Exa MCP vs Playwright MCP
Exa MCP (Search & Retrieval) and Playwright MCP (Browser Automation) are both MCP servers. Playwright MCP has more GitHub stars (33.8K vs 4.6K). Choose Exa MCP for Run real-time web search, or Playwright MCP for Automate browser navigation.
Comparison
| Attribute | Exa MCP | Playwright MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Retrieval | Browser Automation |
| GitHub stars | 4,561 | 33,759 |
| Forks | 345 | 2,783 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Last commit | Jun 8, 2026 | Jun 10, 2026 |
| Supported clients | Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf | Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Cline |
| Best for | Run real-time web search | Automate browser navigation |
| Risk level | High | High |
| Popularity score | 66 | 85 |
| Freshness score | 100 | 100 |
| Maintenance score | 100 | 100 |
| GEO score | 63 | 70 |
When to choose Exa MCP
- Your main use case is Run real-time web search.
When to choose Playwright MCP
- You want broader GitHub adoption — Playwright MCP has 33.8K stars vs 4.6K.
- You want the more recently maintained option (last commit Jun 10, 2026).
- Your main use case is Automate browser navigation.
Alternatives to Exa MCP and Playwright MCP
- Firecrawl MCP★ 6.5K · Web Scraping & Crawling
crawl websites and convert pages into clean markdown or structured data
- Apify Actors MCP★ 1.3K · Web Scraping & Crawling
run thousands of prebuilt Apify Actors to scrape and automate the web
- Filesystem MCP★ 87K · Files & Storage
read, write, and search files in allowed local directories
- Browserbase MCP★ 3.4K · Browser Automation
run cloud browsers for automated web navigation and scraping at scale
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Exa MCP and Playwright MCP?
Exa MCP is an MCP server that helps AI assistants search the web and retrieve high-quality, AI-ready results in real time. Playwright MCP is an MCP server that helps AI assistants control a real browser to navigate, click, type, and extract page content. Exa MCP is best for Run real-time web search, while Playwright MCP is best for Automate browser navigation.
Is Exa MCP or Playwright MCP more popular on GitHub?
Playwright MCP is more popular, with about 33.8K GitHub stars versus 4.6K.
Which is more actively maintained, Exa MCP or Playwright MCP?
Exa MCP's most recent commit was Jun 8, 2026, and Playwright MCP's was Jun 10, 2026. More recent activity is a signal of active maintenance.
Are Exa MCP and Playwright MCP open source?
Exa MCP is open-source under the MIT license. Playwright MCP is open-source under the Apache-2.0 license.
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