The three-way buying decision
This shortlist starts with Browserbase and Kernel, then includes Notte as a third implementation path for saved login reuse. A recurring job returns to the same website account in a later browser session. A stored profile must restore the intended user without assuming the website login is still valid.
Saved state can expire or be invalidated by the website. A profile save response establishes that data was stored, not that the next session is authenticated.
A proposed acceptance case
A recurring job returns to the same website account in a later browser session. A stored profile must restore the intended user without assuming the website login is still valid.
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 | An authorized account, its expected identity marker and two separately created browser sessions. |
| Pass condition | The second session reaches a protected page as the expected account after loading the target provider's saved-state resource. |
| Negative case | Invalidate the test website login between sessions. The workflow must detect the expired account state before performing the task. |
| Evidence to retain | Expected account, source and target state references, second-session identity and expired-login result. |
Documented mechanisms, side by side
These labels describe product mechanisms. The linked source and the acceptance case determine whether a mechanism meets this workflow's requirement.
| Requirement | Browserbase | Kernel | Notte |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saved browser state | Contexts | Documented | Documented |
| Credential handling | Identity / Secrets | Vaults (preview) | Documented |
| Website sign-in | Website auth tools | Documented | Documented |
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗docs.browserbase.com [2] ↗kernel.sh [3] ↗kernel.sh [4] ↗docs.notte.cc [5] ↗docs.notte.cc [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.
Kernel: Profiles preserve browser user-data-directory state, including cookies, site data, tabs and preferences. Profile sharing and save behavior need explicit treatment when parallel workers use seeded state.
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.
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗kernel.sh [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗
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.
Kernel: Managed Auth handles website login and eligible connection recovery. Vault fill is a separate flow for applications that control navigation and form submission; the reviewed vault documentation labels that surface as preview.
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.
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗kernel.sh [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [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.
Kernel: Use the plan and browser configuration in Kernel's pricing documentation. Managed networking, account allowances and app execution make a browser-hour comparison only one part of the decision.
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.
What should change the choice?
Notte profiles are relevant for restoring cookies and web storage. Add its managed connection flow when the requirement includes login readiness rather than state restoration alone.
Browserbase: 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.
Kernel: 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.
Keep a source profile or context integration when its documented storage behavior is essential and already verified. State should move only through a supported export/import contract or a fresh authorized login.
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗docs.browserbase.com [2] ↗browserbase.com [3] ↗kernel.sh [4] ↗kernel.sh [5] ↗kernel.sh [6] ↗docs.notte.cc [7] ↗docs.notte.cc [8] ↗notte.cc [9] ↗
How to remove an option from the shortlist
For this workflow, require the following evidence from Browserbase, Kernel and Notte: Expected account, source and target state references, second-session identity and expired-login result.
Remove a proposed configuration when its documented mechanism or a controlled pilot cannot meet the pass condition. Keep an undocumented feature as an unresolved question instead of inventing an equivalence. Do not select a provider solely because it appears in this shortlist.
- The second session reaches a protected page as the expected account after loading the target provider's saved-state resource.
- Invalidate the test website login between sessions. The workflow must detect the expired account state before performing the task.
Sources: docs.browserbase.com [1] ↗kernel.sh [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗
Make a bounded pilot
Save state from an authorized login, start a separate session and verify the exact account on a protected page before running the task.
Use the same authorized account, input and final-state check in each configuration. Treat a missing product contract as an open question; do not turn an undocumented capability into an unsupported claim or a successful test result.
- Record the source account-to-profile mapping without treating its identifier as portable.
- Establish an authorized login in a target session and save it using the target profile contract.
- Verify the account in a second target session and in an expired-login test before changing recurring jobs.