Best Browserless.io Alternatives

in 2024

Looking for a Browserless.io alternative? Here's a quick rundown of the top options:

StealthBrowser.cloud: Best for stealth and security
BrowserCloud: Ideal for speed and scalability
Selenium Grid: Great for DIY flexibility
Cloud Functions: Good for serverless operations

Quick Comparison:

Feature	StealthBrowser.cloud	BrowserCloud	Selenium Grid	Cloud Functions
Stealth	Excellent	Good	Average	Average
Scalability	High	High	Medium	High
Ease of Use	Yes	Yes	No	Somewhat
Pricing	Fixed plans	Credit-based	Free (+ infrastructure)	Pay-per-use
Best For	Undetectable automation	Fast, large-scale tasks	Custom setups	Occasional use

Choose based on your needs:

Need stealth? Go with StealthBrowser.cloud
Want speed? Pick BrowserCloud
Tech-savvy team? Try Selenium Grid
Occasional use? Consider Cloud Functions

Each option has its strengths. Consider your project size, team skills, budget, and stealth requirements when deciding.

1. StealthBrowser.cloud

StealthBrowser.cloud

StealthBrowser.cloud is shaking up the browser automation scene as a strong Browserless.io competitor. It's all about staying under the radar and delivering top-notch performance. Let's check out what makes it tick:

Performance

StealthBrowser.cloud isn't messing around when it comes to performance. You can run hundreds, even thousands of browser instances at once. That's a game-changer for big data collection or complex web automation jobs.

And if you're on the Pro plan, you can kiss those pesky time limits goodbye. Run your sessions as long as you need. Perfect for deep dives into websites or tricky workflows that take time.

Pricing

StealthBrowser.cloud keeps it simple with three plans:

Plan	Price	Concurrent Sessions	Execution Time	Support
Starter	$29/month	Up to 10	15 minutes max	Email
Enthusiast	$49/month	Up to 30	30 minutes max	Email
Pro	$99/month	Unlimited	Unlimited	Email, chat, phone

The Pro plan is where it's at. Unlimited everything for under $100 a month? That's hard to beat, especially for growing teams.

Integration

Got Playwright or Puppeteer? StealthBrowser.cloud plays nice with them. Their API is flexible, so you won't have to rewrite your whole codebase to use it.

Setting up is a breeze, and they've got docs for days. Whether you're a coding wizard or just getting started, you'll be up and running in no time.

Security

This is where StealthBrowser.cloud really flexes. They've cooked up their own versions of Chrome and Firefox that can sneak past tough bot detectors like DataDome and Akamai. If you're into web scraping or lead gen, you know how crucial that is.

Each browser session gets its own virtual machine. It's like having a fresh, clean browser for every task. No cross-contamination, no fingerprinting worries.

Their custom Chromium browsers are next-level stealthy. They've pulled out all the stops to keep you anonymous and unblocked.

"Our custom-built Chromium browsers are designed from the ground up to resist fingerprinting and other detection methods, providing our users with unmatched stealth capabilities", states a representative from StealthBrowser.cloud.

If staying invisible online is your top priority, StealthBrowser.cloud might be your new best friend. It's got the stealth, the speed, and the smarts to give Browserless.io a run for its money.

2. BrowserCloud

BrowserCloud

BrowserCloud is a solid Browserless.io alternative for high-performance browser automation at scale. Here's why it's worth considering:

Performance

BrowserCloud's setup is built for speed. It uses powerful AMD cores to run hundreds of full Chrome browsers at once. This is perfect for big web scraping, testing, and data collection projects.

You can run up to 100 headless browsers at the same time. This cuts down testing time big time. Here's what Christian Grigorjevas, CTO of Appbooster, said:

"BrowserCloud is a great tool to perform automated browser tests quickly, we're very happy with it. We used to spend roughly 30 minutes running all tests, it's much easier now to use one endpoint to parallel them all."

