head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs lightning-browser-extension
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,222 GitHub stars, 4,037 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lightning-browser-extension has 584 stars, 226 forks, 237 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 8,842% (52,222 vs 584 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 8% 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 | ★ 52K | ★ 584 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 226 |
| 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-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 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-extension
The Alby lightning browser extension is an open source, MIT licensed Bitcoin Lightning browser extension that exposes a WebLN wallet interface to multiple Lightning nodes and acts as a key signer for Nostr, Liquid and onchain use, built for people who want Lightning payments and authentication to happen inside an ordinary web browser.
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 52,222 GitHub stars and lightning-browser-extension has 584. 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 (52,222 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.