Browser Use vs Kernel (2026): which should you pick?

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 Kernel if

• Fits if you run web agents and need hosted browsers with logins that persist
• Works for developers who want session replays to see what an agent did

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a point-and-click tool, as this is an API and SDK
• Tight if you stay free: $5 in credits, 5 browsers and 1-day replays
• Pricey if you need custom proxies, GPU or regional browsers, which start at $200 a month
• Watch out: usage is billed on top of every plan, and the monthly credits do not cover the plan fee
• Watch out: the homepage links a notice about a security incident dated around November 2026

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.

Kernel

• Every plan adds usage costs: headless browsers are $0.0000166667 per second, headful $0.0001333336 and headful with GPU $0.0008000016; idle time is not charged.
• Included monthly credits apply to usage only, not to the plan fee.
• Custom proxies, GPU acceleration, regional browsers and unlimited extensions need Start-Up ($200 a month).
• The homepage links a public notice of a security incident dated around November 2026; read it before choosing.

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.

Kernel

Sandboxed Chromium

Cloud browsers that start in under 30ms, according to the homepage, with browser pools and a computer controls API.

Stealth mode

A CAPTCHA solver and a Kernel-managed residential proxy are attached to browsers; the pricing FAQ says proxies are not charged separately.

Managed auth and vaults

Handles logins for agents and stores credentials in vaults, with wallet integrations such as Link by Stripe for agent checkout.

Live view and replays

Watch a session live and record it as an MP4 for debugging; replay retention runs from 1 to 30 days by plan.

GPU and regional browsers

GPU acceleration for memory-heavy or canvas-based sites and browsers run in the nearest region, on the Start-Up plan and above.

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.

Kernel

• Free$0

  per month, plus usage

  $5 in monthly credits, 5 concurrent browsers, stealth mode, 3 managed auth connections, 3 vaults and 1-day replays.

• Hobbyist$30

  per month, plus usage

  $10 in monthly credits, 10 concurrent browsers, unlimited proxy usage, unlimited auth connections and vaults, 7-day replays.

• Start-Up$200

  per month, plus usage

  $50 in monthly credits, 150 concurrent browsers, custom proxies, GPU acceleration, regional browsers, 30-day replays.

• EnterpriseCustom

  High browser concurrency, 99.9% SLA, SSO, 24/7 Slack support, HIPAA BAA, white-labeling and zero-data retention.

Browser Use

No public discounts listed.

Kernel

• Startups

  Start-Up plan free for 3 months

  New-to-Kernel companies under 2 years old that have raised $1M or more get the $200 plan free for 3 months with $50 a month in credits. A larger tier gives $5,000 in credits to companies backed by listed funds.