popularity": { "githubStars": 49300, "npmWeekly": 1500288, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-26" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp#readme", "registryName": "io.github.ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "capabilities": [ "browser.control", "browser.debug" ], "tags": [ "official", "local", "open-source", "browser", "devtools" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-23", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 77, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 25, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1076, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 93, "payments": 60, "reliability": 83, "schema": 87, "security": 63, "transparency": 81 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -1, "negativeNotes": [ "-1: two moderate advisories published by the maintainers, GHSA-3pvj-jv98-qhjq on 2026-06-15 (daemon.pid written through symlinks in the /tmp fallback directory) and GHSA-8qf9-62x2-82pp on 2026-06-16 (path validation not canonicalising symlinks before enforcing roots). Fixed and disclosed in public, so a small deduction (https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/security/advisories)." ], "verdict": "Performance traces, network inspection, heap snapshots and Lighthouse audits in one server. Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`.", "bestFor": "Coding agents debugging or profiling a web app they're building.", "strengths": [ "Performance traces, network inspection, heap snapshots and Lighthouse audits in one server", "Every tool carries `readOnlyHint`, and category flags and `--slim` cut the tool list from about 30 to three", "`--javascript-evaluation false`, URL allow and block patterns and MCP roots for least privilege", "Seven releases since 3 July 2026, CI on three systems and three Node versions, listed in the official MCP registry", "Reports go through Google's open-source vulnerability reward programme, and two advisories were published in public in June 2026" ], "weaknesses": [ "Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`", "`--isolated` and network header redaction are off by default, so the agent sees a persistent profile and raw headers", "1.8.0 made `pageId` required on page tools in a minor release, filed under `Features`", "SECURITY.md treats prompt injection from page content as the client's problem", "77 open issues, including traces over about 512 MB failing to stop" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pass `pageId` on every page tool. Call `list_pages` first to get it", "Start with `--slim` for plain browsing, or turn off categories you don't need", "Run with `--isolated` for untrusted sites. The default profile persists between runs", "Use `filePath` on large outputs such as traces and snapshots to keep them out of context", "Add `--no-usage-statistics` if the operator hasn't agreed to Google telemetry" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 77 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 93, "payments": 60, "reliability": 83, "schema": 87, "security": 63, "transparency": 76 }, "provenanceScore": 85 }, "connect": { "claudeCode": "claude mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest", "config": { "mcpServers": { "chrome-devtools": { "args": [ "-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/browser.control", "tool": "https://letme.dev/chrome-devtools-mcp" }, "sameCompany": [ "gemini-api", "gemini-embedding", "vertex-ai-tuning", "google-model-armor", "google-imagen", "google-veo", "google-lyria", "google-speech-to-text", "gemini-live", "google-adk", "google-secret-manager", "google-cloud-document-ai", "google-weather-api", "google-maps-platform", "google-cloud-translation", "google-calendar-api", "firebase-cloud-messaging", "google-drive-api", "gemini-enterprise", "gemini-cli", "google-search-console", "google-ads-api", "google-forms", "google-sheets-api", "gmail-api", "google-people-api" ], "area": "developer", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Google LLC", "domain": "google.com", "domainRegistered": "1997-09-15", "domainNote": "Published by Google under the ChromeDevTools organisation on GitHub.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "https://policies.google.com/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-09-26", "score": 85 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "live": { "slug": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "version": "chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.10.1", "released": "2026-09-23", "seenAt": "2026-10-13T22:48:30.301303878Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "io.github.ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "version": "1.10.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-14T04:18:30.41681267Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "version": "1.10.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-13T22:48:29.701238974Z" } ], "githubStars": 53476, "npmWeekly": 1305336, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://google.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2030-04-01T00:00:00z", "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T15:45:37.896769008Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "google.com", "registered": "1997-09-15", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/google.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-11T13:17:33.092177011Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:22:06.253389161Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "c5c9bfd3800b" }, { "url": "https://policies.google.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:43:37.926236649Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-02T15:23:08.649962611Z", "fingerprint": "5d0b010ca1ea" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-14T04:18:30.41681267Z" } }, "answer": "Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "puppeteer", "name": "Puppeteer", "vendor": "Google", "vendorUrl": "https://pptr.dev", "kind": "sdk", "category": "browser", "summary": "Puppeteer is Google's open-source Node.js library for controlling Chrome and Firefox over the DevTools Protocol and WebDriver BiDi. An agent writes and runs scripts that navigate, click, type, read pages and take screenshots.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/puppeteer", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/puppeteer.