Do I need to rewrite my existing Puppeteer or Playwright script?

No. You typically only change the launch() call to a connect() call and point it to the Browserless WebSocket endpoint with your API key. The rest of your automation code stays identical.

How is this different from managing my own Puppeteer server?

Browserless eliminates server maintenance, memory leak issues, scaling logic, and bot-detection workarounds. It provides a managed, auto-scaling fleet with built-in stealth and CAPTCHA solving.

Can I self-host Browserless in my own data center?

Yes. Browserless offers Docker and Kubernetes deployment guides for air-gapped, private, or HIPAA-ready environments. Enterprise plans include commercial licenses and support for custom GPU infrastructure.

How does Browserless handle authenticated sessions and persistence?

It uses 'Authenticated Profiles' to store login state and cookies, allowing your agent to start a new session already signed in. Session persistence and reconnects maintain browser state across multiple automation runs.

What AI agent frameworks and clients are supported?

It works with any framework using standard Puppeteer/Playwright protocols (LangChain, CrewAI, etc.). Direct MCP integration is supported for clients like Claude, Cursor, and Codex via a dedicated MCP server.

Directory/Automation/Browser Automation/Browserless

Browserless

Browserless provides cloud-based, scalable headless browser infrastructure via a simple API. It handles browser management, scaling, anti-bot bypass, CAPTCHA solving, and session persistence, allowing developers to focus on their automation logic. The service supports standard tools like Puppeteer and Playwright, and offers specialized solutions for web scraping, browser automation, AI agent integration, and generating screenshots or PDFs. Key capabilities include a managed Browser Automation Protocol (BAP), MCP server integration for AI agents, authenticated profiles for persistent sessions, and a robust proxy network (residential and datacenter). It supports Chrome, WebKit, and Firefox, and can be deployed as a cloud service or self-hosted. The platform is built for high-scale operations, with enterprise features like SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance, custom deployments, and dedicated support.

Automation

Visit website

Added on

Sep 22, 2026

Headless BrowsersREST/WebSocket APIsMCP ServerAI Agent BrowserWeb ScrapingCAPTCHA SolvingSession PersistenceSelf-Hosted OptionGPU Support

Product information

Everything worth knowing about Browserless

The complete picture — from everyday features to the technical detail builders and IT folks dig for.

Core features

What it actually does

Browsers as a Service

Managed headless browsers at scale, with automatic scaling, load balancing, and resource management to handle traffic surges without memory leaks.

REST & WebSocket APIs

Connect via simple HTTP endpoints or WebSocket for browser automation. Get quick access to PDF, screenshot, and download APIs without complex setup.

MCP Server for AI Agents

Give AI agents native browser tools (search, scrape, crawl) over the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Plug into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client for live web data.

Stealth & Anti-Bot Bypass

Built-in stealth fingerprints, CAPTCHA solving, and proxy integration (residential & datacenter) to get past blockers and avoid detection.

Session Persistence & Reconnects

Technical capabilities

BrowserQL Language & Editor

A custom query language for browser automation tasks, with an in-browser IDE for prototyping and debugging queries.

Self-Hosted & Private Deployments

Option to run on your own infrastructure (Docker, Kubernetes, GPU) with air-gapped licensing, custom configurations, and commercial licenses.

Must watch videos

Run End-to-End Tests With Claude (No Code Setup)

6:27

Tutorial6:27

Run End-to-End Tests With Claude (No Code Setup)

Writing end to end tests works, but as your product grows so does the number of test scripts you have to write and maintain, and Claude on its own has no browser to run those flows for you. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to connect the Browserless MCP to Claude so it can become a browser agent that can open your site, inspect what's on the page, add a product to the cart, and verify the expected result, then report back whether the test passed or failed. 🔗 Links → Browserless free plan sign up : https://www.browserless.io/signup/email?plan=free&utm_source=youtube → Browserless MCP: https://docs.browserless.io/mcp/browserless-mcp-server/setup → Demo Shop Used: https://scraping-sandbox.netlify.app/products → Prompt Used: https://github.com/browserless/video-examples/tree/main/e2e-testing-agents → Claude Desktop App Download: https://claude.com/download ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:22 What the Agent Does 1:08 Setting Up the Browserless MCP in Claude 2:46 Running the End to End Test 4:15 Testing a Failed Result 5:26 Conclusion

How To Scrape News Articles From Multiple Sites (Claude + Slack)

