Browserbase vs Kernel (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Browserbase grades higher than Kernel: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Browserbase grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Browserbase
Cloud browsers and APIs for agents that use the web
Kernel
Cloud browser infrastructure for web agents and automations
Which one is for you
Pick Browserbase if
- Fits if you run browser agents in code and need hosted browsers
- Works for a developer who wants sessions observed and replayed
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Free: 1 browser hour, 15-minute sessions and 7-day retention
- Watch out: usage past the allowance is billed at the plan's rate, so the bill grows with hours and proxies
- Not for you if you need on-prem, which the FAQ says it does not offer
- Skip it if you need HIPAA or SSO on a self-serve plan
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
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABrowserbaseFair | 2.0GPAKernelFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CDeveloper is $20 a month for 25 concurrent browsers, about the category's middle, with hours, proxies and calls billed past the allowance. | CHobbyist is $30 a month plus usage, between the category's $25 middle and $50 dearer-quarter start. The $200 Start-Up plan is where proxies and GPU begin. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree is 3 concurrent browsers and 1 browser hour, with 15-minute sessions and no captcha solving. | CThe free plan has $5 of usage credits a month, 5 concurrent browsers and 1-day replays. A real project will use that up. |
| Features | BCloud browsers, search and fetch, agent identity, a model gateway and observability; HIPAA and SSO are enterprise only. | CStealth, CAPTCHA solving, managed auth, live view and replays are covered. Custom proxies, GPU and regional browsers need the $200 plan. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It is used through an SDK and code, with sessions and proxies to configure. | DNo rating on record. You drive it through an API and SDK, so it is a developer setup with code to write. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with six integrations and APIs; no desktop or phone app. | BWeb service with an API and links to Stripe, Anthropic, 1Password and Vercel. No desktop or phone app, and it is cloud only. |
| Best for | cloud browsers for AI agents | cloud browsers for web 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: Browserbase and Kernel. How we grade
Price against what you get
Browserbase starts at $20 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kernel starts at $30 a month and scores 2.0.
Browserbase scores higher and starts $10 a month lower. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 13 score higher than Browserbase for less, and 53 score higher than Kernel for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kernel is open source, according to its own site.
- Kernel also covers screen recording.
At a glance
| Browserbase | Kernel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month | $30 per month, plus usage |
| Free plan | 3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour, 3 agent runs, 1,000 search and 1,000 fetch calls, and $5 in model tokens. | $0 a month with $5 of free usage credits each month, 5 concurrent browsers, stealth mode, 3 managed auth connections and 1-day session replays. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Browserbase | Kernel |
| Price read from | browserbase.com | kernel.sh |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Browserbase
- Plans scale past included usage at the plan's rate, so the bill grows with browser hours, proxies and API calls.
- Free has no captcha solving and stops sessions at 15 minutes.
- HIPAA (BAA) and SSO are listed for enterprise customers, not the self-serve plans.
- The FAQ says it does not offer on-prem deployment; hybrid setups come through consulting.
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.
Key features
Browserbase
- Cloud browsers
- Fleets of headless browsers that agents control through Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium or Stagehand.
- Search and Fetch APIs
- Search returns relevant sites from one query; Fetch returns pages as HTML, JSON or markdown for agents.
- Agent identity
- Captcha solving on paid plans, plus stealth mode (basic on Developer and Startup, advanced on Scale).
- Runtime and model gateway
- Browserbase Functions run deployed agents on its servers, and one API key reaches major models through Stagehand.
- Observability
- Session recordings, logs and prompts for debugging an agent, with data kept 7 to 30+ days by plan.
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.
Plans
Browserbase
Free$0
3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour, 15-minute sessions and 7-day data retention; no captcha solving.
Developer$20
per month
25 concurrent browsers, 100 browser hours then $0.12/hour, 1 GB of proxies then $12/GB, captcha solving.
Startup$99
per month
100 concurrent browsers, 500 browser hours then $0.10/hour, 5 GB of proxies then $10/GB.
ScaleCustom
250+ concurrent browsers, usage-based hours and proxies, advanced stealth mode and verified agents.
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.
Ways to pay less
Browserbase
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Browserbase or Kernel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Browserbase is cheaper to start with: $20 a month, against $30 a month for Kernel. Browserbase starts at $20 per month, and Kernel starts at $30 per month, plus usage.
Which has a free plan, Browserbase or Kernel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Browserbase and Kernel have a free plan.
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.