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/puppeteer.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/puppeteer.json", "repo": "https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "puppeteer" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "puppeteer-core" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account or key. The library runs on the owner's machine and launches or connects to a local browser. Site logins live in the browser profile or cookies the script sets. `puppeteer.connect()` to a remote browser uses whatever that endpoint requires.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and open source under Apache-2.0, with nothing to buy and no hosted service from Google. `npm i puppeteer` downloads Chrome for Testing and chrome-headless-shell at install time (checked 2026-10-14).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-14).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 95689, "npmWeekly": 11547242, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-14" }, "docsUrl": "https://pptr.dev", "capabilities": [ "browser.control", "browser.debug" ], "tags": [ "official", "local", "open-source", "browser", "sdk", "typescript", "no-auth" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-08", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 70.6, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 154, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1076, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 89, "payments": 60, "reliability": 80, "schema": 81, "security": 52, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-14" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Puppeteer is a stable, Apache-2.0 library on 25.13.0, with ten releases since 27 July 2026, typed APIs, locators that wait and retry, and accessibility snapshots an agent can read. It has no MCP server or llms.txt of its own, and 10 of the 20 most recent CI runs on main failed between 7 and 13 October 2026.", "bestFor": "Agents that write and run Node.js scripts against Chrome or Firefox.", "strengths": [ "Ten releases from 25.4.0 on 27 July to 25.13.0 on 8 October 2026, each with a changelog generated by release-please", "TypeScript types for the whole API and a generated reference of 643 Markdown pages in the repository", "`page.accessibility.snapshot()` and the Locator API, which waits for elements and retries actions, suit scripted agent use", "Each release pins a tested Chrome for Testing and Firefox version, listed in a public support table", "Typed errors such as `TimeoutError`, `TargetCloseError` and `ConnectionClosedError` let a script tell timeouts from a closed browser" ], "weaknesses": [ "No MCP server, CLI or llms.txt of its own. The docs point agents to the separate chrome-devtools-mcp project", "10 of the 20 most recent CI runs on main, 7 to 13 October 2026, concluded in failure, the newest in Windows Chrome and Firefox jobs", "Page content reaches the agent unfiltered, and the docs have no prompt-injection or untrusted-content guidance", "JavaScript and TypeScript only, with Node.js 22.12 or later required since 25.0.0", "A stale workflow marks unconfirmed bug reports after 14 days and closes them 7 days later" ], "agentNotes": [ "Install with `npm i puppeteer`, which downloads a matching Chrome for Testing. Use `puppeteer-core` to bring your own browser", "Prefer `page.locator()` over `page.$()`. Locators wait for the element to be visible and stable before acting", "Read pages with `page.accessibility.snapshot({interestingOnly: true})` rather than full HTML to keep output short", "Catch `TimeoutError` separately from `TargetCloseError`. The first can be retried, the second needs a new page or browser", "Packages are ESM only since 25.0.0. Use `import puppeteer from 'puppeteer'` rather than `require`" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 70.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 89, "payments": 60, "reliability": 80, "schema": 81, "security": 52, "transparency": 72 }, "provenanceScore": 68 }, "connect": { "install": "npm i puppeteer" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/browser.control", "tool": "https://letme.dev/puppeteer" }, "area": "developer", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Google LLC", "domain": "pptr.dev", "domainRegistered": "2018-05-23", "domainNote": "pptr.dev is the documentation site for Puppeteer, with a footer reading Copyright 2026 Google, Inc. RDAP gives a registration date of 23 May 2018. The repository is in the puppeteer organisation on GitHub. pptr.dev answers 404 for /.well-known/security.txt.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer/blob/main/packages/puppeteer-core/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-14", "notes": [ "No terms or privacy document governs this software beyond the Apache-2.0 licence, so `terms` and `privacy` are left out. The pptr.dev footer links Google's cookie policy for the site itself." ], "score": 68 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/puppeteer.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "MCP server", "b": "SDK + MCP", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Google (Chrome DevTools team)", "b": "Google", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "stdio", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0", "b": "Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "59", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "io.github.ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-09-23", "b": "2026-10-08", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "49k stars, 1.5M npm/wk", "b": "96k stars, 11.5M npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Chrome DevTools MCP or Puppeteer?" }, { "answer": "Chrome DevTools MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. No hosted endpoint is listed for Puppeteer.", "question": "Can an agent call Chrome DevTools MCP and Puppeteer without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Chrome DevTools MCP is open source (Apache-2.0). Puppeteer is open source (Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are Chrome DevTools MCP and Puppeteer open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 81", "Agent ergonomics, 83 against 67", "Security \u0026 auth, 63 against 52", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 81 against 70" ], "also": [ "Runs on your own machine" ], "goodFor": "Coding agents debugging or profiling a web app they're building.", "slug": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "watchFor": "Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents that write and run Node.js scripts against Chrome or Firefox.", "slug": "puppeteer", "watchFor": "No MCP server, CLI or llms.txt of its own. The docs point agents to the separate chrome-devtools-mcp project" } ], "job": { "capability": "browser.control", "name": "Browser automation" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "agent-browser vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "agent-browser vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "Airtop vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Airtop vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "Anchor Browser vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Anchor Browser vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "Browser Use vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Browser Use vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "Browserbase vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Browserbase vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.json", "title": "Browserless vs Chrome DevTools MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Browserless vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Hyperbrowser", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-notte.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Notte", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-notte" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-playwright-mcp.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-playwright-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-selenium.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Selenium", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-selenium" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Skyvern", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-steel.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Steel", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-steel" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-tinyfish.json", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs TinyFish", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-tinyfish" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Hyperbrowser vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/notte-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Notte vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/notte-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/playwright-mcp-vs-puppeteer.json", "title": "Playwright MCP vs Puppeteer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/playwright-mcp-vs-puppeteer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.json", "title": "Puppeteer vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-selenium.json", "title": "Puppeteer vs Selenium", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-selenium" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-skyvern.json", "title": "Puppeteer vs Skyvern", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-skyvern" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-steel.json", "title": "Puppeteer vs Steel", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-steel" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-tinyfish.json", "title": "Puppeteer vs TinyFish", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-tinyfish" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 3, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 83, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "puppeteer": 80, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 87, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "puppeteer": 81, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 16, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 83, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "puppeteer": 67, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 11, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 63, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "puppeteer": 52, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 60, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "puppeteer": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 4, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 93, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "puppeteer": 89, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 11, "chrome-devtools-mcp": 81, "edge": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "puppeteer": 70, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do browser automation.", "verdicts": { "chrome-devtools-mcp": "Performance traces, network inspection, heap snapshots and Lighthouse audits in one server. Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`.", "puppeteer": "Puppeteer is a stable, Apache-2.0 library on 25.13.0, with ten releases since 27 July 2026, typed APIs, locators that wait and retry, and accessibility snapshots an agent can read. It has no MCP server or llms.txt of its own, and 10 of the 20 most recent CI runs on main failed between 7 and 13 October 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.min.md" }, "markdown": "Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do browser automation.\n\n- Chrome DevTools MCP: grade BB, 77/100, rank #25 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json\n- Puppeteer: grade BB, 70.6/100, rank #154 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/puppeteer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/puppeteer.json\n- Best browser automation tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/browser/index.md\n- All 120 browser comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Chrome DevTools MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: Coding agents debugging or profiling a web app they're building.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 81\n- Agent ergonomics, 83 against 67\n- Security \u0026 auth, 63 against 52\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 81 against 70\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`\n\n### Puppeteer (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents that write and run Node.js scripts against Chrome or Firefox.