head to head · open source
CloakBrowser vs playwright_mcp
CloakBrowser has 32,885 GitHub stars, 2,730 forks, 166 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. playwright_mcp has 864 stars, 115 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. CloakBrowser leads on adoption by 3,706% (32,885 vs 864 stars). CloakBrowser is written in Python under MIT; playwright_mcp is written in Python under MIT. CloakBrowser has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, playwright_mcp 13%. playwright_mcp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (antidetect-browser, browser-automation), 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
| CloakBrowser | playwright_mcp | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 33K | ★ 864 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-12 | 2026-11-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 115 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CloakBrowser if
- You weight community size — 33K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick playwright_mcp if
- You want the playwright_mcp feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and playwright_mcp fits your workflow better
About CloakBrowser
Stealth Chromium that passes every bot detection test. Not a patched config. Not a JS injection. A real Chromium binary with fingerprints modified at the C++ source level. Antibot systems score it as a normal browser — because it is a normal browser. Cloudflare Turnstile — 3 live tests passing (headed mode, macOS) Drop in Playwright/Puppeteer replacement for Python and JavaScript. Same API, same code — just swap the import. 3 lines of code, 30 seconds to unblock. 87 source level C++ patches — canvas, WebGL, audio, fonts, GPU, screen, WebRTC, network timing, automation signals, CDP input behavior humanize=True —…
read the full CloakBrowser overview →
About playwright_mcp
Other AI browser agents get captchas. This one is invisible to anti bots. Two ways to use this browser agent 1. From your assistant, over MCP Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then install it in your assistant. Claude Code: Codex: Gemini CLI: 2. Standalone: the web UI We bring the interface, you bring an OpenRouter key. Chat on the left, the live browser on the right. Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then open and type the same thing. What to ask a web browsing agent Anything that needs real web automation: a browser rather than an API, and a person's judgement about what is on the page. Go to . One way, Milan to…
read the full playwright_mcp overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is CloakBrowser or playwright_mcp more popular?
CloakBrowser has 32,885 GitHub stars and playwright_mcp has 864. CloakBrowser has the larger community by that measure.
Are CloakBrowser and playwright_mcp free?
Both are open source. CloakBrowser is licensed under MIT and playwright_mcp under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between CloakBrowser and playwright_mcp?
CloakBrowser is written in Python and playwright_mcp in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, CloakBrowser or playwright_mcp?
Choose CloakBrowser if you want the larger community (32,885 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose playwright_mcp if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.