6:20

Tutorial6:20

How To Scrape News Articles From Multiple Sites (Claude + Slack)

Scrape news articles and build an automated news brief delivered directly to your Slack channel to take better decisions. Learn how to scrape your favorite sources automatically. This tutorial walks through creating a custom news scraper script that gathers updates from your preferred websites. It is designed for developers or anyone looking to streamline their information consumption by pushing relevant articles directly into a Slack workspace. We cover the entire setup process, including configuring scraping parameters and using browserless cloud to manage your resources efficiently. By the end of this video, you will have a fully functional workflow that handles the heavy lifting of news aggregation for you. Subscribe for weekly automation breakdowns, and comment below with which news sources you want to track next. What you'll learn: - Connecting Playwright to a cloud stealth browser over CDP - Driving every source from a single sources.json file - Concurrency and the plan limits that matter (and how to avoid 429s) - Scheduling the scrape with launchd - Turning the results into a filtered Slack brief with a Claude Scheduled Task Full code and setup is in the repo: https://github.com/browserless/video-examples/tree/main/news-scraper Try Browserless free: https://www.browserless.io/signup/email?plan=free Chapters: 0:00 Why I scrape my own news 0:18 No local browser, plans and stealth 0:45 Quick setup with an AI agent 1:14 The scraped CSV output 1:58 Concurrency and MAX_PARALLEL 2:28 Editing sources.json 3:19 The daily schedule with launchd 3:50 Sending the brief to Slack with Claude 4:22 Setting up the scheduled task 5:19 The Slack briefing result 5:37 Pick your own topics and wrap up

Turn Claude Into a Browser Agent That Applies to Jobs

5:00

Tutorial5:00

Turn Claude Into a Browser Agent That Applies to Jobs

Claude can't browse job boards or fill out application forms on its own, so searching for roles and applying still ends up being manual work. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to connect the Browserless MCP to Claude so it can become a browser agent that can search LinkedIn for recent job postings, open an application link, read your attached resume, and fill out and submit the form for you. 🔗 Links → Browserless free plan sign up : https://www.browserless.io/signup/email?plan=free&utm_source=youtube → Browserless MCP: https://docs.browserless.io/mcp/browserless-mcp-server/setup → Claude Desktop App Download: https://claude.com/download ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:49 What You'll Need 1:19 Connecting the Browserless MCP 2:27 Demo: Searching LinkedIn for Jobs 3:20 Demo: Filling Out a Job Application 4:11 Scaling the Workflow 4:32 Conclusion

Who uses it

Real use cases, no hype

AI Agent Web Browsing

Give LLM-based agents a reliable, stealthy browser for live data retrieval and multi-step tasks.

Anti-Bot Web Scraping

Scrape protected sites at scale with built-in CAPTCHA solving, proxy rotation, and fingerprint stealth.

Browser Automation & Monitoring

Run recurring browser workflows like form filling, uptime checks, and data pipelines without managing servers.

End-to-End Testing

Execute headless Playwright or Puppeteer test suites with automatic scaling and Lighthouse audits.

Dynamic PDF & Screenshot Generation

Generate PDFs and pixel-perfect screenshots from any URL via simple REST API calls.

MCP Tool Integration

Connect directly to AI clients like Claude or Cursor via MCP for search, scrape, and crawl tools.

Enterprise Compliance & Self-Hosting

Deploy on private infrastructure with air-gapped licensing, HIPAA compliance, and dedicated support.

What's great

No infrastructure management: fully managed browsers
Seamless swap for existing Puppeteer/Playwright scripts
Built-in stealth, CAPTCHA solving, and proxy rotation
Free tier with 1k units/month, no card required
Supports all major browser engines (Chrome, WebKit, Firefox)

Technical strengths

Multi-language support via REST API and BrowserQL
Session persistence and reconnection for stateful agents
Self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options for enterprises

Where it falls short

Unit-based pricing can be confusing to track and predict costs
Session timeouts on lower-tier plans can interrupt longer tasks
Concurrency limits may require immediate scaling for production workloads

Technical limitations

Advanced features like geotargeting and GPU require Enterprise plans
BrowserQL is a custom language, requiring learning curve over standard APIs
Reliance on external service adds a potential single point of failure

For technical folks

The deep-dive specs

FAQ

Includes technical Q&A

A unit is a block of browser time up to 30 seconds per connection. Longer tasks consume additional units every 30 seconds. Session reconnects count as new connections and incur a fresh unit charge.