Sandbox profile · Hosted platform

Browserless

Answer in brief

Managed headless Chrome, Firefox and WebKit over WebSocket for Puppeteer, Playwright and Selenium, with BrowserQL stealth, REST endpoints and a Docker image you can self-host. A proven managed browser pool for automation code, less tailored to agents than its newer peers and silent on isolation.

By the Agent Sandboxes editors · Updated November 9, 2026

Overview

Browserless is a long-running browser-as-a-service from the company of the same name, founded by Joel Griffith. You point Puppeteer, Playwright or Selenium at a WebSocket endpoint in one of three shared-fleet regions, call one-shot REST endpoints for screenshots, PDFs and scraping, or use BrowserQL, a GraphQL layer with managed stealth and captcha solving that the TypeScript and Python BAP SDKs wrap. The core runs in Docker (ghcr.io/browserless/chromium) under SSPL-1.0 or a commercial licence, so you can self-host, though BrowserQL, stealth, captcha solving and recording are Enterprise-image features.

The shared cloud does not document how sessions are isolated; Enterprise private deployments promise network isolation and dedicated resources. Billing is in units of 30 seconds of browser time per connection, with per-plan concurrency and session caps from 2 minutes on Free to 60 minutes on Scale. An MCP server exposes scraping, screenshots, PDFs and custom Puppeteer code. The trust centre lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, with HIPAA-compatible deployments on Enterprise.

Notable

GitHub repository has 13.9k stars; the about page cites 175M+ Docker image pulls and 10,000+ paying customers
Licensed SSPL-1.0 OR Browserless Commercial License; commercial use of the self-hosted image needs the commercial licence
Three shared-fleet regions (SFO, LON, AMS) plus NYC for private fleets

Browserless specifications

Attribute	Details
Isolation	Not documented for the shared cloud; Enterprise offers network isolation and dedicated resources; the self-hosted image runs headless browsers inside Docker
Deployment	Hosted platform · Self-hostable
Open source	Yes (SSPL-1.0 OR Browserless Commercial License)
SDKs and interfaces	JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, CLI, REST API, MCP server
Cold start (vendor claim)	Not documented
Max session length	Maximum session time per plan: 2 minutes (Free), 15 minutes (Prototyping), 30 minutes (Starter), 60 minutes (Scale); Enterprise not listed
Persistence	Persisted sessions and replays retained 1 to 90 days by plan; reconnects count as new connections; no profile feature documented on the pages fetched
GPU	GPU-enabled infrastructure listed for Enterprise only
Networking	Residential proxies (6 units/MB) and datacenter proxies (2 units/MB); bring-your-own proxies from Prototyping; automatic captcha solving; stealth routes
Pricing	Units: 1 unit per 30 seconds of browser time per connection; captcha solve 10 units. Free $0: 1k units, 2 concurrent, 2-minute sessions. Prototyping $25/month (annual): 20k units, 10 concurrent, 15-minute sessions, $0.0020 per extra unit. Starter $140/month: 180k units, 40 concurrent, 30-minute sessions, $0.0017 overage. Scale $350/month: 500k units, 100 concurrent, 60-minute sessions, $0.0015 overage. Enterprise: custom, private deployment or self-hosting licence
Free tier	Free plan: 1,000 units, 2 concurrent browsers, 2-minute sessions; open-source Docker image free for non-commercial use
Compliance	SOC 2 Type II; GDPR; HIPAA-compatible deployments with BAA on Enterprise
Regions	Shared fleet: US West (SFO, default), Europe UK (LON), Europe Amsterdam (AMS); private fleet adds US East (NYC)

Facts from Browserless’s public documentation, verified November 9, 2026. Performance numbers are vendor claims.

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

You want to keep existing Puppeteer, Playwright or Selenium code unchanged
You need Firefox and WebKit as well as Chrome
You want a Docker image you can run on your own infrastructure
You need European endpoints and SOC 2 Type II

Trade-offs

Session isolation on the shared cloud is not documented
Sessions are short: 2 minutes on Free and 60 minutes at most on self-serve plans
SSPL licence restricts commercial self-hosting without a paid licence
No documented profile or login persistence feature

Good fit for: Existing Puppeteer, Playwright or Selenium automations that want a managed or self-hosted browser pool.

How Browserless compares

Sandbox	Isolation	Open source	Self-host / BYOC	Cold start (vendor)	Max session	Snapshots / pause	GPU	SDKs
Browserless	Not documented	Yes	Yes / No	Not documented	2 min to 60 min by plan	No / No	Yes	JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, CLI, REST API, MCP server
Steel	Isolated Chromium session	Yes	Yes / No	Not documented	15 min / 1 h / 24 h	No / No	No	Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Rust, CLI, REST API, MCP server
Browserbase	Isolated Chromium session	No	No / No	<2 s (claim)	6 h (15 min Free)	No / No	No	Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, REST API, MCP server
Lightpanda	Not documented	Yes	Yes / No	Not documented	15 min per connection	No / No	No	CLI, REST API, MCP server
Cloudflare Browser Run	Not documented	No	No / No	Warm pool (claim)	60 s idle, 20 min keep_alive	No / No	No	JavaScript/TypeScript, REST API, MCP server
Hyperbrowser	Isolated browser instance	No	No / No	<500 ms (claim)	Up to 12 h	No / No	No	Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, CLI, REST API, MCP server
Kernel	Unikernel VM per browser	Yes	Yes / No	~30 ms p50 (claim)	Up to 72 h	Yes / Yes	Yes	JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go, CLI, REST API, MCP server

See all Browserless alternatives →

Frequently asked questions

What is Browserless?

How does Browserless isolate code?

Browserless documents its isolation as: Not documented for the shared cloud; Enterprise offers network isolation and dedicated resources; the self-hosted image runs headless browsers inside Docker.

Is Browserless open source?

Yes (SSPL-1.0 OR Browserless Commercial License). It can be self-hosted.

How much does Browserless cost?

Units: 1 unit per 30 seconds of browser time per connection; captcha solve 10 units. Free $0: 1k units, 2 concurrent, 2-minute sessions. Prototyping $25/month (annual): 20k units, 10 concurrent, 15-minute sessions, $0.0020 per extra unit. Starter $140/month: 180k units, 40 concurrent, 30-minute sessions, $0.0017 overage. Scale $350/month: 500k units, 100 concurrent, 60-minute sessions, $0.0015 overage. Enterprise: custom, private deployment or self-hosting licence Check the official pricing page for current rates.

What are the alternatives to Browserless?

Common alternatives include Steel, Browserbase, Lightpanda, Cloudflare Browser Run, Hyperbrowser, Kernel. See Browserless alternatives for a full comparison.

Sources

Cite this page

Agent Sandboxes. (2026). Browserless. agentsandboxes.org. Last reviewed November 9, 2026. https://agentsandboxes.org/sandboxes/browserless/

Found an error or a missing sandbox? Submit a correction — every entry links to the sources it relies on.