Pricing

BrowserCloud uses a credit-based pricing model that fits different needs:

Plan	API Credits	Price
Free Tier	1,000	$0
Pay As You Go	Per credit	$0.0003
Small	120,000	$40
Medium	400,000	$120
Large	1,000,000	$300
Enterprise	3,000,000	$900

All plans come with key features like JavaScript rendering, smart proxy rotation, and unlimited bandwidth. You can scale up or down as needed.

Integration

BrowserCloud plays well with others. It works with popular automation tools like Puppeteer, Selenium, and Playwright. This means you can easily add it to your current setup.

It also has a simple REST API for tasks like taking screenshots, making PDFs, and recording videos. You can do complex browser automation without changing your code much.

Jonas Parker, Head of Development at TATUM, shared his experience:

"After switching to BrowserCloud.io, it already helped us quite a lot in preventing bugs to be released."

In short, BrowserCloud offers speed, flexible pricing, and easy integration. Whether you're running big tests or need reliable browsers for web scraping, it's a scalable option that can grow with your project.

3. Using Selenium Grid

Selenium Grid

Selenium Grid is a free, open-source alternative to Browserless.io for browser automation and testing. Let's break it down:

Performance

Selenium Grid is a speed demon. It lets you run tests on multiple machines and browsers at the same time. This can seriously cut down your testing time, especially for big projects.

Here's a real-world example:

"BrowserCloud is a great tool to perform automated browser tests quickly, we're very happy with it. We used to spend roughly 30 minutes running all tests, it's much easier now to use one endpoint to parallel them all."

While this quote is about BrowserCloud, it shows the kind of time savings you can get with Selenium Grid's parallel testing.

Selenium Grid works like this: You've got a Hub (think of it as the boss) and Nodes (the workers). The Hub sends test commands to the Nodes, which run the tests. This setup lets you run a single test on multiple machines and browsers at once. More coverage, less time.

Pricing

Selenium Grid is free. But don't pop the champagne just yet. There are some hidden costs:

1. Hardware: You need machines for your Hub and Nodes. This could be physical computers or cloud resources. Either way, it'll cost you.

2. Upkeep: As your testing needs grow, so does the headache of managing your Grid. You might need to hire someone just to handle this.

3. Growth: Selenium Grid can handle more tests, but it's not always easy. Adding more Nodes and configurations can be a pain.

4. Security: If you're dealing with sensitive data, you'll need to beef up your Grid's security. That's not free.

The exact costs depend on your setup, but make sure you budget for these ongoing expenses.

Integration

Selenium Grid plays nice with lots of programming languages and testing frameworks. It's like the Swiss Army knife of testing tools.

You can use it with:

Java
Python
C#
Ruby
JavaScript
PHP

This means your team can probably use the language they already know. Plus, Selenium Grid works with popular testing frameworks for each language.

For example, if you're a Java shop, you can use TestNG or JUnit. Python fans? Go for pytest. This flexibility means you can use your existing skills and tools, saving time and headaches.

Selenium Grid also fits in well with CI/CD tools. You can easily add Selenium Grid tests to your Jenkins pipelines, for instance.

Want to set up Selenium Grid? Here's the quick version:

1. Download the Selenium Server Standalone package.

2. Start the Hub:

java -jar selenium-server-<version>.jar hub

3. Set up and start your Nodes:

java -jar selenium-server-<version>.jar node

Selenium Grid is powerful, but it's not simple. If you've got the tech know-how and resources to manage it, it can be a flexible, cost-effective alternative to Browserless.io. But if you're looking for something easier to use out of the box, you might want to look elsewhere.

4. Cloud Functions for Browser Tasks

Cloud functions offer a serverless approach to browser automation, providing an alternative to Browserless.io. Let's look at how they compare in performance, pricing, and integration.

Performance

Cloud functions have pros and cons for performance:

They scale well and handle demand spikes.
But they have drawbacks:

Cold starts slow things down. A simple screenshot of Google.com takes 5 seconds on Google Cloud Functions, but only 2 seconds locally.

CPU and memory allocation heavily impact performance. Even with 2GB of memory, Google Cloud Functions (GCF) lag behind AWS Lambda.

