Steel and BrowseFleet are both cloud browser APIs designed for developers and AI agents. They solve the same core problem (running headless browsers in the cloud without managing infrastructure) but they take different approaches. This comparison is written by the BrowseFleet team, but we have made an effort to be fair and accurate. We will acknowledge where Steel does well.
Background
Steel.dev launched as a cloud browser API focused on developer experience and AI agent workflows. It has built a solid reputation for reliability and clean API design. The team ships frequently and has a growing community.
BrowseFleet is open-source and self-hostable. It was built with the belief that browser infrastructure should not be a black box. Developers should be able to audit the code, run it on their own servers, and customize it for their needs. BrowseFleet also includes features like built-in CAPTCHA solving and a Computer API that Steel does not offer.
Both are good products. The right choice depends on your specific requirements.
Core Architecture
Steel is a managed cloud service. Your requests go to Steel's infrastructure, which provisions browser instances, manages their lifecycle, and returns results. This is the simpler operational model. You do not manage any infrastructure.
BrowseFleet offers both a managed cloud service and self-hosting via Docker. The managed service works the same way as Steel. Self-hosting gives you complete control over the infrastructure, data, and costs.
Both provide CDP WebSocket endpoints for connecting Puppeteer, Playwright, and other browser automation libraries.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Sessions API. Both Steel and BrowseFleet provide session management with CDP WebSocket endpoints. Both support connecting Puppeteer and Playwright. BrowseFleet additionally supports Selenium via a compatibility endpoint. The APIs are comparable in functionality.
Stealth mode. Both offer stealth capabilities to bypass bot detection. Steel's stealth is reliable and handles most anti-bot systems. BrowseFleet's stealth includes fingerprint spoofing, WebDriver masking, and timezone matching. In our testing, both perform well against common bot detection services.
CAPTCHA solving. BrowseFleet includes built-in CAPTCHA solving via 2captcha integration, supporting reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and Cloudflare Turnstile. Steel does not include built-in CAPTCHA solving, so you need to integrate a third-party service yourself. This is a meaningful difference if your workflows regularly encounter CAPTCHAs.
Computer API. BrowseFleet's Computer API provides click, type, scroll, and navigate actions that return screenshots after every action. This is purpose-built for the AI agent screenshot-action loop used by Claude Computer Use and similar systems. Steel does not have an equivalent, so you would build this on top of their session API using Puppeteer.
Quick actions. BrowseFleet offers one-call endpoints for scraping (returns HTML, Markdown, text), screenshots, and PDF generation without creating a session. Steel focuses on session-based workflows; simple tasks still require creating and managing a session.
Cookie persistence. BrowseFleet supports saving and restoring browser profiles across sessions, including cookies, localStorage, and auth state. This is useful for maintaining logged-in sessions. Steel handles cookies within a session but does not offer cross-session profile persistence.
Proxy support. BrowseFleet supports per-session proxy URLs with SOCKS5 and HTTP authentication. Steel supports proxy configuration but with fewer options.
Self-hosting. BrowseFleet is open-source and runs in a single Docker container with no external dependencies. Steel is cloud-only with no self-hosting option. For organizations with data residency requirements, compliance concerns, or a desire to control costs at scale, this is often the deciding factor.
Pricing Breakdown
Steel's pricing is session-minute based. Plans start around $49/month. There is no free tier for experimentation.
BrowseFleet's pricing: - Hobby (Free): 5 concurrent sessions, 500 daily requests - Starter ($29/mo): 10 concurrent sessions, 1,000 daily requests - Developer ($99/mo): 20 concurrent sessions, unlimited requests - Pro ($499/mo): 100 concurrent sessions, unlimited requests - Self-hosted: Free, no limits
For a team running 20 concurrent sessions with moderate usage, BrowseFleet's Developer plan at $99/month is comparable to or cheaper than Steel. At higher concurrency levels, the gap widens in BrowseFleet's favor. Self-hosting eliminates cloud costs entirely. You only pay for your server infrastructure.
Developer Experience
This is where Steel deserves genuine credit. Their SDK is polished, the documentation is well-written, and the onboarding experience is smooth. If you are evaluating cloud browser APIs for the first time, Steel makes a strong first impression.
BrowseFleet's developer experience is also good. The API is clean, the documentation covers every feature, and there are copy-paste code examples for common use cases. But we acknowledge that Steel has invested heavily in DX and it shows.
Both provide TypeScript SDKs. Both have active communities where you can get help.
When to Use Steel
Steel is a good choice when: - You want a fully managed service and do not want to think about infrastructure at all - You value the polished developer experience and are willing to pay for it - Your workflows do not require CAPTCHA solving or cross-session cookie persistence - You do not need to self-host for compliance or cost reasons - You prefer a cloud-only solution backed by a well-funded company
When to Use BrowseFleet
BrowseFleet is the better choice when: - You need self-hosting for data residency, compliance, or cost control - Your workflows encounter CAPTCHAs that need automatic solving - You are building AI agents and want the Computer API for the screenshot-action loop - You want an open-source solution you can audit, customize, and contribute to - You need a free tier for prototyping and experimentation - You want per-session proxy configuration with SOCKS5 support - You need cookie and profile persistence across sessions - Cost is a concern and you want lower per-session pricing or self-hosting
Migration Guide
If you are currently using Steel and want to try BrowseFleet, the migration is straightforward because both use standard CDP WebSocket endpoints.
Step 1: Install the BrowseFleet SDK.
npm install browsefleetStep 2: Replace the session creation.
// Before (Steel)
import Steel from 'steel-sdk';
const steel = new Steel({ apiKey: 'steel_...' });
const session = await steel.sessions.create();
const wsUrl = session.websocketUrl;
// After (BrowseFleet)
import { BrowseFleet } from 'browsefleet';
const bf = new BrowseFleet({ apiKey: 'bf_...' });
const session = await bf.sessions.create({ stealth: 'full' });
const wsUrl = session.websocketUrl;Step 3: Keep your Puppeteer/Playwright code as-is. Both SDKs provide a standard CDP WebSocket URL, so your browser automation code does not change.
// This code works with both Steel and BrowseFleet
const browser = await puppeteer.connect({
browserWSEndpoint: wsUrl,
});Step 4: Take advantage of BrowseFleet features. Once migrated, you can start using BrowseFleet-specific features like CAPTCHA solving, the Computer API, and cookie persistence.
The migration typically takes 15-30 minutes for a simple project. The main effort is replacing the SDK import and session creation. Everything else stays the same.