The decision
Start with the product contracts for browser control, saved browser state, credential handling, website sign-in. Different labels do not establish different functionality; compare the implementation and conditions behind each one.
Browserbase provides managed browser sessions and TypeScript Functions that run next to a browser. Contexts preserve browser state, while its identity and secret tools address different parts of the sign-in workflow.
Tilion appears in BrowserArena's browser infrastructure cohort. Its reviewed public homepage currently offers a waitlist and a contact path; that establishes less implementation detail than a public session API guide.
At a glance
| Requirement | Browserbase | Tilion |
|---|---|---|
| Browser control | Documented | Arena integration |
| Saved browser state | Contexts | Not established |
| Credential handling | Identity / Secrets | Not established |
| Website sign-in | Website auth tools | Not established |
| Code execution | TypeScript Functions | Not established |
| Scheduled execution | External trigger path | Not established |
| Live view | Documented | Not established |
| Recordings / replay | Documented | Not established |
| Deployment choice | Hosted service | Not established |
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗docs.browserbase.com [2] ↗docs.browserbase.com [3] ↗docs.browserbase.com [4] ↗docs.browserbase.com [5] ↗tilion.com [6] ↗
What survives a session
Browserbase: Contexts preserve browser data between sessions. Associate the intended Context with each user's browser and decide which sessions may update it; a Context is distinct from a live running session.
Tilion: The reviewed public homepage does not establish profile save/restore behavior. Ask for a documented state contract and test the same signed-in workflow across two separate sessions before relying on persistence.
Website login
Browserbase: The identity documentation covers website authentication and reuse of login state. Contexts and Function Secrets serve different roles: retained browser state versus values available to executing code.
Tilion: The reviewed public material does not establish managed website authentication, credential fill or verification handling. Treat those as open requirements to validate with the provider, not as absent features.
Where the code runs
Browserbase: A Function is TypeScript code published with an entry point. Invocation starts asynchronously, creates a browser, passes its connection URL to the handler, and stores the result, logs and session ID. Function webhooks report status changes.
Tilion: Public documentation reviewed for this comparison does not establish a deployable Function or app-action contract. Confirm where your automation code runs and how invocation, versioning and logs work before choosing the execution path.
Published browser measurements
These are the latest provider runs in the saved BrowserArena snapshot checked on October 18, 2026. Dates and runner environments can differ. A lifecycle test opens, connects, navigates and releases a browser; the throughput test runs a separate browser action sequence. Neither measures managed authentication or deployed Function reliability.
Use these observations to choose what to test in your application. An account-configuration failure, an incompatible page action and a timed-out navigation require different interpretations. BrowserArena is maintained by Notte and publishes its source and methodology.
| Provider | Lifecycle median | Lifecycle P95 | Actions / second | Run dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browserbase | 600 ms | 638 ms | 3.5 | 2026-10-18 / 2026-10-17 |
| Tilion | 124 ms | 292 ms | 5.49 | 2026-10-18 / 2026-10-17 |
Sources: browserarena.ai [1] ↗browserarena.ai [2] ↗github.com [3] ↗
Pricing model
Browserbase: Compare the public plan's included browser allowance and overage with the workflow's duration. Include proxy traffic and any separately priced services; an Arena browser-hour estimate does not describe the whole Browserbase bill.
Tilion: Arena provides an estimated usage rate for its test. The reviewed public homepage does not establish a self-serve production plan, allowances or overage terms. Obtain those terms before quoting a monthly bill.
Capacity and limits
Browserbase: Browser and Function constraints have separate documentation. Check the account's concurrent browser limit, the Function runtime cap and the Function region rather than assuming a browser entitlement covers every execution path.
Tilion: Arena's observed test concurrency is a test configuration, not an account entitlement. Obtain the production concurrency and session creation limits for your access tier before sizing a fleet.
Which approach fits?
Choose Browserbase when you want to deploy TypeScript browser logic or already use Browserbase's browser and Stagehand tooling.
Browserbase tradeoff: An identity feature, a persisted Context and a Function secret solve different problems. Select the required combination instead of treating all three as automatic login.
Choose Tilion when you can obtain access and test the product directly, with its current API and commercial terms in hand.
Tilion tradeoff: Arena measurements do not establish public availability or feature completeness. Confirm access, API details and plan terms before planning a production migration.
Check the browser connection
Install playwright-core in your application and provision a session through the provider's documented creation flow. Run this smoke test from the intended controller region with the returned CDP endpoint. It checks connection and navigation, not login, rendering parity or a complete business workflow.
Keep browser connection URLs on your backend. After the test, release the owned session through the provider's API. Product-specific lifecycle APIs and profile identifiers are not portable between providers.
import { chromium } from "playwright-core";
// Provision the owned browser using the provider's documented session API.
// Keep the connection URL in your backend's secret environment.
const endpoint = process.env.BROWSER_CDP_URL;
if (!endpoint) throw new Error("Set BROWSER_CDP_URL for an owned session");
const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(endpoint);
try {
const context = browser.contexts()[0] ?? await browser.newContext();
const page = context.pages()[0] ?? await context.newPage();
await page.goto("https://example.com", { waitUntil: "domcontentloaded" });
if ((await page.title()) !== "Example Domain") {
throw new Error("The browser did not reach the expected page");
}
console.log({ connected: true, expectedPage: true });
} finally {
await browser.close();
// Release the owned session with the provider's documented API as well.
// A disconnected socket alone is not a portable session-cleanup contract.
}Sources: playwright.dev ↗
Before you switch
Keep the same target workflow when evaluating both products. Separate infrastructure facts from measurements and test the required account state, action sequence and artifacts. A successful connection test does not establish that a long or authenticated task will complete.
Use the focused guides for Browserbase and Tilion below when the deciding requirement is pricing, persistence or code execution. Provider-owned resources such as session IDs, profiles and managed connections need a new mapping during migration.
When Notte belongs on this shortlist
Browserbase's TypeScript Function contract is a reason to retain it when that is the deployed language your team wants. A move to Notte Functions includes a Python execution decision; moving only the browser can leave your existing controller in place.
The reviewed Tilion homepage offers a waitlist and contact route. Arena's tested integration is useful evidence about a run, but a purchasing or migration decision still needs a documented access, state and execution contract; those unknowns must remain visible beside Notte's public docs.
Notte: Create an owned browser session, connect Playwright or Puppeteer over CDP, and stop the session when the work finishes. Browser lifecycle management remains necessary even when the control socket disconnects.
Consider this third option when its documented mechanism addresses a requirement left open by the two providers above. A working configuration on either original provider can still be the better choice; compare the task and ownership cost before switching.
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗tilion.com [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