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Browser Use vs Browserbase

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Browser Use starts at $29, Browserbase at $20. Both have a free tier. Both ship a public API.

Side by side

FactBrowser UseBrowserbase
CategoryBrowser Automation AgentsBrowser Automation Agents
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$29 month$20 month
Public APIYesYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, API
CompanyBrowser UseBrowserbase Inc.
Launched20242024
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 1, 2026

What our research says

Browser Use

The open-source library made the category legible, and the hosted service is the practical way to run it at scale without babysitting Chromium instances. CDP compatibility means existing Playwright or Puppeteer code points at it with a config change. The economics are metered all the way down, so a plan price tells you very little about your real bill.

Pros

  • Open-source Python library underneath, so you are not locked into the hosted service
  • CDP-compatible endpoint works with existing Playwright, Puppeteer and Selenium code
  • Residential proxies across 195-plus countries and stealth handling built in
  • Session persistence, structured outputs, workflow replay and human oversight checkpoints
  • Free tier of 10 agent tasks a month for evaluation

Cons

  • Subscription price is a credit float, not included usage — real cost depends on browser-hours, proxy GB and model tokens
  • Proxy egress at $5/GB adds up quickly on media-heavy sites
  • Company founded only in 2024, so operational track record is short
  • Free tier's 3 concurrent sessions rules out any real throughput test

Browserbase

Browserbase removes the operational work of running headless Chrome at scale - proxies, fingerprinting, CAPTCHA, session storage - which is exactly the layer most agent-building teams don't want to own themselves. It's infrastructure, not a finished agent, so there's still integration work to do on top of it.

Pros

  • Automatic CAPTCHA solving and proxy/fingerprint handling out of the box
  • Free tier available to test before paying
  • Session replay and observability for debugging agent runs
  • Open-source Stagehand framework for the automation layer

Cons

  • Free tier is capped at just 1 browser hour, not enough for real workloads
  • Requires developer effort to wire into an actual agent - it's infrastructure, not an end-user tool
  • Overage billing on browser-hours can add up for high-volume use

Which one fits

Choose Browser Use if you need

  • Running web automation without maintaining your own browser infrastructure
  • Teams already on Playwright, Puppeteer or Selenium via the CDP endpoint
  • Agent workflows needing session persistence, replay and human checkpoints

Choose Browserbase if you need

  • Developers building browser-using AI agents
  • Teams scraping sites that block plain HTTP requests
  • Products that need agents to log in and act on behalf of users

Browse all Browser Automation Agents