What is the main difference between Browser Use and Steel?

Browser Use and Steel are both browser automation for ai tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Browser Use or Steel?

The choice between Browser Use and Steel depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Browser Use to Steel?

Migration between Browser Use and Steel is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

Windshift – The self-hosted platform that replaces Jira.

Learn More

Browser Use vs Steel

Learn how Browser Use and Steel differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these browser automation for ai tools is best for you.

Browser Use

Python library that lets AI agents browse the web by giving them real browser control, DOM access, and the ability to interact with any website.

Visit Browser Use Read more

118,467stars+3,153(+2.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
2 years
Version
0.13.13
License
MIT
Repository
browser-use

Steel

Open-source browser infrastructure that lets AI agents and automation scripts control cloud browser fleets via a simple API, with built-in CAPTCHA solving and proxy management.

Visit Steel Read more

7,836stars+169(+2.2%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
10 hours ago
Repository age
2 years
Version
v0.5.4-beta
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
steel-browser

Detailed Comparison

Browser Use appears to have several advantages over Steel, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Browser Use wins

Community & Popularity

Browser Use significantly outpaces Steel in community adoption with 118,467 stars compared to 7,836 stars on GitHub. This 15.1x difference suggests Browser Use has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Browser Use has 13,150 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Browser Use wins

Growth Momentum

Browser Use is growing faster, adding 3,153 stars in the last 30 days (+2.7%) against adding 169 stars for Steel (+2.2%). Browser Use is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Browser Use last updated 2 days ago and Steel 10 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, Bash. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Browser Use uses Python while Steel leverages CSS, Typescript, JSX.

Comparable

Project Maturity

Both projects started around the same time, with Browser Use beginning 2 years ago and Steel 2 years ago.

Browser Use wins

Licensing

Browser Use uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Steel's Apache-2.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Browser Automation for AI.

Steel wins

Hosting & Deployment

Steel provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Browser Use may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.

Other tool comparisons to consider