Hyperbrowser vs Steel (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hyperbrowser grades higher than Steel: 2.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hyperbrowser grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hyperbrowser
Cloud browsers, sandboxes and web APIs for AI agents
Steel
Open-source browser infrastructure for AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Hyperbrowser if
- Fits if you run browser automation for agents and don't want to host Chrome
- Works for developers who already use Playwright or Puppeteer
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 5,000 credits, 1 session at a time and 7 days of data
- Pricey if you go past the plan, at $0.10 an hour of browser time and $10 a GB of proxy data
- Watch out: agent steps cost $0.02 each on top of browser time and proxy data
- Watch out: plan credits reset on renewal and don't carry over
Pick Steel if
- Fits if you want browser infrastructure you could also run on your own servers
- Works for developers testing agents on the free credits
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you outgrow Launch, as Scale is $250 a month plus usage
- Tight if you stay free: $30 once, 15-minute sessions and 7-day retention
- Watch out: the comparison table marks the stealth browser Enterprise only, but the homepage describes stealth generally
- Watch out: browser hours are billed on top, $0.10 on Launch and $0.08 on Scale
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAHyperbrowserFair | 1.6GPASteelWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStartup is $30 a month, just above the category's middle of $25, with 30,000 credits. Scale is $100 for 100,000. | DScale is $250 a month plus usage, past the category's $150 dearest-tenth start. Launch is free, but only a one-time credit. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free account with 5,000 credits, 1 concurrent session and 7 days of retention. The page doesn't say the credits renew. | CLaunch has $30 of one-time credits, no card, 10 concurrent sessions and 15-minute limits. The open-source server is free but needs your own hosting. |
| Features | BCloud browsers, sandboxes, a web API and browser agents, with SDKs and MCP. The listing names no gap in the core job. | CBrowser sessions, proxies, CAPTCHA solving, a scrape tool and self-hosting. The comparison table marks stealth as Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | DDeveloper product: you write code against Playwright, Puppeteer or an SDK. We found no store rating. | DNo rating on record. You use an API and SDK, or host the server yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb service with Node.js and Python SDKs, a CLI, MCP, Playwright, Puppeteer and Browser Use. No desktop or phone app. | CWeb API with MCP, and a self-hostable server. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | cloud browsers for AI agents | open-source browser API for 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: Hyperbrowser and Steel. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hyperbrowser starts at $30 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Steel starts at $250 a month and scores 1.7.
Hyperbrowser scores higher and starts $220 a month lower. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 26 score higher than Hyperbrowser for less, and 95 score higher than Steel 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
- Steel is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Hyperbrowser also covers workflow automation and screenshots.
At a glance
| Hyperbrowser | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $30 per month | $250 per month plus usage (Scale), after a free Launch plan |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free account with 5,000 credits (about 50 browser hours at base rates); the page does not say the credits renew | Launch plan: $30 of credits granted once, no card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hyperbrowser | Steel |
| Price read from | hyperbrowser.ai | steel.dev |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hyperbrowser
- Usage past the included credits is billed at 1,000 credits = $1: browser time is $0.10 per hour and proxy data $10 per GB.
- Agent steps (HyperAgent or Browser Use) are $0.02 each, on top of browser time and proxy data.
- Plan credits reset on renewal and do not carry over; credits bought separately expire after 12 months.
- Free allows 1 concurrent session and 7 days of data retention; the 14-day trial the page mentions is for Enterprise.
Steel
- Usage is billed beyond included credits: browser hours are $0.10 on Launch and $0.08 on Scale.
- The comparison table marks the stealth browser as Enterprise only, while the homepage describes stealth for the product generally.
- Launch sessions stop at 15 minutes and 7 days of data retention; Scale allows 1 hour and 14 days.
- Dedicated IPs cost $5 each on Scale; reserved browser pools need Enterprise.
Key features
Hyperbrowser
- Cloud browsers
- Chrome sessions controlled through Playwright, Puppeteer or the SDKs, with saved profiles for logins and live or recorded session viewing.
- Sandboxes
- Isolated virtual machines for installing dependencies and running commands, with memory snapshots that can be reused.
- Web API
- Fetch a page, crawl a site or search the web and get Markdown, HTML, screenshots or JSON that matches a schema.
- Browser agents
- Run HyperAgent, Browser Use or computer-use models in a managed browser from a plain-language task.
- SDKs and MCP
- Node.js and Python SDKs, a CLI and MCP access, with WebMCP support announced on the blog.
Steel
- Browser sessions over an API
- Start thousands of real browser sessions on demand, each released when the work is done, and control them from agent code.
- Stealth and CAPTCHA solving
- The site describes fingerprint rotation, human-like mouse movement and CAPTCHA solving, billed at $3 per 1,000 solves on Launch.
- Residential proxies
- Proxy traffic from many countries, billed at $10 per GB on Launch and $6 per GB on Scale.
- Open-source and self-hosting
- Steel Browser is open source on GitHub, and Steel Outpost runs the platform in your own cloud with your own keys.
- Scrape tool
- A browser tools endpoint for scraping is billed at $5 per 1,000 requests on every plan.
Plans
Hyperbrowser
Free$0
5,000 credits, 1 concurrent session and 7 days of data retention, across all four products.
Startup$30
per month
30,000 credits, 25 concurrent sessions, 30-day retention, automatic CAPTCHA solving, basic stealth and residential proxies.
Scale$100
per month
100,000 credits, 100 concurrent sessions, 30-day retention, CAPTCHA solving, basic stealth and premium residential proxies.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom credits, 1,000+ concurrent sessions, 180+ days of retention, ultra stealth mode and premium support.
Steel
Launch$0
per month, plus usage
$30 of one-time credits, 10 concurrent sessions of up to 15 minutes, up to 3 seats, email and community support.
Scale$250
per month, plus usage
$100 of credits every month, 100 concurrent sessions of up to 1 hour, unlimited seats, Slack channel and HIPAA-ready BAA.
EnterpriseCustom
1,000+ concurrent sessions, sessions up to 24 hours, reserved browser pools, SLAs and SSO.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hyperbrowser or Steel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hyperbrowser is cheaper to start with: $30 a month, against $250 a month for Steel. Hyperbrowser starts at $30 per month, and Steel starts at $250 per month plus usage (Scale), after a free Launch plan.
Which has a free plan, Hyperbrowser or Steel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hyperbrowser nor Steel has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
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.