Browserbase vs Steel vs Hyperbrowser
Short answer: Browserbase, Steel and Hyperbrowser all rent cloud browsers to AI agents. Browserbase pairs managed browsers with its Stagehand framework. Steel is open source and can be self-hosted. Hyperbrowser bundles browsers with a Web API and its own agent library. The key difference is what you want to own: the framework, the infrastructure or the whole agent stack.
The three are listed alphabetically, not ranked.
At a glance
Browserbase
Steel
HyperbrowserBrowserbase vs Steel vs Hyperbrowser features
| Feature | Browserbase | Steel | Hyperbrowser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Managed browsers, Search and Fetch APIs, Agent Identity and Functions under one API key (per Browserbase) | API for fleets of browsers; Steel Browser is the open-source server and Steel Cloud the managed version (per Steel) | Cloud browsers, sandboxes, web data APIs and managed agents (per Hyperbrowser) |
| Automation frameworks | Stagehand (JavaScript, Python), Playwright (JavaScript, Python, Java, C#), Puppeteer, Selenium | Playwright, Puppeteer and Selenium over a CDP WebSocket; Python and Node SDKs and a REST API. Its repo notes Selenium does not cover every CDP session feature | Playwright and Puppeteer against a cloud Chrome session; Python and Node SDKs and a CLI; LangChain, LlamaIndex and Stagehand integrations |
| Own agent library | Stagehand: MIT licensed (25.9k GitHub stars), TypeScript, Python and Go, with act, extract and observe | No agent framework listed; Steel is the browser layer under your own agent code | HyperAgent: GNU AGPL v3 license file (1.6k GitHub stars) |
| Open source and self-hosting | Managed only; on-prem not offered. Private cloud and VPC connectivity for large enterprise (per Browserbase) | Steel Browser is Apache-2.0 (7.9k GitHub stars) and runs from one Docker command; Steel Cloud is the managed version. The repo says it is in public beta | Cloud platform; self-hosting not listed. The MCP server repository is MIT licensed |
| CAPTCHA and stealth | Auto captcha solving and basic stealth on Developer and Startup; advanced stealth and Verified Agents on Scale (per Browserbase) | Captcha solves priced per 1,000; fingerprint rotation and human-like mouse movement (per Steel); stealth browser listed under Enterprise | Captcha solving on paid plans; basic stealth, with ultra stealth on Enterprise only (per Hyperbrowser docs) |
| Proxies | Residential and datacenter proxies; custom proxy configurations supported (per Browserbase) | Residential and datacenter proxies, targeted from country to city, with dedicated, rotating or sticky IPs (per Steel) | Residential proxies on Startup, premium residential on Scale and Enterprise (per Hyperbrowser) |
| Observability | Logs, live view and session replay (per Browserbase) | Live viewer, recordings, replays and human takeover for steps like 2FA (per Steel) | Live inspection and session recordings; saved profiles with cookies and logins (per Hyperbrowser) |
| MCP | Hosted MCP server with six tools (start, end, navigate, act, observe, extract). The self-hostable repository is archived | steel-mcp-server (MIT) for Claude and other MCP clients, installed from GitHub; its README says the hosted endpoint is not live yet | Local MCP server run with npx; tools to scrape, extract structured data and crawl |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II infrastructure (per Browserbase); HIPAA BAA and DPA on its Enterprise card | HIPAA-ready BAA on Scale and Enterprise (per Steel); security trust center at trust.steel.dev | Trust center lists a SOC 2 Type 1 report on request; security program aligned with SOC 2 criteria (per Hyperbrowser) |
| Support | Support portal and email; SSO and private cloud options for enterprise | Email and community on every plan, dedicated Slack channel on Scale, 911 email and SLAs on Enterprise | Premium support on Enterprise |
Features from browserbase.com, steel.dev and hyperbrowser.ai, plus their docs and GitHub repositories.
