COMPARISON
Browserbase vs Browser Use.
They sit at different layers. Browserbase rents you the browser; Browser Use is mainly the agent that drives one, an open-source library with a cloud of its own. Many teams use them together. If you already have an agent you like, such as Claude Code or Codex, there’s a third option: give it a computer.
Updated
At a glance
| Browserbase | Browser Use | ibara | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Cloud browsers for your agent or scripts | A browser agent (open-source library) and a cloud that runs it | Computer use on computers you own, for the agent you already use |
| Who does the thinking | Your agent or code | Browser Use’s agent, with the model you choose | Your agent |
| Where the browser runs | Browserbase’s cloud | Browser Use’s cloud, or anywhere the library runs | Your own computers |
| Browser time | Developer: $20 a month with 100 hours, then $0.12 an hour | $0.02 an hour, pay as you go | Free software; you supply the hardware |
| Agent runs | Not sold; bring your own | Model price plus 20% | Not sold; your agent’s usual costs |
| Source | Proprietary service; Stagehand is MIT | Library is MIT | MIT core and plugin |
| MCP | Yes | Cloud and local servers | Yes: ibara is an MCP server |
From each vendor’s own pages, checked 15 October 2026. Prices change; check before you buy.
What each one is
Browserbase runs browsers in the cloud for AI agents and automation, with search, fetch, functions and sandboxes alongside. It maintains Stagehand, an open-source framework for browser agents, and integrates with OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s agents, Google’s ADK and Browser Use itself.
Browser Use started as an open-source Python library that lets a language model use a website. Browser Use Cloud now runs that agent, and plain browsers, for you, with proxies, saved profiles and an MCP server.
Browser or agent
The real question is which layer you’re buying. If you already have an agent or your own automation code, you need somewhere for its browser to run: that’s Browserbase. If you want a ready-made agent you can hand a goal to, that’s Browser Use, and its library can run on Browserbase’s browsers as well as its own.
Pricing
Browserbase’s free plan has 1 browser hour. Developer is $20 a month with 100 hours, then $0.12 an hour, up to 25 browsers at once; Startup is $99 a month with 500 hours, then $0.10 an hour. Proxy traffic is extra after the included amount.
Browser Use Cloud is pay as you go: $1 of free credit, then $0.02 a browser hour and $5 a GB for residential proxies. When its agent does the work, you pay the model’s price plus 20%. How many browsers you can run at once grows with what you’ve spent, from 10 at the start up to 1,000.
Browser Use’s browser hours cost a sixth of Browserbase’s rate after the included hours. Its agent runs add 20% to the model’s price, which you don’t pay when your own agent drives a Browserbase browser.
Logins, people and proof
Both keep logins between sessions, solve captchas and offer proxies. Browser Use can sync a profile from a browser you’re signed in to locally, and lets a person step into a run. Browserbase leads on proof: live view, session replays and MP4 recordings, plus Verified agent identity for sites that want to know an agent is visiting. Browser Use records sessions too, but recording is off by default.
Which to choose
- Choose Browserbase if you have your own agent or automation and want dependable cloud browsers with strong observability.
- Choose Browser Use if you want an agent that works websites out of the box, or the lowest price per browser hour.
- Use both if you like Browser Use’s agent and Browserbase’s infrastructure.
A third option: give your agent a computer
Both are built around the browser. ibara is computer use built for Omarchy: it gives the agent you already use (Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use MCP tools) the whole desktop of a computer you own. There’s no new agent to learn and no browser hours to buy.
- Browser and apps. The agent uses a real browser and every desktop app on that computer, so a task can leave the browser.
- Your connection. Websites see your home or office connection, not a data center address.
- Logins stay put. The computer keeps its browser profile and files between tasks.
- You choose who’s driving. Watch, take control and hand it back.
ibara is built for Omarchy, and you scale by adding computers, not by starting hundreds of browsers in seconds. For that kind of volume, a hosted service is the better fit. Real computers vs cloud covers the trade.
Install ibara · Take over the demo
Sources
All checked 15 October 2026. ibara.app publishes this page; ibara is the third option.
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