head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs hermes-browser-extension
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars, 5,250 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hermes-browser-extension has 1,768 stars, 169 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 2,992% (54,665 vs 1,768 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; hermes-browser-extension is written in JavaScript under MIT. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, hermes-browser-extension 10%. hermes-browser-extension was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | hermes-browser-extension | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 55K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 169 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick chrome-devtools-mcp if
- You weight community size — 55K 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 hermes-browser-extension if
- You want the hermes-browser-extension feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and hermes-browser-extension fits your workflow better
About chrome-devtools-mcp
Chrome DevTools for agents Chrome DevTools for agents ( chrome devtools mcp ) lets your coding agent (such as Antigravity, Claude, Cursor or Copilot) control and inspect a live Chrome browser. It acts as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, giving your AI coding assistant access to the full power of Chrome DevTools for reliable automation, in depth debugging, and performance analysis. A [CLI][cli] is also provided for use without MCP. [Tool reference][tool reference] [Changelog][changelog] [Contributing][contributing] [Troubleshooting][troubleshooting] [Design Principles][design principles] Key features Get…
read the full chrome-devtools-mcp overview →
About hermes-browser-extension
Hermes Browser Extension Browser native side panel for Hermes Agent — connect active web context through a local gateway, Hermes Cloud, or a self hosted remote gateway. Created by Jon Komet ( @abundantbeing ). Community extension for Hermes Agent by Nous Research. Public v0.3.2 · Load unpacked · Local / Hermes Cloud / Remote · Full Hermes runtime tools Not on the Chrome Web Store yet. What it is Hermes Browser Extension is not a browser chatbot. It is a Chrome/Edge/Chromium side panel for the real Hermes Agent runtime. Choose a local gateway, attach to a signed in Hermes Cloud agent tab, or connect to a self…
read the full hermes-browser-extension overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or hermes-browser-extension more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars and hermes-browser-extension has 1,768. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and hermes-browser-extension free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hermes-browser-extension under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and hermes-browser-extension?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and hermes-browser-extension 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 hermes-browser-extension?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (54,665 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hermes-browser-extension if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.