TL;DROur verdict on Browserbase, in 2 facts
- 1Managed real browser infrastructure for AI agents pool.
- 2Pricing starts at $20.00/mo.
The verdict
Benchmark data and published specifications — here's where Browserbase lands.
- Purpose-built real browsers for AI agents
- Bundled Search and Fetch APIs
- Sandboxed Runtime and Identity layers
- Free tier with no card
- Low $20/mo entry plan
- Automatic CAPTCHA solving on paid plans
- Strong documentation and social presence
- Not a proxy network — no rotating/country targeting
- Founding year, HQ and ownership not disclosed
- Browser-hour and API-call overages add up
- No stated 24/7 support
- Proxy pool size not applicable/undisclosed
Pricing C+ · Performance B · Pool quality B · Support B · Ethics B
Each axis is graded A+ to D using our standard rubric: how we score →
Who should not use Browserbase?+
What we think after testing Browserbase
Editorial review by Helena Björk · last updated Aug 24, 2026
<h3>What Browserbase actually sells</h3> <p><strong>Browserbase is browser infrastructure for AI agents, not a proxy network.</strong> The core product is a managed fleet of real, isolated Chromium sessions an agent connects to over an API, surrounded by the services an autonomous agent needs: a <strong>Search API</strong>, a <strong>Fetch API</strong> that turns a URL into HTML, JSON or markdown, <strong>Runtime</strong> sandboxes for agent code, an <strong>Identity</strong> layer for authenticated sessions, a <strong>Model Gateway</strong> fronting multiple model providers, and observability with session replays and logs. Proxies exist, but as an <em>option attached to a browser session and billed by the gigabyte</em> rather than the thing being sold.</p>
<h3>Who it is for</h3> <p>The natural buyer is a team shipping an agent that has to drive a real browser, filling forms or clicking through authenticated flows, and does not want to run its own Chromium fleet. Browserbase serves that audience with <strong>Stagehand</strong>, its browser-agent SDK that the documentation describes as combining Playwright-level control with AI primitives, plus a browsing CLI and an MCP server. The company states that more than <strong>10,000 companies</strong> build on it.</p>
<h3>Plans and pricing</h3> <p>Pricing is published openly, overage rates included, which is unusual in this category:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Free, $0/mo:</strong> 3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour, 3 agent runs, 1,000 Search and 1,000 Fetch calls, a 15-minute session cap, 7-day retention, $5 in model tokens. No proxies, no CAPTCHA solving.</li> <li><strong>Developer, $20/mo:</strong> 25 concurrent browsers, 100 browser hours then $0.12/hour, 15 agent runs, 1 GB of proxies then <strong>$12/GB</strong>, Search at $7 per 1,000 calls thereafter, Fetch at $1 per 1,000 or $4 with proxies, 30-day retention, CAPTCHA solving.</li> <li><strong>Startup, $99/mo:</strong> 100 concurrent browsers, 500 browser hours then $0.10/hour, 50 agent runs, 10,000 Fetch calls then $0.50 per 1,000 or $4 with proxies, and 5 GB of proxies then <strong>$10/GB</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Scale, custom:</strong> 250+ concurrent browsers, usage-based metering throughout, advanced CAPTCHA handling, SSO, a HIPAA BAA and DPA.</li> </ul>
<h3>Proxies, geotargeting and stealth</h3> <p>Proxy access begins on the Developer plan. Enabling proxies makes what the documentation calls a best-effort attempt to use a US-based proxy, and traffic can be pinned by country, US state and city, with the docs claiming coverage across <strong>201 countries</strong>. Sessions can also route through a customer-supplied proxy, validated at creation. Billing is measured on data transferred, with a <strong>1 MB minimum per session</strong>. For hardened targets, Verified sessions run a purpose-built Chromium with real browser fingerprints rather than randomly generated ones, though the docs note Verified is offered on the Scale plan.</p>
<h3>Honest limitations</h3> <ul> <li><strong>It is not a proxy vendor.</strong> No disclosed pool size, no ASN or ZIP targeting, no sticky-session product and no standalone per-GB plan a scraping team could buy.</li> <li><strong>Proxy bandwidth is costly.</strong> At $10 to $12 per GB it sits well above typical standalone residential rates.</li> <li><strong>Metered costs compound.</strong> Browser hours, agent runs, Search and Fetch calls, proxy gigabytes and model tokens all meter separately, so a busy agent produces a bill that is hard to predict from the $20 or $99 headline.</li> <li><strong>Thin corporate disclosure.</strong> Founding year, headquarters and ownership are not published, and the strongest anti-bot tier is gated behind a custom-priced plan.</li> <li><strong>The free tier is a demo, not a pilot.</strong> One browser hour and a 15-minute session ceiling will not carry an evaluation workload.</li> </ul>
<h3>Verdict</h3> <p>Browserbase is the most complete managed browser layer available to agent developers, and publishing the full overage table is a mark of good faith in a market that usually hides it. It is a first choice for <em>AI-agent web access</em> and not a candidate on any proxy-network shortlist: the proxy layer is a convenience feature with premium per-gigabyte economics and no infrastructure disclosure. The sensible pattern is Browserbase for the browser and agent runtime, plus a dedicated proxy provider once bandwidth volume justifies it.</p>
Editorial score breakdown
How Browserbase scores across the five dimensions our reviewers weigh — pricing, performance, pool quality, support and ethics.
