head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs Lightning-Browser
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,276 GitHub stars, 4,131 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Lightning-Browser has 2,429 stars, 856 forks, 354 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 2,052% (52,276 vs 2,429 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Lightning-Browser is written in Kotlin under MPL-2.0. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Lightning-Browser 35%. Lightning-Browser 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 | Lightning-Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.1K | ⑂ 856 |
| 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 Lightning-Browser if
- You want the Lightning-Browser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and Lightning-Browser 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 Lightning-Browser
Lightning Browser is a lightweight, open source Android web browser written in Kotlin and Java and released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, built for Android users who want fast, simple, privacy conscious browsing without a heavyweight browser suite.
read the full Lightning-Browser overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or Lightning-Browser more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,276 GitHub stars and Lightning-Browser has 2,429. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and Lightning-Browser free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Lightning-Browser under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and Lightning-Browser?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and Lightning-Browser in Kotlin. 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 Lightning-Browser?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (52,276 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Lightning-Browser if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.