Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) vs Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)

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	Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) Official Browserbase cloud-browser MCP built on Stagehand — natural-language act/extract/observe. 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	3.0k
Last commit	1 month ago	16 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server`	`npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp`
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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) 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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)

Install / run

npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browserbase-mcp-stagehand": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@browserbasehq/mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-api-key>",
        "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY": "<your-browserbase-api-key>",
        "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID": "<your-browserbase-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) or Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) — 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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server.

Can I use both Playwright MCP (ExecuteAutomation) and Browserbase MCP (Stagehand)?

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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) 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 Browserbase MCP (Stagehand) →More comparisons →