Browser Use: Open Source Alternative to Playwright

Browser Use is an open-source alternative to Playwright, listed in our [Developer Tools](/categories/developer-tools) directory. Browser Use is an open-source browser automation library with 96k+ GitHub stars — a Puppeteer alternative enabling AI agents to interact with websites.

Compare Browser Use with Browserbase before you choose your stack.

Key features

AI-native automation

• Connect any LLM to a browser
• Natural language task descriptions
• Visual understanding via screenshots
• DOM extraction and interaction

Multi-tab & state

• Handle multiple browser tabs
• Session persistence across runs
• Cookie and authentication management
• Parallel browser instances

Developer-friendly

• Simple Python API
• Playwright-based (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
• Action registry for reusable steps
• Custom selectors and waits

Browser Use vs Playwright

	Browser Use	Playwright
License	MIT (open source)	Proprietary
Models	Bring your own keys / local models	Vendor-locked models
Deployment	Self-hosted or cloud	SaaS only
Privacy	Data stays on your infrastructure	Processed by vendor
Cost	Free software + API usage	Subscription pricing

Choose Browser Use if you want open-source code, self-hosting options, and full control over your data and deployment.

Choose Playwright if you prefer a managed proprietary product with vendor support and minimal setup.

Browse more open-source alternatives to Playwright, or explore other tools in Developer Tools.

At a glance

License	MIT
Stack	Python, Playwright
Self-hosted	Yes
Framework	Playwright
LLM Support	GPT-4, Claude, Gemini

Self-hosting

pip install browser-use
playwright install

Run with your LLM API key as environment variable.

FAQ

Is Browser Use a free alternative to Playwright?

Yes. Browser Use is open source under MIT. You can self-host it at no software cost — you only pay for infrastructure or optional managed services.

How does Browser Use compare to Playwright?

Browser Use gives you source code access, self-hosting, and data ownership. Playwright is a proprietary product focused on managed convenience. See the comparison table above for a side-by-side breakdown.

Can I self-host Browser Use?

Yes. Browser Use supports self-hosted deployment, which is a core reason teams choose it over Playwright. Check the Getting started or Self-hosting section for install commands.

Is Browser Use suitable for production?

Browser Use is actively maintained with a strong open-source community. Many teams run it in production as a Developer Tools alternative to Playwright. Review the At a glance table for license and stack details.

What are alternatives to Browser Use and Playwright?

Browse alternatives to Playwright for more open-source options, including tools compared to Browserbase. Explore the full Developer Tools category for related projects.