Browserbase alternative

rasterly vs Browserbase

These are different categories, not competitors. Browserbase is hosted headless-browser infrastructure for agents. rasterly is a one-call render & read API. Here's the honest difference — and why rasterly is not a replacement for what Browserbase does.

Browserbase is the more powerful tool, and it's a different job. It's hosted headless-browser infrastructure: you run full programmable sessions with Playwright, Puppeteer or Stagehand, drive multi-step agent flows, use stealth and CAPTCHA solving, hold state across pages, and scale concurrent browsers. rasterly does none of that. rasterly turns a URL into a screenshot, clean Markdown, PDF or structured JSON over a single HTTP call — from $0.90 per 1,000 renders. If you need to run a browser, Browserbase is the right tool and rasterly can't stand in for it. If you only need "URL in — one render or read out," rasterly is far simpler and cheaper for that narrow job.

The real difference

rasterlyBrowserbase
URL → screenshot / Markdown / PDF / JSON in one callYes, one requestYou script it in a session
Full programmable browser sessionsNoYes — its core
Playwright / Puppeteer / Stagehand automationNoYes
Multi-step agent flows, session stateNoYes
Stealth mode, CAPTCHA solving, proxiesNoYes
Clean Markdown & structured extraction, no codeYes — read / extractOnly if you build it
MCP server for agentsYes — npx rasterly-mcpYes
Pricing modelPer render, flatMetered browser hours

Honest line: this is not a feature race rasterly is trying to win. Browserbase runs real browsers so agents can do things on the web; rasterly just fetches a render or a read. If your workload involves sessions, logins, clicking, or agent automation, rasterly is the wrong tool and Browserbase is exactly right.

Price, side by side

These don't line up cleanly: Browserbase meters browser hours because it keeps full sessions running for you, so a plan buys automation capacity, not a count of screenshots. Shown for rough orientation only.

TierrasterlyBrowserbase
Free100 renders / mo1 browser hour, 3 concurrent
Entry paid$9 (Starter, 10k renders)$20 (Developer, 100 browser hrs)
Mid$29 (Growth, 50k)$99 (Startup, 500 browser hrs)
Scale$99 (250k)Custom (Scale, 250+ concurrent)
Unit of billing1 render1 browser hour (+ proxy GB)

A browser hour on Browserbase can run a long multi-step agent flow — worth far more than one screenshot, and priced accordingly. Comparing it straight to a rasterly render understates what the hour buys, and overstates it if all you ever needed was a capture. On the Developer and Startup plans, hours beyond the included pool run about $0.12 and $0.10 each, plus proxy bandwidth.

The simple case, in code

If your only need is a screenshot of a URL, the difference is standing up a browser session versus one GET.

Browserbase — create a session, then drive it (Playwright)
const { Browserbase } = require("@browserbasehq/sdk");
const bb = new Browserbase({ apiKey: "bb_live_..." });
const session = await bb.sessions.create({ projectId: "..." });
// connect Playwright over CDP, page.goto(...), page.screenshot(...),
// then close the session so you stop metering browser time
rasterly — one GET
curl "https://api.rasterly.dev/v1/screenshot?url=https://stripe.com&full_page=true" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: sk_live_..." -o shot.png

Markdown is /v1/read?url=; structured data is /v1/extract?url=; PDF is format=pdf. For anything that needs a live browser — sessions, clicking, agent steps, stealth — that's Browserbase territory, and rasterly deliberately doesn't go there.

FAQ

Is rasterly a replacement for Browserbase?
No, and they're different categories. Browserbase is hosted headless-browser infrastructure: you run full programmable sessions with Playwright, Puppeteer or Stagehand, drive multi-step agent flows, use stealth and CAPTCHA solving, and keep sessions alive. rasterly does none of that. rasterly turns a URL into a screenshot, Markdown, PDF or structured JSON over one call. If you need to run a browser, use Browserbase; if you only need one render or read, rasterly is simpler and cheaper.
When should I use Browserbase instead of rasterly?
Whenever the job needs a real browser session: logging in, clicking through multi-step flows, running an agent with Stagehand, defeating hard anti-bot with stealth, or holding state across pages. That is exactly what Browserbase is built for, and rasterly cannot do it.
Why would I use rasterly if I already pay for Browserbase?
For the simple, high-volume jobs. Spinning up a full browser session and metering browser hours to grab one screenshot or one page of Markdown is overkill. rasterly does that single job over one HTTP call from $0.90 per 1,000 renders, so many teams use Browserbase for automation and rasterly for plain captures and reads.
Does rasterly meter browser time like Browserbase?
No. Browserbase meters browser hours because it runs full sessions for you. rasterly reuses one warm Chromium and charges a flat price per render, so you pay per screenshot, read, PDF or extract — not per minute a browser stays open.
Start free — 100 renders Try the live demo
More comparisons: Best screenshot APIs vs Firecrawl vs Browserless vs ScreenshotOne

Browserbase pricing and features observed August 2026, shown for comparison only; check browserbase.com for current details. Browserbase meters usage in browser hours (plus proxy bandwidth) rather than per render, so the tables above are for rough orientation, not a per-image equivalence. rasterly is an independent product, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Browserbase.