# Kernel review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Cloud browser infrastructure for web agents and automations Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Kernel runs sandboxed Chromium browsers in the cloud for agents and automations. It includes stealth mode with a CAPTCHA solver and managed proxy, managed authentication for agent logins, vaults and wallet-based payments, live view and session replays. The vendor describes its browser infrastructure as open source. - **Category:** AI Agents - **Made by:** Kernel - **Website:** https://www.kernel.sh - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a point-and-click tool, as this is an API and SDK. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Kernel has a free plan, and paid plans start at $30 per month, plus usage. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** $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. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | | Enterprise | Custom | High browser concurrency, 99.9% SLA, SSO, 24/7 Slack support, HIPAA BAA, white-labeling and zero-data retention. | Read from https://www.kernel.sh/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Kernel before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Start-Up plan free for 3 months** (Startups): 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. Source: https://www.kernel.sh/startups ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Developers who want hosted browsers billed by the second - Agents that must log in to sites and handle CAPTCHAs - Early-stage startups that qualify for the credit programs ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Kernel runs cloud Chromium browsers for agents, with stealth mode, managed logins and session replays. There is a free plan, but every plan adds per-second usage charges, and custom proxies, GPU and regional browsers wait on the $200 Start-Up plan. - **Value for money: C.** Hobbyist 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: C.** The free plan has $5 of usage credits a month, 5 concurrent browsers and 1-day replays. A real project will use that up. - **Features: C.** Stealth, CAPTCHA solving, managed auth, live view and replays are covered. Custom proxies, GPU and regional browsers need the $200 plan. - **Ease of use: D.** No rating on record. You drive it through an API and SDK, so it is a developer setup with code to write. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web service with an API and links to Stripe, Anthropic, 1Password and Vercel. No desktop or phone app, and it is cloud only. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Kernel's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among AI agents - Kernel's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 64 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 16. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 47 of 178) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $30 a month, against a middle price of $25 for the category: 59 of the 98 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 53 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/ai-agents ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Kernel you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $360 a year. Kernel is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could not: An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: Recording the screen with its sound, and somewhere to keep the video. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Stripe, Anthropic, 1Password, Vercel **Tags:** AI agents, Public API, Workflow automation, Open source, Screen recording ## Alternatives - [Browserbase](https://toolgpa.com/tools/browserbase): Cloud browsers and APIs for agents that use the web. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/browserbase-vs-kernel) - [Hyperbrowser](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hyperbrowser): Cloud browsers, sandboxes and web APIs for AI agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-kernel) - [Anchor Browser](https://toolgpa.com/tools/anchor-browser): Cloud browsers and authentication for computer-use agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-kernel) - [Steel](https://toolgpa.com/tools/steel): Open-source browser infrastructure for AI agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kernel-vs-steel) - [Browser Use](https://toolgpa.com/tools/browser-use): Browser agents and cloud browsers for AI apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/browser-use-vs-kernel) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.kernel.sh/pricing - https://www.kernel.sh - https://www.kernel.sh/startups - https://www.kernel.sh/docs/info/pricing Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/kernel Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).