Playwright MCP vs Vercel’s Agent Browser

How to balance advanced features vs efficiency when choosing when to use Playwright MCP vs Vercel’s Agent Browser?

Key Differences

• Agent-browser provide massive context efficiency, around ~80-90% reduction (src: paddo.dev and pulumi.com)
• Agent-browser requires zero MCP configuration (more info on apiyi.com) and works with any agent that can execute bash (ie, Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini, Codex)

Ideal Use Cases

• Use Agent Browser when:
  • Long autonomous sessions
  • Self-verifying workflows
  • Ralph Wiggum-style autonomous loops
  • Simple web automation like form filling, screenshots, basic navigation etc
• Use Playwright MCP when:
  • Complex tasks like network interception, multi-tab handling, PDF generation, and better waiting logic
  • Playwright skills offers a lighter wrapper than the full MCP option

Summary

• “Start with agent-browser for AI validation loops. Move to Playwright when you outgrow it.” (src: pulumi.com)