Apify MCP Server vs Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server
Updated June 2026Compare these two MCP servers to find which one fits your needs best.
Description
The Apify MCP server gives AI agents access to 6,000+ ready-made cloud scrapers, crawlers, and automation tools on the Apify Store — no infrastructure required. Connect to Apify Actors that extract data from social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), search engines (Google, Bing), e-commerce sites (Amazon, eBay), maps (Google Maps), and virtually any website. Each Actor runs in the cloud with managed proxies, browser fingerprinting, and anti-bot bypass built in. Use the Apify MCP server to query Actors by task, stream results directly into your AI context, run custom scraping Actors from your Apify account, and chain multiple data extraction steps in a single workflow. Supports tool filtering to expose only the Actors you need, and integrates with Apify's RAG web browser Actor for retrieval-augmented generation use cases.
Stagehand is the natural-language layer of the same server documented at /servers/browserbase — one endpoint, two search terms; read that page for session, proxy and stealth behaviour, and this one for how the instruction-following tools actually work. It is cloud browser automation driven by natural-language instructions rather than CSS selectors, running on Browserbase's hosted browsers via the Stagehand framework. The package name has changed and the old one is gone: `@browserbasehq/mcp-stagehand` is not on the npm registry, and the server that replaced it is published as @browserbasehq/mcp-server-browserbase (v2.4.3). Browserbase's own recommendation is to skip the local install entirely and use the hosted server at https://mcp.browserbase.com/mcp over streamable HTTP — they run it and cover the Gemini inference costs that Stagehand's instruction-following needs. Clients without HTTP transport can reach the same endpoint through `npx mcp-remote https://mcp.browserbase.com/mcp`. Six tools are exposed, and they map onto Stagehand's model rather than a raw browser API: start and end open and close a Browserbase session, navigate takes a URL, act performs an action described in plain language, observe returns the actionable elements on the current page so an agent can plan before it clicks, and extract pulls structured data out according to an instruction. The observe-then-act split is the reason this holds up better than selector-based automation on pages that change layout between runs. Worth knowing before you self-host: the browserbase/mcp-server-browserbase repository was archived on 2026-07-20 and its README now states it is retained for historical purposes and should not be treated as representative of Browserbase's current production service. The npm package still installs, but the hosted endpoint is the maintained path.
Install Type
npm
npm
Categories
🌍 browser🌐 api🔍 search
🌍 browser🤖 ai
Integrations
🟣 claude-desktop⚡ cursor💙 vs-code🏄 windsurf🤖 cline
🟣 claude-desktop⚡ cursor💙 vs-code🏄 windsurf🤖 cline
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Apify MCP Server and Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server?
Apify MCP Server and Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server are both MCP servers but differ in their categories and capabilities. Apify MCP Server (browser, api, search) is The Apify MCP server gives AI agents access to 6,000+ ready-made cloud scrapers, crawlers, and automation tools on the Apify Store — no infrastructure required. Connect to Apify Actors that extract data from social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), search engines (Google, Bing), e-commerce sites (Amazon, eBay), maps (Google Maps), and virtually any website. Each Actor runs in the cloud with managed proxies, browser fingerprinting, and anti-bot bypass built in. Use the Apify MCP server to query Actors by task, stream results directly into your AI context, run custom scraping Actors from your Apify account, and chain multiple data extraction steps in a single workflow. Supports tool filtering to expose only the Actors you need, and integrates with Apify's RAG web browser Actor for retrieval-augmented generation use cases. while Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server (browser, ai) is Stagehand is the natural-language layer of the same server documented at /servers/browserbase — one endpoint, two search terms; read that page for session, proxy and stealth behaviour, and this one for how the instruction-following tools actually work. It is cloud browser automation driven by natural-language instructions rather than CSS selectors, running on Browserbase's hosted browsers via the Stagehand framework. The package name has changed and the old one is gone: `@browserbasehq/mcp-stagehand` is not on the npm registry, and the server that replaced it is published as @browserbasehq/mcp-server-browserbase (v2.4.3). Browserbase's own recommendation is to skip the local install entirely and use the hosted server at https://mcp.browserbase.com/mcp over streamable HTTP — they run it and cover the Gemini inference costs that Stagehand's instruction-following needs. Clients without HTTP transport can reach the same endpoint through `npx mcp-remote https://mcp.browserbase.com/mcp`. Six tools are exposed, and they map onto Stagehand's model rather than a raw browser API: start and end open and close a Browserbase session, navigate takes a URL, act performs an action described in plain language, observe returns the actionable elements on the current page so an agent can plan before it clicks, and extract pulls structured data out according to an instruction. The observe-then-act split is the reason this holds up better than selector-based automation on pages that change layout between runs. Worth knowing before you self-host: the browserbase/mcp-server-browserbase repository was archived on 2026-07-20 and its README now states it is retained for historical purposes and should not be treated as representative of Browserbase's current production service. The npm package still installs, but the hosted endpoint is the maintained path..
Which MCP server should I choose: Apify MCP Server or Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server?
Choose Apify MCP Server if you need browser capabilities and prefer npm installation. Choose Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server if you need browser capabilities and prefer npm installation. Consider your specific use case and integration requirements.
Can I use both Apify MCP Server and Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Server together?
Yes, you can use multiple MCP servers together in Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients.Apify MCP Server and Stagehand (Browserbase) MCP Servercan complement each other if their capabilities don't overlap.