head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs happy-dom
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars, 4,037 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped today. happy-dom has 4,654 stars, 323 forks, 444 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 1,022% (52,222 vs 4,654 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; happy-dom is written in TypeScript under MIT. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, happy-dom 7%. 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 (browser), 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 | happy-dom | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 4.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 323 |
| 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 happy-dom if
- You want the happy-dom feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and happy-dom 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 happy-dom
happy dom is a JavaScript implementation of a web browser without its graphical user interface, written in TypeScript, MIT licensed, and built for developers who need a browser like DOM inside Node.js or Bun instead of inside an actual browser window.
read the full happy-dom overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or happy-dom more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars and happy-dom has 4,654. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and happy-dom free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and happy-dom under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and happy-dom?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and happy-dom in TypeScript. 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 happy-dom?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (52,222 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose happy-dom if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.