Steel vs Browserless

The decision

Start with the product contracts for saved browser state, credential handling, website sign-in, code execution. Different labels do not establish different functionality; compare the implementation and conditions behind each one.

Steel is a browser API with managed cloud and self-hosted deployment paths. Its current documentation covers persistent profiles, a credential API, session replay and agent observability.

Browserless provides hosted browser access and self-hosted options. Its documentation separates BaaS, BrowserQL and BAP, with different ways to control sessions, preserve state and use credentials.

At a glance

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.steel.dev [2] ↗docs.steel.dev [3] ↗docs.steel.dev [4] ↗docs.steel.dev [5] ↗docs.steel.dev [6] ↗docs.browserless.io [7] ↗docs.browserless.io [8] ↗docs.browserless.io [9] ↗docs.browserless.io [10] ↗docs.browserless.io [11] ↗docs.browserless.io [12] ↗

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.

Browserless: Browserless documents authenticated profiles and reconnect flows. A retained profile and a reconnectable live browser preserve different state; choose the mechanism based on whether the running page must continue.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

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.

Browserless: BAP documents loadSecret() with a configured 1Password integration. Profiles provide another way to reuse authenticated state. Check the selected product's prerequisites before treating these as interchangeable login options.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

Where the code runs

Steel: The reviewed browser documentation establishes sessions, profiles and credentials. It does not establish a hosted Python handler with deployment and invocation APIs. An external worker can control a Steel browser; price and operate that worker separately.

Browserless: Browserless supports several code and control surfaces. Compare the exact runtime endpoint or external runner you intend to use, including its language, deployment, versioning and invocation contract.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

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.

Sources: browserarena.ai [1] ↗browserarena.ai [2] ↗github.com [3] ↗

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.

Browserless: Browserless Cloud uses units. Browser time consumes one unit per 30-second increment, rounding partial increments upward; proxy traffic and other services also consume units. Included units and overage depend on the plan.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

Capacity and limits

Steel: Steel's pricing and limits page describes hosted account entitlements. For a self-hosted deployment, capacity depends on the resources and orchestration you operate as well as the browser process.

Browserless: Account concurrency and session routing affect a Browserless deployment. Use its concurrent-session guidance, and distinguish shared cloud, managed dedicated and self-hosted capacity.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

Which approach fits?

Choose Steel when you want browser infrastructure that can fit a self-hosted deployment, with profiles and credentials available through browser-focused APIs.

Steel tradeoff: 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.

Choose Browserless when you need a browser service that fits existing automation libraries or a self-hosted deployment, and can select the appropriate Browserless product.

Browserless tradeoff: The connection route and product matter. A feature documented for BAP or a managed dedicated deployment should not be assumed to exist on every shared BaaS endpoint.

Sources: docs.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗

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 Steel and Browserless 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

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.

Choose the Browserless product and deployment before drawing a conclusion from its documentation. BAP, shared browser access and a self-hosted service can have different features; Notte's session and Function resources should be compared with the specific path you would purchase.

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.steel.dev [1] ↗docs.browserless.io [2] ↗docs.notte.cc [3] ↗

Keep comparing