Browser Use vs rtrvr.ai (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, rtrvr.ai grades higher than Browser Use: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
rtrvr.ai grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
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
rtrvr.ai
Browser agent for Chrome and cloud, with an ad-supported free mode
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 rtrvr.ai if
- Fits if you want a browser agent running inside Chrome for scraping and repeat tasks
- Works for people who can live with sponsored cards on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you object to sponsored cards, since ad-free runs need a paid plan and credits
- Not for you if you need the cloud API, MCP or WhatsApp on a free plan
- Watch out: unused monthly credits do not roll over
- Tight if you run browsers all day: a cloud browser uses about 60 credits, roughly 60 cents, an hour
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrowser UseGood | 2.8GPArtrvr.aiGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$9.99 a month, under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter of $19. Credits cost a cent each and a cloud browser burns about 60 an hour. |
| 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. | BFree Mode covers supported models and cloud browser time with a daily fair-use allowance and one daily schedule, shown with sponsored cards. |
| Features | CWeb agents, stealth browsers and a choice of models, but concurrency starts at 10 and unlocks by total paid. | CExtension and cloud browsers, scraping and enrichment, schedules, API, MCP, CLI and WhatsApp. Cloud API calls, MCP tools and WhatsApp tasks are not on Free. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. The page lists an API key and docs, not a no-code app. | CNo store rating on record. You set up tasks and schedules, and may connect keys or an API. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with three integrations, an API and an open-source harness; no desktop or phone app. | BChrome extension and web, with Claude, Codex, Slack, WhatsApp and Google Sheets listed. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | web agents and cloud browsers for developers | browser agent as an extension and cloud |
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 rtrvr.ai. How we grade
Where they differ
- Browser Use is open source, according to its own site.
- rtrvr.ai also covers workflow automation and web browser.
At a glance
| Browser Use | rtrvr.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 minimum top-up, used as you go | $9.99 per month (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 Mode: supported AI models and cloud browser time at no cost, with sponsored cards and a daily fair-use allowance; one daily schedule. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Browser Use | Retriever AI |
| Price read from | browser-use.com | rtrvr.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.
rtrvr.ai
- The free plan shows sponsored cards with results; ad-free runs need a paid plan and credits.
- Cloud API calls, cloud MCP tools and WhatsApp tasks are not on the free plan.
- One credit equals one cent, and a cloud browser uses about 60 credits an hour; unused monthly credits do not roll over.
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.
rtrvr.ai
- Chrome extension and cloud browsers
- Run tasks on the page you are signed into in Chrome, or in cloud browsers that keep working after you leave.
- Scraping and enrichment
- Pull listings or profiles into a sheet. Enrichment costs 0.25 credits per returned record, and live scraping 0.15 credits per successful record.
- Schedules and triggers
- Paid plans run schedules as often as every few minutes and respond to webhooks or page changes, with no tab open.
- API, MCP, CLI and WhatsApp
- The agent can be called from code, an MCP client such as Claude, a terminal or WhatsApp. Cloud API calls need a paid plan.
- Choice of AI model
- Use rtrvr credits, ChatGPT, Claude, your own API key or a local model. Your own provider avoids model-credit charges.
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.
rtrvr.ai
Free$0
Free Mode with sponsored cards, a renewing daily allowance, 100 one-time welcome credits and one schedule a day or less often.
Starter$9.99
per month, billed monthly
1,000 credits each month, every reasoning level in Free Mode, more schedules, triggers, API, MCP and WhatsApp access.
Pro$29.99
per month, billed monthly
3,000 credits each month with 1 seat included; extra seats $9.99 each.
Team$99.99
per month, billed monthly
10,000 credits each month, 3 seats included (extra seats $9.99) and Private Mode with zero data retention.
Scale$499.99
per month, billed monthly
50,000 credits each month, 10 seats included (extra seats $9.99) and Private Mode, for cloud and API workloads.
Ways to pay less
Browser Use
No public discounts listed.
rtrvr.ai
- Annual discount
Annual billing: 2 months free
The pricing page has a Monthly/Annual toggle labeled 2 months free for annual billing; annual prices were not shown in the page text.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Browser Use or rtrvr.ai?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Browser Use starts at $5 minimum top-up, used as you go, and rtrvr.ai starts at $9.99 per month (billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Browser Use or rtrvr.ai?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Browser Use and rtrvr.ai have a free plan.
Which platforms do Browser Use and rtrvr.ai run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only rtrvr.ai lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. 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.