\n\nWatch for: No MCP server, CLI or llms.txt of its own. The docs point agents to the separate chrome-devtools-mcp project\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Chrome DevTools MCP | Puppeteer | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 83 | 80 | Chrome DevTools MCP +3 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 81 | Chrome DevTools MCP +6 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 67 | Chrome DevTools MCP +16 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 63 | 52 | Chrome DevTools MCP +11 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 93 | 89 | Chrome DevTools MCP +4 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 70 | Chrome DevTools MCP +11 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -1 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **77 · BB** | **70.6 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Chrome DevTools MCP | Puppeteer |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | MCP server | SDK + MCP |\n| Vendor | Google (Chrome DevTools team) | Google |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | stdio | |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |\n| Tools exposed | 59 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| MCP registry | `io.github.ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-10-08 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | |\n| Popularity | 49k stars, 1.5M npm/wk | 96k stars, 11.5M npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (8) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Chrome DevTools MCP.** Performance traces, network inspection, heap snapshots and Lighthouse audits in one server. Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`.\n\n**Puppeteer.** Puppeteer is a stable, Apache-2.0 library on 25.13.0, with ten releases since 27 July 2026, typed APIs, locators that wait and retry, and accessibility snapshots an agent can read. It has no MCP server or llms.txt of its own, and 10 of the 20 most recent CI runs on main failed between 7 and 13 October 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Chrome DevTools MCP\n\n1. Pass `pageId` on every page tool. Call `list_pages` first to get it\n2. Start with `--slim` for plain browsing, or turn off categories you don't need\n3. Run with `--isolated` for untrusted sites. The default profile persists between runs\n4. Use `filePath` on large outputs such as traces and snapshots to keep them out of context\n5. Add `--no-usage-statistics` if the operator hasn't agreed to Google telemetry\n\n### Puppeteer\n\n1. Install with `npm i puppeteer`, which downloads a matching Chrome for Testing. Use `puppeteer-core` to bring your own browser\n2. Prefer `page.locator()` over `page.$()`. Locators wait for the element to be visible and stable before acting\n3. Read pages with `page.accessibility.snapshot({interestingOnly: true})` rather than full HTML to keep output short\n4. Catch `TimeoutError` separately from `TargetCloseError`. The first can be retried, the second needs a new page or browser\n5. Packages are ESM only since 25.0.0. Use `import puppeteer from 'puppeteer'` rather than `require`\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Chrome DevTools MCP or Puppeteer?\n\nChrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Can an agent call Chrome DevTools MCP and Puppeteer without installing anything?\n\nChrome DevTools MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. No hosted endpoint is listed for Puppeteer.\n\n### Are Chrome DevTools MCP and Puppeteer open source?\n\nYes. Chrome DevTools MCP is open source (Apache-2.0). Puppeteer is open source (Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"chrome-devtools-mcp\", \"b\": \"puppeteer\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare chrome-devtools-mcp puppeteer`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/puppeteer.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Chrome DevTools MCP or Puppeteer\n\n- [agent-browser vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [agent-browser vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Airtop vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [Airtop vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Anchor Browser vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [Anchor Browser vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Browser Use vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [Browser Use vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Browserbase vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [Browserbase vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Browserless vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)\n- [Browserless vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Notte](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-notte.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-playwright-mcp.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Selenium](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-selenium.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-steel.md)\n- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs TinyFish](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-tinyfish.md)\n- [Hyperbrowser vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Notte vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/notte-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Playwright MCP vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/playwright-mcp-vs-puppeteer.md)\n- [Puppeteer vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.md)\n- [Puppeteer vs Selenium](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-selenium.md)\n- [Puppeteer vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-skyvern.md)\n- [Puppeteer vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-steel.md)\n- [Puppeteer vs TinyFish](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-vs-tinyfish.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-14", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer", "url": "" } ], "description": "Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) to Puppeteer's 70.6 (BB) for browser automation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Chrome DevTools MCP BB 77", "Puppeteer BB 70.6", "scores" ], "h1": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer.png", "path": "/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-14", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2450, "slim": 530 }, "version": 1 }