iterm-mcp vs Playwright MCP Server

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

	iterm-mcp Give MCP clients access to your iTerm session to run commands, read output, and drive REPLs. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Stale TypeScript	Playwright MCP Server Microsoft's official browser-automation MCP using Playwright's accessibility tree (no vision model). Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	560	24k
Last commit	9 months ago	13 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y iterm-mcp`	`npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick iterm-mcp if you prefer its approach (give mcp clients access to your iterm session to run commands, read output, and drive repls).

Pick Playwright MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add iterm-mcp

Install / run

npx -y iterm-mcp

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

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

Add Playwright MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

iterm-mcp or Playwright MCP Server — which is better?

Pick iterm-mcp if you prefer its approach (give mcp clients access to your iterm session to run commands, read output, and drive repls). Pick Playwright MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both iterm-mcp and Playwright MCP Server?

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 iterm-mcp and Playwright MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View iterm-mcp →View Playwright MCP Server →More comparisons →