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Browser Use vs NextBrowser

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.

The short answer

Free plan
Both — Browser Use has a free plan, NextBrowser is free to use
Public API
Browser Use has one; not confirmed by us for NextBrowser
Best fit
Browser Use: Running web automation without maintaining your own browser infrastructure · NextBrowser: Running one local AI agent across several separate browser identities
Platforms
Browser Use: Web · NextBrowser: macOS, Windows, Linux
Trust score
About even — Browser Use 78, NextBrowser 80

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Browser UseManaged cloud browsers driven by AI agents, from a plain-language task or from Python and TypeScript code.NextBrowserDesktop workspace that hands a local AI agent managed browser profiles, proxies and scheduled runs

Side by side

FactBrowser UseNextBrowser
CategoryBrowser Automation AgentsBrowser Automation Agents
Pricing modelFreemiumFree
Public APIYesNot confirmed
Trust score78 / 10080 / 100
PlatformsWeb, APImacOS, Windows, Linux
CompanyBrowser Use—
Launched20242025
Last verifiedOct 16, 2026Oct 15, 2026

What our research says

Browser Use

The MIT-licensed 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. Billing is now pure pay-as-you-go with no subscription, so light users pay cents while heavy proxy traffic or frontier models add up fast.

Pros

  • MIT-licensed open-source library underneath, so you are not locked into the hosted service
  • CDP-compatible endpoint works with existing Playwright, Puppeteer and Selenium code
  • No subscription: credits from $5 never expire, and new sign-ups get $1 free
  • Concurrency starts at 10 sessions and rises automatically with lifetime spend
  • Models from several providers, or your own key

Cons

  • Real cost depends on browser-minutes, proxy GB and model tokens, with a 20% fee on tokens
  • Residential proxy is on by default at $5/GB, which adds up quickly on media-heavy sites
  • Company founded only in 2024, so its operational track record is short

NextBrowser

A supervision layer for agent-driven browsing: profiles, proxy rotation, live view and scheduling in one desktop window, with the agent you already run doing the thinking. It is early — v1.2 shipped in August 2026 — and the anonymous operator plus the absence of any published pricing or terms is a real risk for anything you would call production work.

Pros

  • Separate browser profiles with per-profile proxy and fingerprint rotation
  • Live view with tabs, screenshots and identity checks during a run
  • Scheduled recurring runs with prompt, agent, time and weekday settings
  • Native builds for macOS, Windows and Linux from a public release repo

Cons

  • No published pricing, terms or company identity
  • Scheduled runs only fire while the desktop app is open
  • Much of the marketing is about mass social-account automation, which breaks most platforms' terms

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 NextBrowser if you need

  • Running one local AI agent across several separate browser identities
  • Repeatable research passes over ad libraries, storefronts or competitor pages
  • Watching what an agent actually clicked instead of trusting a log

Browser Use vs NextBrowser: the questions people ask

Does Browser Use or NextBrowser have a free tier?

Both: Browser Use has a free tier, and NextBrowser is free to use.

Which has a public API, Browser Use or NextBrowser?

Browser Use ships a public API, as of our last verification. A public API for NextBrowser is not confirmed by us — check its developer docs before you plan an integration.

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