Browserbase vs Steel vs Hyperbrowser pricing
The three bill differently. Browserbase includes browser hours in each plan and charges overage. Steel charges a base price plus usage drawn from your credits. Hyperbrowser sells credits and prices every service in them, including agent steps at 20 credits ($0.02) each. The numbers do not line up one to one, so price your own workload.
| Plan | Browserbase | Steel | Hyperbrowser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free, $0. 3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour, 15 minute sessions, 7 day retention, no captcha solving. | Launch, $0 plus usage. $30 of credits once, 10 concurrent sessions, 15 minute sessions, up to 3 seats, 7 day retention. No credit card. | Free, $0. 5,000 credits (50 browser hours per its page), 1 concurrent session, 7 day retention. |
| Entry paid | Developer, $20 a month. 25 concurrent, 100 browser hours, 1 GB of proxy, 30 day retention. | Scale, $250 a month plus usage. $100 of credits each month, 100 concurrent, 1 hour sessions, unlimited seats, 14 day retention. | Startup, $30 a month. $30 of usage (30,000 credits), 25 concurrent, residential proxy, 30 day retention. |
| Higher paid | Startup, $99 a month. 100 concurrent, 500 browser hours, 5 GB of proxy. | Enterprise is the next step (below). | Scale, $100 a month. $100 of usage (100,000 credits), 100 concurrent, premium residential proxy. |
| Enterprise | Scale, custom. 250+ concurrent, advanced stealth, Verified Agents. HIPAA BAA, DPA and SSO on its Enterprise card. | Custom. 1,000+ concurrent, sessions up to 24 hours, stealth browser, reserved pools, SLAs, SSO. | Custom. 1,000+ concurrent, ultra stealth, 180+ day retention, premium support, 14 day trial. |
| Browser time | $0.12 an hour past Developer's included hours; $0.10 on Startup. | $0.10 an hour on Launch; $0.08 on Scale. | 100 credits an hour, which is $0.10 (1 credit is $0.001). |
| Proxy | $12 per GB past Developer's 1 GB; $10 on Startup. | $10 per GB on Launch; $6 on Scale. Dedicated IPs $5 each on Scale. | $10 per GB on every plan (10,000 credits). |
| CAPTCHA solving | Included on Developer and Startup; not on Free. | $3 per 1,000 solves on Launch; $1 on Scale. | On paid plans; its docs list no separate charge. |
Prices from browserbase.com/pricing, steel.dev/pricing and hyperbrowser.ai/pricing.
What it's like to use Browserbase, Steel and Hyperbrowser
All three give your agent a real browser it can drive from Playwright or Puppeteer code, so the first hour feels similar. The differences show up when you ask where the browser runs, who writes the agent logic and how the meter counts.
Browserbase
Browserbase is the most guided of the three. The quickstart starts in a Playground: pick a template, press run, watch it in Live View, then open the run in the Session Inspector before you write any integration code. From there you choose Stagehand, Playwright, Puppeteer or Selenium. What stood out to me is that Stagehand, its own MIT-licensed framework, sits next to the browsers, so one vendor covers the browser and the agent layer.
What I liked
- The Playground, Live View and Session Inspector make a first run easy to understand.
- Stagehand offers act, extract and observe in TypeScript, Python and Go, and does not require Browserbase.
- Docs cover four automation frameworks across several languages.
- Regions include US East, US West, EU Central and the UK.
What I didn't
- Managed only: on-prem is not offered, and private cloud is for large enterprise.
- Advanced stealth and Verified sessions sit on the Scale plan.
- The free plan caps sessions at 15 minutes and gives 1 browser hour.
- Several meters (browser hours, proxy GB, search, fetch) make a bill harder to forecast.
Best for: teams that want managed browsers, replay tooling and an agent framework from one vendor.
Steel
Steel feels like infrastructure you could also run yourself. The quickstart installs a CLI or an SDK, sets an API key, creates a session, connects over a WebSocket URL and releases the session. Because Steel Browser is Apache-2.0 and starts from a single Docker command, you can try the open-source server locally before paying for the cloud. What I noticed is that this openness comes with some polish still to come: the repository calls itself a public beta.
What I liked
- Apache-2.0 server with a one-line Docker start and a Swagger UI for the API.
- Human takeover lets a person finish a 2FA or payment step, then hand back to the agent.
- Unit prices are plain: browser hours, proxy GB and captcha solves each have a rate.
- Sessions can run up to 24 hours on Enterprise, and an MCP server is available.
What I didn't
- Self-hosted setups can fail to launch the container, for example without dbus.
