Steel
Headless browser infrastructure for AI agents
Browser & computer-use agentsBrowser API for agentsApache-2.0Runs locallyTypeScriptIntermediate
🐳 Docker pulls
📦 PyPI downloads / month
📦 npm downloads / month
🚀 Latest release ·
What is Steel?
Steel is an open browser-as-API: launch controlled Chrome sessions for your agents with anti-bot handling, session management and a live debug view, self-hosted or cloud.
Why people choose Steel
- Purpose-built browser sessions for agents
- Session reuse, proxies and debugging UI
- Self-hostable with Docker in minutes
Steel at a glance
| Category | Browser & computer-use agents |
| Type | Browser API for agents |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Runs locally | Yes |
| Built with | TypeScript |
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Best for | giving production agents reliable web access |
Latest releases
Open-source alternatives to Steel
Other open-source browser & computer-use agents tools worth comparing:
Browser UseLet AI agents control your browser
SkyvernAutomate browser workflows with LLMs + vision
StagehandAI browser automation on top of Playwright
Open InterpreterChatGPT's Code Interpreter on your machine
NanobrowserMulti-agent web automation in your own browser
Playwright MCPGive any AI a real browser via MCP
LaVagueTurn objectives into browser automationSteel head-to-head
Steel vs Browser UseSteel vs SkyvernSteel vs StagehandSteel vs Open InterpreterSteel vs NanobrowserSteel vs Playwright MCPSteel vs LaVague
FAQ
Is Steel free?
Steel is free and open-source (Apache-2.0 license), so you can use, self-host and modify it at no cost.
Can I run Steel locally?
Yes. Steel is designed to run on your own machine or server, keeping your data private.
What is the best alternative to Steel?
Popular open-source alternatives include Browser Use, Skyvern, Stagehand. See the comparisons above to choose.
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