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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. Browser Use publishes a starting price ($29); NextBrowser does not. Both have a free tier. Only Browser Use ships a public API.

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
Starts at$29 month—
Public APIYesNo
PlatformsWeb, APImacOS, Windows, Linux
CompanyBrowser Use—
Launched20242025
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 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

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

More comparisons

Browse all Browser Automation Agents →