head to head · open source
chrome-devtools-mcp vs web-ext
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars, 5,250 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped yesterday. web-ext has 3,152 stars, 392 forks, 223 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chrome-devtools-mcp leads on adoption by 1,634% (54,665 vs 3,152 stars). chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; web-ext is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. chrome-devtools-mcp has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, web-ext 12%. 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 | web-ext | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 55K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 392 |
| 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 web-ext if
- You want the web-ext feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and web-ext 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 web-ext
Web ext This is a command line tool to help build, run, and test WebExtensions. Ultimately, it aims to support browser extensions in a standard, portable, cross platform way. Initially, it will provide a streamlined experience for developing Firefox Extensions. Documentation [Getting started with web ext][web ext user docs] Command reference Here are the commands you can run. Click on each one for detailed documentation or use help on the command line, such as web ext build help . run Run the extension lint Validate the extension source sign Sign the extension so it can be installed in Firefox build Create an…
read the full web-ext overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chrome-devtools-mcp or web-ext more popular?
chrome-devtools-mcp has 54,665 GitHub stars and web-ext has 3,152. chrome-devtools-mcp has the larger community by that measure.
Are chrome-devtools-mcp and web-ext free?
Both are open source. chrome-devtools-mcp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and web-ext under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chrome-devtools-mcp and web-ext?
chrome-devtools-mcp is written in TypeScript and web-ext in JavaScript. 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 web-ext?
Choose chrome-devtools-mcp if you want the larger community (54,665 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose web-ext if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.