Steel.dev alternatives
Pick Steel when you need to self-host browsers or hate SaaS lock-in. Browserbase wins on polish.
Overall 8.27 (curated_estimate, high) · score asOf 2026-09-14 · last reviewed 2026-09-14. This is not an Elo and not a live price board. Provider · JSON
Jobs: cloud-browser, self-host-browser, web-agent, agent-tool-router, browser-agent-loop
| Provider | Why listed | Overall | Δ vs subject | asOf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browserbase Depot default for agents that need a real browser. Pair with Stagehand/Browser Use for the reasoning loop. | same_jtbd_pick, same_jtbd_runner · cloud-browser, web-agent, agent-tool-router | 8.3high | +0.03 | 2026-10-19 |
| Composio Depot pick for tool/MCP router with managed OAuth across 1500+ apps. Official rate card is now public — Hobby… | same_jtbd_pick · agent-tool-router | 7.62high | -0.65 | 2026-10-19 |
| Browser Use Cloud Pick when you want an agent-native browser loop, not just a hosted Chromium. Browserbase still wins pure… | same_jtbd_pick · browser-agent-loop | 7.4high | -0.87 | 2026-09-14 |
| Browserless Veteran choice for headless fleets. Great if you already speak Playwright fleets, not just agents. | same_jtbd_runner · cloud-browser, self-host-browser, web-agent | 8.25high | -0.02 | 2026-09-14 |
| Anchor Browser Strong when bot-detection and authenticated computer-use matter. A/B vs Browserbase/Kernel. | same_jtbd_runner · agent-tool-router, browser-agent-loop | 7.17high | -1.1 | 2026-09-14 |
| Playwright (library) The API you probably already use — under Browserbase/Steel/Browserless. Listed so agents don't confuse… | same_jtbd_runner · self-host-browser | 9.05high | +0.78 | 2026-09-14 |
| Puppeteer (library) Still fine for Chrome-only scripts. New agent projects should prefer Playwright unless stuck on Puppeteer. | same_jtbd_runner · self-host-browser | 8.79high | +0.52 | 2026-09-14 |
| Firecrawl Depot pick for turning the web into LLM context. Browserbase when you need to *act*, Firecrawl when you need… | same_jtbd_runner · web-agent | 8.25high | -0.02 | 2026-10-19 |
| Cloudflare Browser Rendering Edge browser peer when already on Cloudflare. Depot cloud-browser pick stays Browserbase; Anchor/Hyperbrowser… | same_jtbd_runner · cloud-browser | 8.04high | -0.23 | 2026-09-14 |
Prices are not ranked on this page. For a job, use the sourced quote (separate input and output rows, Depot Pick unchanged): cloud-browser, self-host-browser, web-agent, agent-tool-router.
Alternatives are other catalog providers that share a JTBD as pick or runner-up. If fewer than three exist, same-category active providers fill the list and are labeled same_category. Overall deltas are catalog scores. kind=curated_estimate is not a lab measurement. Pricing rows are sourced or explicitly null. Do not parse pricingNotes. A single normalized USD figure is set only for a provider with exactly one token row.