Pricing
From $20.00/GB. Detailed plan breakdown not yet published.
View plans on Browserbase →Features & integrations
What's included out of the box.
Network & infrastructure
How the pool is built, refreshed and addressed.
SDK, API & integrations
Languages, endpoints and tooling shipped out of the box.
Code examples
Drop-in snippets to start using Browserbase from your stack. Replace USER, PASS and the gateway with what you get from your dashboard.
# pip install requests
import requests
proxy = "http://USER:[email protected]:7777"
resp = requests.get(
"https://httpbin.org/ip",
proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy},
timeout=10,
)
print(resp.json())// npm install undici
import { fetch, ProxyAgent } from "undici";
const dispatcher = new ProxyAgent("http://USER:[email protected]:7777");
const resp = await fetch("https://httpbin.org/ip", { dispatcher });
console.log(await resp.json());curl -x http://USER:[email protected]:7777 \
https://httpbin.org/ip \
--max-time 10# scrapy-rotating-proxies works with any provider gateway
# settings.py:
DOWNLOADER_MIDDLEWARES = {
"scrapy.downloadermiddlewares.httpproxy.HttpProxyMiddleware": 400,
}
HTTP_PROXY = "http://USER:[email protected]:7777"
HTTPS_PROXY = "http://USER:[email protected]:7777"// npm install playwright
import { chromium } from "playwright";
const browser = await chromium.launch({
proxy: {
server: "http://gate.browserbase.com:7777",
username: "USER",
password: "PASS",
},
});
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto("https://httpbin.org/ip");
console.log(await page.locator("body").innerText());
await browser.close();Compliance & privacy
Auditable certifications, sourcing and data-handling posture.
Company & resources
Who builds and operates this product.
Key markets covered
Global coverage.
Browserbase vs alternatives
How Browserbase stacks up against the closest providers in our directory. Tap any column header to read that review.
| Metric | Browserbase | SOAX | ProxyRack | Nimbleway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (entry plan) | $20.00 | $4.00 | $5.00 | $2500.00 |
| Pool size | Managed real browser infrastructure for AI agents | 155M+ IPs | 5M+ monthly rotating residential IPs | 72M+ IPs |
| Locations | — | — | — | — |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Read review | YOU ARE HERE | View → | View → | View → |
How to get started with Browserbase
A 5-minute walkthrough from sign-up to your first successful request. Total setup time: ~10 minutes.
-
1
Register for a self-serve account
Create a Browserbase account at https://browserbase.com. Self-serve access is usually available immediately.
-
2
Select the right plan for your workload
Use the dashboard to choose between residential / datacenter / mobile. Start with the smallest plan to validate your workload before scaling.
-
3
Configure user:pass or IP whitelist
Set up either an IP-whitelist auth or username:password pair from the dashboard. Save the proxy hostname + port into your scraper or browser config.
-
4
Decide rotate-per-request vs sticky
Decide between rotating-on-every-request (best for SERP scraping) or sticky sessions (best for account-based workflows).
-
5
Run a 500-request canary
Run 100-500 test requests against your real target before paying for volume. Compare success rate to Browserbase's claimed rate before committing to an annual plan.
Stuck? Check Browserbase's documentation or email us.
User reviews
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FAQ
The questions buyers actually ask.