Key takeaways
The TL;DR. 2 headline facts about Steel pulled from our test rig + their public documentation.
- ▸Open-source cloud browser API, multi-region pool.
- ▸Pricing starts at $29.00/mo.
The verdict
Independent nightly benchmarks since March 2024 — here's where Steel lands.
- Open source with Docker self-hosting option
- Supports Puppeteer, Playwright and Selenium
- Public, transparent credit-based pricing
- Sessions up to 24 hours
- Integrated CAPTCHA solving
- Multi-region support and built-in Session Viewer observability
- Free Hobby tier to start
- Proxy types (residential vs datacenter) not disclosed
- Proxy pool size not disclosed
- No disclosed 24/7 support
- Founding year and HQ not disclosed
- Rotating-proxy behavior not explicitly documented
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 Steel?+
What we think after testing Steel
Editorial review by Maya Cortez · last tested May 26, 2026
Steel markets itself as an open-source browser API purpose-built for AI agents, and it is one of the more transparent providers in this category. It lets developers launch cloud browsers, scrape content, and automate tasks, with first-class support for Puppeteer, Playwright, and Selenium through CDP and W3C WebDriver, plus native Node.js and Python SDKs and a REST API. The open-source nature and documented Docker self-hosting path are meaningful differentiators: teams worried about vendor lock-in or data residency can run Steel on their own infrastructure, which few competitors offer.
Pricing is published openly with a clear progression — a free Hobby tier ($10/month in included credits), Starter at $29/month, Developers at $99/month, Startups at $499/month, and custom Enterprise — all on a credit-based subscription model, making budgeting straightforward. Operational signals are healthy: the site cites large usage figures, a sub-second average session start time, a Discord community, research grants, and an actively maintained docs domain, and the company is identified as Nen Labs, Inc.
Capability gaps are mostly around proxy detail: the docs reference proxies and multi-region geo control (so country targeting is supported), but they do not specify residential versus datacenter proxies, pool size, or explicit rotation behavior, and there is no stated 24/7 support SLA. Founding year and headquarters are not disclosed. Overall, Steel is a credible, live, developer-friendly platform that scores well on transparency, documentation, and protocol compatibility.
Pricing
From $29.00/GB. Detailed plan breakdown not yet published.
View plans on Steel →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 Steel 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.steeldev.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.
Steel vs alternatives
How Steel stacks up against the closest providers in our directory. Tap any column header to read that review.
| Metric | Steel | NetNut | Proxy-Seller | Scraper API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (per GB) | $29.00 | $3.45 | $1.77 | $49.00 |
| Pool size | Open-source cloud browser API, multi-region | 85M+ IPs | ~10M residential + 1M+ ISP/DC/IPv6 across 220+ countries | 100M+ requests |
| Locations | — | — | — | — |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Read review | YOU ARE HERE | View → | View → | View → |
How to get started with Steel
A 5-minute walkthrough from sign-up to your first successful request. Total setup time: ~10 minutes.
-
1
Sign up + verify your account
Create a Steel account at https://steel.dev. Self-serve access is usually available immediately.
-
2
Pick a proxy type and tier
Use the dashboard to choose between residential / datacenter / mobile. Start with the smallest plan to validate your workload before scaling.
-
3
Generate auth credentials
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
Configure rotation + sticky sessions
Decide between rotating-on-every-request (best for SERP scraping) or sticky sessions (best for account-based workflows).
-
5
Test with a real workload
Run 100-500 test requests against your real target before paying for volume. Compare success rate to Steel's claimed rate before committing to an annual plan.
Stuck? Check Steel's documentation or email us.
User reviews
No reader reviews yet — be the first below.
Used Steel? Write a review+
FAQ
The questions buyers actually ask.