head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs SmartProxy
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars, 5,250 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SmartProxy has 2,771 stars, 167 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 1,873% (54,665 vs 2,771 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 10% 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 | ★ 55K | ★ 2.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 167 |
| 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 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 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 SmartProxy
SmartProxy Download From Store Firefox Desktop and Android Extension Chrome Extension Edge Extension What is SmartProxy SmartProxy is a Firefox/Chrome extension based on WebExtensions/Chrome Extensions technology. It uses patterns to automatically define rules to proxify your web experience. With SmartProxy, you don't need to change your proxy manually and turn it on and off. You can add your desired website to the proxy rules list with just one click. After that, when you visit that specific website, SmartProxy will act and all you data for that website will be transferred though the proxy, without you doing…
read the full SmartProxy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or SmartProxy more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars and SmartProxy has 2,771. 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 (54,665 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.