- The docs have small snags, such as building the WebSocket URL yourself and differing parameter names between SDKs.
- Launch sessions end at 15 minutes, and the stealth browser is listed under Enterprise.
- The MCP server is installed from GitHub, and its README says the hosted endpoint is not live yet.
Best for: teams that want the option to self-host the browser layer, or that value open-source control.
Hyperbrowser
Hyperbrowser reads as a broader toolbox. Its docs split into three offerings, Browser Sessions, a Web API and AI Agents, each with a quick start, plus sandboxes and a CLI. Everything is billed in credits, so a browser hour, a fetch call and a HyperAgent step draw from the same balance. Hyperbrowser says its browsers run as containers kept warm in a pool, which is how it keeps session starts quick.
What I liked
- One credit balance covers browsers, fetch, search, scraping and agent steps, all itemised in the docs.
- The free plan lists 50 browser hours to try things on.
- Integrations are documented for LangChain, LlamaIndex, Stagehand and function calling.
- Session timeouts are configurable per session, and keepAlive holds a session after you disconnect.
What I didn't
- Free is limited to 1 concurrent session, and captcha solving needs a paid plan.
- Ultra stealth is Enterprise only, and some sites need proxies for captcha solving to work reliably.
- No self-hosting is listed, and HyperAgent uses the AGPL license, which needs a read if you ship commercial software.
- Credits mean a little arithmetic to turn spend into browser hours.
Best for: teams that want browsers, a web data API and agent tooling on one meter.
Which to choose
If you want managed browsers with replay tooling and a first-party agent framework, Browserbase fits. If you want the option to run the browser layer yourself, or you value an open-source server, Steel fits. If you want browsers, a web data API and agent tooling billed from one credit balance, Hyperbrowser fits. All three have free entry plans, so run each on your own sites before you commit, especially for captcha-heavy targets.
Where viaSocket fits
viaSocket does not offer cloud browsers, so it is not part of this comparison. It is an integration layer for AI agents and SaaS products with 2,300+ integrations, which suits cases where the app you need has an API and your agent can call it directly instead of driving a browser. Its free plan lists 100K tasks a month and unlimited connected accounts.
Check out viaSocket →FAQ
What is the main difference between Browserbase, Steel and Hyperbrowser?
All three provide cloud browsers for AI agents. Browserbase is managed only and pairs its browsers with the Stagehand framework. Steel offers an open-source Apache-2.0 browser server you can self-host, plus a managed cloud. Hyperbrowser bundles browsers with a Web API and agent tooling billed in credits.
Do all three have a free plan?
Yes. Browserbase Free gives 3 concurrent browsers and 1 browser hour. Steel Launch gives $30 of credits once and 10 concurrent sessions. Hyperbrowser Free gives 5,000 credits, which its page states as 50 browser hours, and 1 concurrent session.
Can I self-host any of them?
Steel Browser is Apache-2.0 and runs from a Docker image. Browserbase is managed only and does not offer on-prem. Hyperbrowser does not list self-hosting, though its HyperAgent library is published under the AGPL.
How do they handle CAPTCHAs and proxies?
Browserbase includes automatic captcha solving from the Developer plan and proxies by the GB. Steel prices captcha solves per 1,000 and proxies per GB. Hyperbrowser solves captchas on paid plans and charges proxy data at $10 per GB.
Do they support MCP?
Yes, in different forms. Browserbase has a hosted MCP server. Steel publishes an MCP server installed from GitHub. Hyperbrowser provides an MCP server you run locally with npx.
What compliance do they state?
Browserbase states SOC 2 Type II infrastructure and lists HIPAA BAA and DPA for Enterprise. Steel lists HIPAA-ready BAAs on Scale and Enterprise. Hyperbrowser's trust center lists a SOC 2 Type 1 report on request. Confirm current documents with each vendor.
Sources
- Browserbase: pricing, homepage, docs, Stagehand docs, Stagehand on GitHub, MCP repository
- Steel: pricing, homepage, docs, GitHub, GitHub issues, MCP server, Hacker News launch thread
- Hyperbrowser: pricing, homepage, docs, credit rates, HyperAgent on GitHub, trust center, Hacker News launch thread