Alternatives / Anchor Browser
Looking for an open source Anchor Browser alternative? We compared 5 open source browser automation tools for AI agents by license, self-hosting, and maintenance. Steel is the closest cloud-browser infrastructure, Browser Use and Skyvern drive browsers with AI, and Lightpanda is a new headless browser.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Browser Use | Python library for AI browser control | MIT |
| Lightpanda | Fast headless browser in Zig | AGPL-3.0 |
| Skyvern | Plain-English browser workflows | AGPL-3.0 (anti-bot features are cloud only) |
| ego lite | Chromium browser with agent spaces | MIT |
| Steel | Cloud browser sessions through an API | Apache-2.0 |
We looked for open-source tools that give AI agents a controllable browser like Anchor Browser. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Steel is open-source browser infrastructure that runs cloud browser sessions through an API, with CAPTCHA solving and proxy controls, a session viewer, sessions up to 24 hours, and Docker self-hosting. Lightpanda is a headless browser written from scratch in Zig that works with Puppeteer and Playwright.
Browser Use is a Python library that gives AI agents control of a browser for clicking, form filling, logins, and data extraction. Skyvern turns browser tasks written in plain English into workflows and handles logins and 2FA, running at scale through an API.
Ego Lite is a Chromium browser that lets agents use your existing logged-in sessions in isolated spaces and keeps data local. It replaces your daily browser instead of running alongside it.
Lightpanda and Skyvern are AGPL-3.0, and Skyvern's anti-bot features are cloud only. Browser Use and Ego Lite are MIT, and Steel is Apache-2.0.
All five had commits within days of this update. Lightpanda's speed claims are the vendor's own.
Anchor Browser is a proprietary hosted service, so sessions, cookies, and the pages your agents visit run on its infrastructure. Open-source tools can be self-hosted so credentials and browsing data stay with you, though CAPTCHA solving and proxies often require paid services.
Browser Use is an MIT-licensed Python library that gives AI agents control of a real browser, so they can navigate pages, click, type, and extract data. The library is free, while model inference and hosted browsers through Browser Use Cloud are separate paid services, and you can also use a local browser and a local model.
Pricing: Free library; Browser Use Cloud and hosted inference are paid.
Lightpanda is a headless browser written in Zig from scratch, designed for AI agents and automation, with a focus on low memory use and fast startup. It is AGPL-3.0. Its speed and compatibility figures are the vendor's own claims, and it does not yet support every web feature.
Pricing: Free and open source; a hosted cloud is offered.
Skyvern automates browser-based workflows with AI and computer vision, handling tasks such as forms, logins, and data extraction. The core logic is AGPL-3.0 in the open-source repository, except for anti-bot measures that are only available in the managed cloud, and it can be self-hosted with your own LLM keys.
Pricing: Free to self-host; the managed cloud is paid.
ego lite is a Chromium-based browser that lets AI agents and humans share the same browser instance, so agents use your existing cookies and logged-in sessions instead of a separate headless browser. It offers isolated workspaces for agent tasks, parallel execution, batch JavaScript actions, semantic snapshots, and Chrome profile migration. It runs on macOS today, with Windows in closed beta and Linux planned.
Pricing: Free and open source.
Steel Browser is an Apache-2.0, batteries-included browser sandbox with a Sessions API, CAPTCHA solving, and proxy controls, so you can automate the web without managing browser infrastructure. It can be self-hosted with Docker, and Steel Cloud offers a hosted option with a free tier. SDKs work with both.
Pricing: Free to self-host; Steel Cloud has a free tier and paid plans.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser Use | Agent library | MIT | Yes | Code-first agents |
| Lightpanda | Headless browser | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Automation at scale |
| Skyvern | Agent platform | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Business workflows |
| ego lite | Browser | MIT | Local | Agents using your sessions |
| Steel | Browser infrastructure | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Closest replacement |
Want self-hosted browser sessions through an API
Steel provides session APIs, CAPTCHA solving, proxy controls, and Docker self-hosting.
Want to code agents that browse
Browser Use controls tabs, forms, and logins from Python.
Want no-code browser workflows
Skyvern turns plain-English tasks into workflows and handles logins and 2FA.
Want a faster headless browser
Lightpanda works with Puppeteer and Playwright, under AGPL-3.0.