Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) vs Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation)

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

	Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) Run Apify's RAG Web Browser and 5,000+ Actors as MCP tools — web search and scrape to clean markdown. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	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	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	600	4.5k
Last commit	1 month ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server`	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server.

Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Add Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser)

Install / run

npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-actors-mcp-rag-web-browser": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/actors-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APIFY_TOKEN": "<your-apify-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) or Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) — which is better?

Pick Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server. Pick Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) 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 Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) 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 Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) →View Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) →More comparisons →