"To be very blunt, When it comes to enterprise level applications, Google Cloud Functions are in the little leagues where as AWS lambda, and even ServerFULL applications are in the professional league." - Nate Fonseka, Author

The numbers show a big gap:

Deployment Type	Requests per Second
Google Cloud Functions (2GB)	27.47
Kubernetes	487

Pricing

Cloud functions use pay-per-use pricing. It's cheap for occasional use, but can add up fast for heavy workloads. Here's AWS Lambda's pricing:

$0.20 per 1 million requests after free tier
$0.00001667 per GB-second after free tier

Example: A mobile app with 3 million monthly requests, 120 ms average runtime, and 1536 MB memory would cost $2.73 per month.

But watch out - browser automation tasks eat up resources fast. Keep an eye on memory use and runtime to avoid surprise bills.

Integration

Setting up cloud functions for browser automation takes some tech skills. Here's a quick guide for Puppeteer on Google Cloud Functions:

Zip up @sparticuz/chromium and puppeteer-core.
Write your browser script.
Give it at least 512 MB RAM and bump up the timeout.
Upload and test thoroughly.

It works, but it's not perfect. Keeping Playwright and Chromium in sync can be a headache. You'll also need to juggle file size limits and cold starts.

"The performance issue is not related to the startup but rather happens during runtime." - User on GitHub

Want an easier option? Try a pool of managed browsers. It cuts through a lot of the cloud Chrome hassle.

Compare Features and Costs

Let's break down what each Browserless.io alternative brings to the table:

StealthBrowser.cloud

StealthBrowser.cloud is all about sneaky browser automation:

Feature	What You Get
Stealth	Custom Chrome and Firefox that dodge bot detectors
Concurrency	Hundreds to thousands of browsers at once
Security	Each session gets its own virtual machine
API Compatibility	Works with Playwright and Puppeteer
Pricing	Starter: $29/month (10 sessions), Enthusiast: $49/month (30 sessions), Pro: $99/month (Unlimited)

Their Pro plan doesn't cap sessions or time. It's a good deal if you're doing a ton of automation.

BrowserCloud

BrowserCloud is built for speed and scale:

Feature	What You Get
Performance	Fast AMD cores for speedy automation
Concurrency	Up to 100 headless browsers at once
Pricing	Credit-based: Free Tier (1,000 credits) to Enterprise (3,000,000 credits for $900)

You can scale up or down with BrowserCloud. They also have a Pay As You Go option at $0.0003 per credit.

Selenium Grid

Selenium Grid is open-source and gives you:

Feature	What You Get
Cost	Free (but you need your own infrastructure)
Flexibility	Works with lots of programming languages and testing frameworks
Scalability	Run tests on multiple machines and browsers at the same time

It's free, but remember you'll need to pay for hardware, maintenance, and beefing up security.

Cloud Functions

Cloud functions let you go serverless:

Feature	What You Get
Scalability	Handles sudden spikes in demand
Pricing	Pay for what you use (e.g., AWS Lambda: $0.20 per 1M requests after free tier)
Performance	Can be slow to start and limited in resources

They're cheap for occasional use but can get pricey if you're using them a lot.

Browserless.io (for comparison)

Browserless.io

Feature	What You Get
Free Tier	6 hours of use
Pricing	Pay-as-you-go after free tier
Hosting Options	Self-host or get a dedicated account
Library Support	Works with Puppeteer and Playwright

Browserless.io is flexible with its pricing and hosting options, fitting different needs.

When picking an alternative, think about what you need most. If you're all about staying under the radar, StealthBrowser.cloud might be worth the cash. For big testing jobs, BrowserCloud's speed could be a game-changer. If your team knows their tech and has the hardware, Selenium Grid could save you money.

Don't forget about hidden costs. Selenium Grid is free, but it can eat up time. Christian Grigorjevas from Appbooster said, "We used to spend roughly 30 minutes running all tests, it's much easier now to use one endpoint to parallel them all."

Which Option Should You Choose?

Picking the right Browserless.io alternative boils down to your specific needs. Let's break it down:

For Stealth and Security: StealthBrowser.cloud

If you're trying to fly under the radar during web scraping or automation, StealthBrowser.cloud is your go-to. Their custom Chromium browsers are built to outsmart even the toughest bot detectors like DataDome and Akamai.

