io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp vs Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents
io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp is an MCP server published by microsoft. Marketplaces we read that list it: 4 (Official MCP Registry, Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Cursor: cursor/plugins, Docker MCP Catalog). Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents is an MCP server published by grounder.net. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-20. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp | |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 0.0.82 Downloads/month (npm): 31 345 222 Downloads/week (npm): 6 403 349 Forks (GitHub): 3 283 Stars (GitHub): 38 368 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 0.1.0 No figure published Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: not stated Forks (GitHub): 4 580 Stars (GitHub): 43 312 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Cursor: cursor/plugins | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 299 Stars (GitHub): 13 179 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:8771dc4666e7 Forks (GitHub): 3 283 Pulls (Docker Hub): 2 531 203 Stars (Docker Hub): 38 Stars (GitHub): 38 368 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp | Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 4 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 43 312 | No figure on GitHub |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 2 531 203 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 4 580 | No figure on GitHub |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (@playwright/mcp) | Remote server (api.grounder.net/mcp/directory) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 23 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 1 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp | Not stated |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-20 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | not checked yet |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp
Playwright Tools for MCP
Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents
Web search for AI agents: one query across 10 providers, deduplicated, licensed results flagged.
How to run each
io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --transport stdio playwright-mcp -- npx -y @playwright/mcpGrounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http search https://api.grounder.net/mcp/directoryCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: io.github.microsoft/playwright-mcp · What it can do: Grounder (grounder.net): web search for AI agents · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/cursor/plugins/blob/HEAD/.cursor-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.