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It's a split decision.
Choose Browserbase if your application needs a hosted browser platform with Search and Fetch APIs, observability, runtime, and integrations for Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium, Stagehand, CrewAI or LangChain. Choose Browser Use if you want task-to-JSON agents, an open-source Browser Harness for Claude Code or Codex, or on-prem browser deployment. Browser Use publishes clearer usage rates; Browserbase’s paid base-plan prices are not published, so model overages and confirm the quote before scaling.
01Side by side
| Browserbase | Browser Use | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Tiered quotas; overages billed by usage | Pay-as-you-go; no subscription or annual billing |
| Free tier | Free: 1 browser hour, 3 agent runs | $1 one-time signup credit; credits never expire |
| Open source and licence | Open-source status not stated | Browser Harness open source; licence name not stated |
| Self-hosting | Cloud infrastructure; self-hosting not stated | On-prem deployment available |
| API and SDKs | One API key; Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium support | Task-to-JSON agents; open-source Browser Harness |
| Integrations | Stagehand, CrewAI, LangChain, HTTP-request tools | Claude Code, Codex, Hermes Agent |
| Deployment model | Browserbase-hosted cloud browsers and runtime | US/EU cloud or on-prem; EU in Frankfurt |
| Limits and scaling | 3–250+ concurrency by plan; browser-hour quotas | Up to 1,000 browsers; custom enterprise concurrency |
Browserbase Choose Browserbase if
- Choose Browserbase if you need hosted browsers plus Search and Fetch APIs.
- Choose Browserbase if your stack already uses Playwright, Puppeteer or Selenium.
- Choose Browserbase if you need session logs, live view and replay.
Browser Use Choose Browser Use if
- Choose Browser Use if you need on-prem browser deployment.
- Choose Browser Use if you want an open-source harness for Claude Code or Codex.
- Choose Browser Use if published per-use rates help you model spend.
02Pricing at real usage
Browserbase’s free Start for Free tier includes 3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour, 3 agent runs, 1,000 Search calls, 1,000 Fetch calls and $5 in model tokens. Developer and Startup base prices aren’t published; included browser time is 100 and 500 hours, then $0.12/hour and $0.10/hour respectively. Search and Fetch overages also vary by plan and use.
Browser Use lists Pay as you go at $0/month, with a $1 one-time signup credit and credits that never expire. Browser time costs $0.02/hour, billed by the minute with a one-minute minimum; home-IP traffic is $5/GB, while direct or your own proxy is $0.20/GB. The homepage lists web-agent tasks at $0.006 each. Concurrency reaches 1,000, with thresholds tied to total paid: $100 for 50 browsers and $25,000 for 1,000.
03API, SDKs and integration
Browserbase is a hosted browser platform accessed with one API key. Its browser layer supports Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium and Stagehand; the product also exposes Search and Fetch APIs, with Fetch returning HTML, JSON or markdown. Its integrations also include CrewAI, LangChain and tools that make HTTP requests. Browserbase offers runtime deployment and observability alongside browser sessions, and links to docs. The vendor doesn’t name SDK languages, so verify client-library needs before choosing an implementation.
Browser Use separates task-level agents from the browser harness: its web agents accept a task and return JSON, while Browser Harness is a free, open-source browser tool for Claude Code and Codex. The homepage also names Hermes Agent as a Browser Harness user. It doesn’t identify language SDKs or a CLI. Choose based on whether you need a hosted API surface and browser-framework integrations, or an agent-oriented harness with named coding-agent integrations.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Browserbase is presented as hosted cloud infrastructure; its product information doesn’t state that it is open source or self-hostable. Browser Use says Browser Harness is open source and offers on-prem deployment for browsers, alongside US or EU cloud; EU runs stay in Frankfurt. The homepage doesn’t name the Harness licence, so check its repository terms before redistributing or embedding it.
Neither vendor publishes data-export formats or a migration path on these pages. That matters if agent traces, browser state or task definitions need to move between providers. Browserbase’s API, Search and Fetch services, and runtime create integration points around its hosted stack. Browser Use’s on-prem option gives more control over browser placement, but doesn’t establish portability of agent workflows. Confirm what can be exported and whether browser sessions and logs remain accessible after termination.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Browserbase or Browser Use?
Browser Use lists $0.02 per browser hour and $0.006 per web-agent task, with no subscription. Browserbase includes browser hours and API calls in its tiers, then charges usage-based rates. Its Developer and Startup base prices aren’t published, so compare expected overages and request the plan price.
Can I self-host Browserbase or Browser Use?
Browser Use lists on-prem deployment, as well as US or EU cloud browsers. Browserbase describes hosted cloud infrastructure and doesn’t state a self-hosting option. If browser execution must remain on your network, Browser Use is the option with an on-prem deployment listed.
Which product supports Playwright?
Browserbase lists Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium and Stagehand among its supported tools. Browser Use presents task-based web agents and Browser Harness for Claude Code and Codex; its homepage names Hermes Agent as a user of the harness. Choose based on whether you need a browser-framework integration or an agent harness.
Which product supports more concurrent browsers?
Browser Use lists up to 1,000 browsers at once for its pay-as-you-go plan, with custom concurrency above 1,000 on Enterprise. Browserbase lists 3, 25, 100 and 250+ concurrent browsers across its plans. Check the included browser-hour quotas and overage rates as well as concurrency.