What's cool about StealthBrowser.cloud:

It's super stealthy
Cloud setup with dedicated VMs for security
Works with Playwright and Puppeteer

Their Pro plan ($99/month) gives you unlimited concurrent sessions and run time. Perfect if you're running big operations that need to stay hidden.

For Speed and Scale: BrowserCloud

BrowserCloud is all about speed and scaling up. It's great for massive web scraping or testing projects.

BrowserCloud's standout features:

Fast AMD cores for quick automation
Up to 100 concurrent headless browsers
Pay with credits, scale as needed

Here's what Christian Grigorjevas, CTO of Appbooster, said: "BrowserCloud is a great tool to perform automated browser tests quickly. We used to spend roughly 30 minutes running all tests, it's much easier now to use one endpoint to parallel them all."

For DIY Flexibility: Selenium Grid

Got tech skills and your own hardware? Selenium Grid is free and super customizable.

Selenium Grid pros:

No direct software costs
Works with lots of programming languages and testing frameworks
Run tests on different browsers and machines at the same time

But remember, you'll need to factor in hardware, upkeep, and security costs.

For Serverless: Cloud Functions

Cloud functions are pay-as-you-go. They can be cheap for occasional use, but might get pricey for constant, heavy tasks.

Consider cloud functions if:

You need to handle sudden traffic spikes
You don't use browser automation often
You're okay with potential cold start delays

Quick Comparison

Feature	StealthBrowser.cloud	BrowserCloud	Selenium Grid	Cloud Functions
Stealth	Top-notch	Good	So-so	So-so
Scalability	High	High	Medium	High
User-friendly	Yes	Yes	Not really	Kind of
Cost	Fixed plans	Credit-based	Free (+ infrastructure)	Pay-per-use
Best For	Staying undetected	Fast automation	Customization	Serverless ops

When choosing, think about:

How big is your operation? For large-scale stuff, StealthBrowser.cloud or BrowserCloud might be better due to their high concurrency.
How tech-savvy is your team? If you've got strong tech skills, Selenium Grid could give you the most flexibility for the least direct cost.
What's your budget? Cloud functions can be cheap for small or infrequent use. BrowserCloud's credit system lets you fine-tune your resource use.
Need to stay hidden? StealthBrowser.cloud's custom browsers give it a big advantage here.

Remember, the best choice depends on what you're doing. For example, if you're mainly doing cross-browser testing, check out LambdaTest. User reviews show that 94.3% of users recommend it for improving cross-browser compatibility.

FAQs

Who are the competitors of Browserless?

Browserless isn't the only player in the browser automation and testing game. As of August 2024, several alternatives are vying for attention. Let's take a look at some of the top contenders:

1. LambdaTest

This cross-browser testing platform lets you run automated and live tests on over 3000 real browsers and operating systems. It's like having a massive tech lab at your fingertips.

2. Selenium Automation

An open-source favorite, Selenium helps you automate web browsers across different platforms. It's been around the block and has a strong community backing.

3. Jenkins

Think of Jenkins as your reliable automation buddy. This open-source server helps developers build, test, and deploy software without breaking a sweat.

4. Cypress

Cypress is the new kid on the block. It's built for modern web testing, offering a fast and user-friendly experience for anything that runs in a browser.

5. Postman Pro

While Postman Pro is primarily an API development platform, it's got some tricks up its sleeve for API testing automation too.

6. Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio is like a Swiss Army knife for testing. It covers web, API, mobile, and desktop testing all in one package.

7. Jira Software

Jira isn't directly competing in browser automation, but it's often the sidekick to these tools in software development project management.

Remember, each of these tools has its own strengths. Some focus on specific aspects of web automation and testing. For example, StealthBrowser.cloud, which we mentioned earlier, is all about stealth and undetectable browser automation.

When you're shopping for a Browserless alternative, think about what you really need. Consider your automation requirements, how much you're willing to spend, and how tech-savvy your team is. The right choice will depend on your unique situation.