head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs just-the-browser
chrome-devtools-mcp has 53,962 GitHub stars, 6,620 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. just-the-browser has 3,059 stars, 92 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 1,664% (53,962 vs 3,059 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; just-the-browser is written in Shell under MIT. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, just-the-browser 3%. chrome-devtools-mcp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (browser, 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 | just-the-browser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 54K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-10-22 | 2026-10-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 92 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick chrome-devtools-mcp if
- You weight community size — 54K 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 just-the-browser if
- You want the just-the-browser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and just-the-browser 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 just-the-browser
Just the Browser Just the Browser helps you remove AI features, telemetry data reporting, sponsored content, product integrations, and other annoyances from desktop web browsers. The goal is to give you "just the browser" and nothing else, using hidden settings in web browsers intended for companies and other organizations. This project includes configuration files for popular web browsers, documentation for installing and modifying them, and easy installation scripts. Install script The setup script can install the configuration files in a few clicks. You can also follow the manual guides for Google Chrome…
read the full just-the-browser overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or just-the-browser more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 53,962 GitHub stars and just-the-browser has 3,059. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and just-the-browser free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and just-the-browser under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and just-the-browser?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and just-the-browser in Shell. 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 just-the-browser?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (53,962 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose just-the-browser if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.