Browser Use vs Cua (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Browser Use grades higher than Cua: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Browser Use grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Browser Use
Browser agents and cloud browsers for AI apps
Cua
Shared desktops on your own computers for you and your AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Browser Use if
- Fits if you are a developer who wants browser agents with a free harness
- Works for someone who prefers pay as you go to a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a no-code app, as it is built around an API key and docs
- Watch out: costs follow use at $0.02 a browser hour and $5 a GB on home-IP proxies
- Tight if you scale: concurrency starts at 10 and is 50 after $100 paid
- Watch out: the default model rate is $0.12 per million input tokens, and other models cost more
Pick Cua if
- Fits if you want to watch and take over what a coding agent does on a computer
- Works for developers who already own or rent the machines to run it on
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: Cua does not rent computers, so the VMs are billed by your cloud provider
- Skip it if you are not on Apple silicon with macOS 26 and want a Mac Space
- Not for you if you need audit history or SSO today, which are listed as coming soon or not included
- Too light for phones, as there is no mobile app
- Watch out: anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrowser UseGood | 2.2GPACuaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe open-source harness is free to run in your own Chrome, and the cloud has no subscription, only a $5 top-up that never expires. | B$15 a month billed yearly ($18 monthly) is under the category's cheaper quarter of $19. Your cloud provider bills the VMs on top, because Cua does not rent computers. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe harness is free and open source for Claude Code and Codex, and each cloud person gets a one-time $1 credit. | BThe free plan has Spaces, Teleport and sharing, for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month. No trial, but a person can live on it. |
| Features | CWeb agents, stealth browsers and a choice of models, but concurrency starts at 10 and unlocks by total paid. | CSpaces, Teleport, shared control and a driver for agents. The listing shows gaps: expiring share links and audit history are coming soon, and SSO and audit export are not included. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. The page lists an API key and docs, not a no-code app. | DNo store rating on record. It is a developer tool with a driver, agent connections and your own machines to set up; Mac Spaces need macOS 26 on Apple silicon. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with three integrations, an API and an open-source harness; no desktop or phone app. | CMac, Windows (a preview) and Linux only, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Docker connections. Nothing for phones. |
| Best for | web agents and cloud browsers for developers | sandboxed computers for AI agents |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Browser Use and Cua. How we grade
Where they differ
- Cua also covers remote desktop.
At a glance
| Browser Use | Cua | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 minimum top-up, used as you go | $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Browser Harness is free and open source (MIT); on the cloud, each person gets a one-time $1 signup credit that never expires. | Free: Spaces on every computer you connect, Teleport, sharing with named people, and the relay for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Browser Use | Cua AI, Inc. |
| Price read from | browser-use.com | cua.ai |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Browser Use
- Costs follow use: $0.02 per browser hour, $5/GB on home-IP proxies and $0.20/GB direct.
- The default agent model rate is $0.12 per million input tokens and $0.60 output; other models cost more.
- Concurrency unlocks by total paid: 10 at the start, 50 after $100, 250 after $1,000.
- Aimed at developers: the page lists an API key and docs, not a no-code app.
Cua
- Cua does not rent computers: Spaces run on machines you own or rent, and your cloud provider bills those VMs.
- Running a Mac Space needs macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon; the Windows app is a preview.
- Share links that expire and 90-day audit history are listed as coming soon, and SSO and audit export as not yet included.
- There is no trial. Anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ.
Key features
Browser Use
- Web agents
- Send a task and get JSON back. The pricing page lists a median task at $0.006 on the default model.
- Stealth cloud browsers
- Cloud browsers with CAPTCHA solving included and home-IP proxies, billed per browser hour plus traffic.
- Browser Harness
- A free, MIT-licensed tool that gives coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex control of your own Chrome.
- Choice of models
- Agents run on the vendor's BU models or models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others; bring your own key at provider cost plus 0.2x.
- Enterprise deployment
- US or EU cloud regions, on-prem browsers and agents through sales, and SOC 2 Type II with HIPAA and zero data retention available.
Cua
- Spaces
- A Space is a full desktop, a virtual machine or container, that agents can use and people can watch, running on your Mac, your own computers or your own cloud.
- Teleport
- Packs an app's session (open tabs, profile, sign-ins) into a bundle and moves it into a Space after the user approves it on a consent screen.
- Shared control
- Share a Space with named people as viewer or editor. Each person and each agent gets its own cursor, so someone can step in and hand the desktop back.
- Cua Driver
- An MIT-licensed driver that lets an agent operate native apps on macOS, Windows and Linux without taking over the user's cursor or keyboard.
- Agent connections
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Kiro and OpenClaw connect through the Cua MCP server.
Plans
Browser Use
Browser Harness$0
Open-source (MIT) harness for Claude Code and Codex; run it yourself in your own Chrome at no charge.
Pay as you go$5
one-time top-up, used as you go
No subscription: credits from $5 (1 credit = $1) that never expire; up to 1,000 browsers at once.
EnterpriseCustom
Concurrency past 1,000, annual credit pools, custom SLAs, HIPAA, EU data residency and on-prem deployment.
Cua
Free$0
No account needed to start. Up to 2 computers in use at once and 20 remote hours a month through the relay.
Pro$15
per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
For one person: up to 5 computers in use at once and 200 remote hours a month. Billed $180 a year.
Teams$25
per seat / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
1 to 100 seats. Each seat adds 5 computers at once and 200 remote hours to a shared pool, plus shared team computers, roles and device approval.
Ways to pay less
Browser Use
No public discounts listed.
Cua
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
Pro is $180 a year ($15 a month) against $18 a month; Teams is $300 per seat a year against $30 per seat a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Browser Use or Cua?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Browser Use starts at $5 minimum top-up, used as you go, and Cua starts at $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Browser Use or Cua?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Browser Use and Cua have a free plan.
Which platforms do Browser Use and Cua run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Browser Use lists a web app and only Cua lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.