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

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

	Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) Popular community Playwright + API testing MCP server with codegen, screenshots, and device emulation. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	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
Category	Browser Automation	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	4.5k	600
Last commit	1 month ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`	`npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

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

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

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

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

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

Can I use both Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) and Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser)?

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 Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) and Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) →View Apify Actors MCP (RAG Web Browser) →More comparisons →