head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs lightning-browser-extension
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars, 5,250 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lightning-browser-extension has 586 stars, 227 forks, 237 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 9,228% (54,665 vs 586 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; lightning-browser-extension is written in TypeScript under MIT. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, lightning-browser-extension 39%. 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 | lightning-browser-extension | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 55K | ★ 586 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 227 |
| 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 lightning-browser-extension if
- You want the lightning-browser-extension feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and lightning-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 lightning-browser-extension
⚡ Alby Lightning Browser Extension Seamlessly bring Bitcoin's Lightning Network to your browser. The Alby browser extension seamlessly integrates the Bitcoin Lightning Network into websites, enabling both payments and authentication flows. Designed to be a lightweight and efficient web extension, Alby allows browsers to interact with the Lightning Network programmatically. It focuses on web payments rather than advanced node management, ensuring a simple and intuitive user experience. Alby implements the WebLN standard, providing a universal interface for websites to: Connect to Lightning Network nodes Request…
read the full lightning-browser-extension overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or lightning-browser-extension more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars and lightning-browser-extension has 586. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and lightning-browser-extension free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and lightning-browser-extension under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and lightning-browser-extension?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and lightning-browser-extension 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 lightning-browser-extension?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (54,665 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose lightning-browser-extension if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.