head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs SmartProxy
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,197 GitHub stars, 3,990 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SmartProxy has 2,741 stars, 162 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 1,804% (52,197 vs 2,741 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; SmartProxy is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, SmartProxy 6%. 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 (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 | SmartProxy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 162 |
| 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 SmartProxy if
- You want the SmartProxy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and SmartProxy 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 SmartProxy
SmartProxy is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge, built with the WebExtensions and Chrome Extensions APIs. It lives in the browser extension ecosystem for productivity and utilities, and it focuses on proxy switching during normal web browsing. The project is written in TypeScript and distributed under the GPL 3.0 license.
read the full SmartProxy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or SmartProxy more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 52,197 GitHub stars and SmartProxy has 2,741. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and SmartProxy free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SmartProxy under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and SmartProxy?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and SmartProxy 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 SmartProxy?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (52,197 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose SmartProxy if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.