Which parts of the browser stack will your team operate?
Managed browser access removes one infrastructure responsibility. Your team may still own the code runner, state store, scheduler and artifacts. A self-hosted engine moves more of that responsibility back into your environment.
Moving a browser to another region while leaving the controller in place changes the network path of every action. The advertised browser creation time does not describe those repeated round trips.
Compare deployment ownership
Kernel: Kernel Apps move the automation process next to the browser. Alternatively, an external process can control a browser through the browser API. Choose based on execution locality and deployment ownership.
Tilion: The public access path currently points to a waitlist and contact. A production integration needs an agreed API contract, service access and ownership of the browser lifecycle.
Sources: kernel.sh [1] ↗tilion.com [2] ↗
Compare the execution model
Kernel: Deploy a TypeScript or Python App and expose Actions that callers invoke. Kernel co-locates code with the browser environments the app creates. An Action invocation is the execution unit rather than a bare CDP connection.
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.
Sources: kernel.sh [1] ↗tilion.com [2] ↗
Compare operational limits
Kernel: Kernel documents concurrent browsers, browser creation rate and per-browser resources separately. Standby browsers can still consume concurrency. Pools change how browsers are acquired; they do not erase account limits.
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.
Sources: kernel.sh [1] ↗tilion.com [2] ↗
How to evaluate this choice
Use the deployment that fits the work your team wants to own. Reusing an existing runner can be practical; a hosted Function can reduce operations; self-hosting can meet a specific infrastructure requirement at the cost of operating it.
- Draw the controller, browser, state store and scheduler as separate components.
- Check the available browser and execution regions independently.
- Identify which provider owns upgrades, capacity and recordings.
- Verify code and stored-state portability before changing providers.
- Include maintenance and on-call work in a self-hosting decision.
Requirements side by side
| Requirement | Kernel | Tilion |
|---|---|---|
| Browser control | Documented | Arena integration |
| Saved browser state | Documented | Not established |
| Code execution | TypeScript / Python Apps | Not established |
| Deployment choice | Check deployment offering | Not established |
Sources: kernel.sh [1] ↗kernel.sh [2] ↗kernel.sh [3] ↗kernel.sh [4] ↗kernel.sh [5] ↗kernel.sh [6] ↗tilion.com [7] ↗
Which approach fits?
Choose Kernel when your code makes many browser calls and you want to deploy it beside the browser, or you need Kernel's managed sign-in flow.
Kernel tradeoff: Browser-local code changes the deployment model. Check app action behavior, account limits and persistent-state ownership before moving an external worker into it.
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.
Sources: kernel.sh [1] ↗tilion.com [2] ↗
A useful acceptance check
Write a pass/fail result for the real task before running the evaluation. Record the account, configuration and code version next to that result. Repeat failures need an explanation, not an automatically different browser configuration.
When Notte belongs on this shortlist
Kernel's browser-local Apps make execution placement part of the decision. Compare the repeated action path with the proposed Notte controller or Function deployment before concluding that a lifecycle or hourly-rate difference decides the workflow.
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: Functions deploy Python code with a run() entry point. Invoke them over HTTP or with an SDK, inspect run history, and roll back code by redeploying an earlier version as the latest version.
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.