head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs auto-tab-discard
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars, 4,037 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped today. auto-tab-discard has 1,206 stars, 107 forks, 189 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 4,230% (52,222 vs 1,206 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; auto-tab-discard is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, auto-tab-discard 9%. chrome-devtools-mcp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (chrome), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| chrome-devtools-mcp | auto-tab-discard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 107 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick chrome-devtools-mcp if
- You weight community size — 52K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick auto-tab-discard if
- You want the auto-tab-discard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and auto-tab-discard fits your workflow better
About chrome-devtools-mcp
chrome devtools mcp is an Apache 2.0 TypeScript Model Context Protocol server, distributed on npm, that gives coding agents such as Claude, Cursor, Copilot and Antigravity control over and visibility into a live Chrome browser through the full Chrome DevTools toolset.
read the full chrome-devtools-mcp overview →
About auto-tab-discard
Auto Tab Discard A browser extension which uses the native tab discarding method ( chrome.tabs.discard ) to automatically reduce memory usage of inactive tabs. This extension is more efficient and should be less buggy compared to the alternatives extensions that use DOM replacement method. Preview Links Homepage: Privacy Policy: Chrome: Edge: Firefox: Opera: Product Review: Preview:
read the full auto-tab-discard overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or auto-tab-discard more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars and auto-tab-discard has 1,206. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and auto-tab-discard free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and auto-tab-discard under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and auto-tab-discard?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and auto-tab-discard in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, chrome-devtools-mcp or auto-tab-discard?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (52,222 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose auto-tab-discard if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.