Steel

Apache-2.0 browser API for AI agents — self-host or cloud

AI Agents / Browser Automation · Apache-2.0 · 7.8k

Reviewed 2026-09-14 · last push 2026-10-19 · repo checked 2026-10-19

What's Good

Apache-2.0 (steel-dev/steel-browser). Docker one-liner for API+UI; Puppeteer/Playwright/Selenium over CDP; session state, proxies, extensions, markdown/screenshot/PDF helpers. Cloud at steel.dev when you do not want to run Chrome fleets. Built for agent automation, not generic SEO scrapers only.

The Catch

Vs Browserbase (managed fleet), Stagehand (AI Playwright layer), Browser Use (LLM browser framework): Steel is the browser sandbox/API — bring your own agent logic. Self-host means Chrome resource cost; cloud is freemium/paid convenience. Anti-bot arms race still applies.

Verdict

Apache-2.0 agent browser API. Self-host Steel; pay Browserbase-shaped cloud only if you must.

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