Decide whether this move earns its cost
A customer authorizes an application to operate an existing website account. The application must distinguish a usable connection from a browser that merely started.
Steel's managed and self-hosted choices make infrastructure ownership a concrete deciding factor. Keep that option on the shortlist when operating the browser is intentional; evaluate Notte when owning fewer execution and authentication components is the actual goal.
Notte Managed Auth is relevant when a saved website connection and its readiness check should precede browser execution. A profile and a credential vault remain distinct resources.
Another provider's managed-auth flow can be the better fit when it already supports the application's consent and handoff experience. Confirm supported websites and the actual user path rather than comparing the feature name.
Keep the result contract stable
A consenting test user, the intended website account and an application-owned connection mapping.
The task waits for a usable connection and verifies the expected account before taking an action on the customer's behalf.
Preserve the evidence contract across the move: Consenting application user, intended account, connection reference and readiness outcome.
Map the workflow's resources
| Requirement | Steel | Notte |
|---|---|---|
| Saved browser state | Documented | Documented |
| Credential handling | Credentials API | Documented |
| Website sign-in | Profile / credential flows | Documented |
Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.steel.dev [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗docs.notte.cc [4] ↗
Website login
Steel: Steel's Credentials API stores credentials for users or agents. Its cookbook demonstrates using stored credentials with Playwright, while profiles and auth contexts preserve signed-in browser state.
Notte: Vaults substitute credential placeholders in supported browser actions outside the model context. Managed Auth checks requested saved connections before automation. Personas supply an inbox and optional phone number for verification workflows.
What survives a session
Steel: The Profiles API documents reusable browser context, cookies, extensions, credentials and browser settings. Steel also documents lighter auth-context reuse, which should not be confused with a complete profile.
Notte: Profiles save cookies, local storage and session storage. Sessions start with fresh state by default. Persisting a profile writes state back when the session ends; a running session can also save its state explicitly.
Pricing model
Steel: Hosted browser plans and a self-hosted browser have different cost structures. For self-hosting, include the worker, compute, networking, storage and operations rather than assigning the open-source code a zero operating cost.
Notte: The public usage rates are $0.01 per browser-hour, $0.05 per Function-hour and $10 per GB of managed proxy traffic. Paid plans return their price as usage credits. Price the relevant meters and plan eligibility for the workload.
Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗notte.cc [2] ↗
Cut over one responsibility at a time
For this Steel-to-Notte migration, keep the business assertion outside provider resource management. Source profile, connection, file and execution IDs are not valid target IDs; use a documented transfer path or establish the corresponding resource in Notte.
Retain source job history and a rollback route until the target pilot passes. A migration checklist is not evidence that saved state or runtime behavior is automatically portable.
- Inventory the source connection's owner and the actions the user authorized.
- Create a target connection through an authorized user flow instead of copying provider-owned IDs.
- Verify readiness, account identity and the user handoff before moving customer tasks.
Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.notte.cc [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗
A proposed acceptance case
This is an evaluation design, not a claim that this workflow has been executed successfully on every provider.
| Part of the test | Required observation |
|---|---|
| Controlled input | A consenting test user, the intended website account and an application-owned connection mapping. |
| Pass condition | The task waits for a usable connection and verifies the expected account before taking an action on the customer's behalf. |
| Negative case | Start a test with a connection that is not ready. The browser workflow must stop or request the required user step rather than acting in an anonymous or different account. |
| Evidence to retain | Consenting application user, intended account, connection reference and readiness outcome. |
A reason to delay or keep the source
Start a test with a connection that is not ready. The browser workflow must stop or request the required user step rather than acting in an anonymous or different account.
Steel: Hosted and self-hosted Steel are different operating choices. A cloud feature's documentation does not establish identical packaging, retention or operational support in a self-hosted installation.
Delay cutover when the target's selected plan, required artifact path or supported website-account flow is not established. Resolve that gap before moving real jobs, even if the rate comparison favors the target.
Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗notte.cc [2] ↗