head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs hermes-browser-extension
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars, 4,037 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped today. hermes-browser-extension has 1,540 stars, 145 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 3,291% (52,222 vs 1,540 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 8% as many forks as stars, hermes-browser-extension 9%. chrome-devtools-mcp 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 | ★ 52K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 145 |
| 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 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 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 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 host…
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 52,222 GitHub stars and hermes-browser-extension has 1,540. 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 (52,222 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.