BrowserMan vs everything else
There are four ways to give an AI agent a browser today. Each one trades something important away. This page walks through all of them — head to head — so you can pick the right stack with clear eyes.
The short version
The four columns below cover every mainstream architecture. BrowserMan is the only one that keeps your real Chrome on your device and still lets agents anywhere drive it.
| Capability | Local automationPlaywright · Browser MCP | Cloud headlessBrowserless · Steel | Managed cloud browsersBrowserbase | BrowserMan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works with your real logged-in sessions | ✓ | ✗ | ⚠uploads your cookies | ✓ |
| Usable by cloud agentsChatGPT, n8n, Slack bots, cron | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cookies never leave your device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Passes modern bot detection | ✓real browser | ✗headless fingerprint | ⚠partial | ✓your real Chrome |
| Zero per-session infrastructure cost | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Works with non-technical usersno CLI required | ⚠ | ✗ | ⚠ | ✓ |
| Multi-browser / multi-account orchestration | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Head-to-head, by product
Every mainstream competitor, with a direct BrowserMan comparison. More pages publishing soon.
BrowserMan vs Browser MCP
The closest architectural match. Both use a Chrome extension; only one reaches agents running anywhere.
BrowserMan vs Playwright MCP
Microsoft's official MCP server is powerful but local-only and developer-facing. Here's when each fits.
BrowserMan vs Browser Use
Browser Use is a Python framework for building agents. BrowserMan is ready-to-use infrastructure.
BrowserMan vs Browserbase
Browserbase gives you cloud Chromes. BrowserMan lets you use the one you're already signed into.
BrowserMan vs Steel
Open-source headless cloud infrastructure vs. your real logged-in Chrome. Where each wins.
BrowserMan vs Cloudflare Browser Run
Headless Chrome on Cloudflare's edge vs. session-based real-browser automation.
BrowserMan vs Stagehand
Stagehand is a TS layer on Playwright. BrowserMan is a different architecture, not a library.
BrowserMan vs mcp-chrome
Another extension-based MCP. See how the hosted relay changes what agents can reach.
BrowserMan vs Anthropic Claude Browser Extension
Anthropic's official extension only works with Claude. BrowserMan works with any agent.
Compare by category
Not sure which approach you're evaluating? Start from the architecture.
Local browser automation
Playwright, Puppeteer, Browser MCP, mcp-chrome. Great on a laptop, limited for cloud agents.
Cloud browser automation
Browserless, Steel, Browserbase, Cloudflare Browser Run. Scale without your logged-in sessions.
MCP servers for browser
The full MCP server landscape for browser automation — local, remote, stdio, SSE.
Your browser. Any AI. One click to revoke.
The extension is free. Setup takes about a minute. You can unplug at any time.