head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs nanobrowser
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,197 GitHub stars, 3,990 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nanobrowser has 13,809 stars, 1,456 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 278% (52,197 vs 13,809 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; nanobrowser is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, nanobrowser 11%. chrome-devtools-mcp 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 | nanobrowser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 14K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| 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 nanobrowser if
- You want the nanobrowser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and nanobrowser 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 nanobrowser
Nanobrowser is an open source Chrome extension for AI powered web automation that runs multi agent workflows inside your own browser using your own LLM API key, built for people who want Operator style browser agents without a subscription.
read the full nanobrowser overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or nanobrowser more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,197 GitHub stars and nanobrowser has 13,809. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and nanobrowser free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and nanobrowser under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and nanobrowser?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and nanobrowser 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 nanobrowser?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (52,197 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose nanobrowser if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.