kitio.aiPlaywright MCP vs Semaphore
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Playwright MCP is completely free, while Semaphore is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Browser control for agents
- Accessibility snapshots
- Test generation
- Works with major agents
- Remote hosted option
- CI pipelines and deployments
- MCP server for coding agents
- Monorepo support
- Test reports and metrics
- Self-hosted agents
- macOS and Linux machines
| Feature | Playwright MCP | Semaphore |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Microsoft's MCP server that gives AI agents a real browser | Open source CI/CD service that coding agents can set up and run |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes |
| Made by | Microsoft | Semaphore |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Playwright MCP is completely free, while Semaphore is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Free credits
Free
- $15 of credits per month
- 20 concurrent jobs
- 20 GB artifact egress
Ubuntu x64
$0.0075 / min (2 vCPU)
- Pay per build minute
- Larger machines cost more
macOS
$0.09 / min
- Pay per build minute
- For iOS and Mac builds
Self-hosted
$0.0025 / min
- Any machine you run
- Flat per-minute rate
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Playwright MCP
- Free and open source
- No vision model needed
- Backed by Playwright team
- Uses many tokens per session
- Browser setup needed locally
Semaphore
- Agents can configure CI from plain requests
- Free monthly credits for small projects
- Open source edition for self-hosting
- macOS minutes cost far more than Linux
- Fast support and SLAs are paid add-ons
- Cache server and registry cost $400/mo each
Which one should you choose?
Choose Playwright MCP if you want:
- Free and open source
- No vision model needed
- Backed by Playwright team
Watch out: uses many tokens per session.
Choose Semaphore if you want:
- Agents can configure CI from plain requests
- Free monthly credits for small projects
- Open source edition for self-hosting
Watch out: macos minutes cost far more than linux.
Playwright MCP vs Semaphore FAQ
What is the difference between Playwright MCP and Semaphore?
Playwright MCP: Microsoft's MCP server that gives AI agents a real browser. Semaphore: Open source CI/CD service that coding agents can set up and run. Both are coding tools.
Is Playwright MCP or Semaphore cheaper?
Playwright MCP is completely free, while Semaphore is freemium.
Do Playwright MCP and Semaphore have free plans?
Playwright MCP: Yes, fully free. Semaphore: Yes.
Who makes Playwright MCP?
Playwright MCP is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Who makes Semaphore?
Semaphore is made by Semaphore.
Which should I choose, Playwright MCP or Semaphore?
Choose Playwright MCP if you value free and open source and no vision model needed. Choose Semaphore if you value agents can configure ci from plain requests and free monthly credits for small projects.