Skip to content
CrawlForge MCP

Alternatives

Hosted browser infrastructure you control, or web data tools that return the result. See where each one fits.

Last updated:

01Quick answer

Browserbase is hosted browser infrastructure: you drive cloud browsers with Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium or Stagehand and pay by browser hours and concurrency. CrawlForge is an MCP server with 31 tools that return page content, structured fields, crawls and research directly, priced per call in credits. Pick Browserbase for full browser control at scale; pick CrawlForge when your agent needs web data without writing browser code.

02Context

Overview

Browserbase and CrawlForge are often mentioned together, but they sell different layers. Browserbase is hosted browser infrastructure: you create a cloud browser session and drive it with Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium or Stagehand, its own AI browser SDK. Around the browsers it offers Fetch and Search APIs, agent identity, CAPTCHA solving on paid plans, session recording, and Functions for deploying agents. Plans are priced by concurrent browsers and browser hours.

CrawlForge is a web data API. Instead of a browser you drive, your agent gets 31 tools that return the result: clean markdown from scrape, fields from extract_structured, a URL list from map_site, a multi-source report from deep_research. When a page does need interaction, scrape_with_actions and browser_session run the clicks and typing, billed in credits per call rather than per browser hour.

The real question is whether you want to write browser automation or receive web data. Teams that need full programmatic control of real browsers at high concurrency are Browserbase's market. Teams whose agents mainly need page content and extraction get there with less code on CrawlForge.

03Scoreboard

Feature Comparison

02

CrawlForge wins

04

Tie

04

Competitor wins

  1. What You GetTie
    CrawlForge
    Tools that return content and fields
    Browserbase
    Cloud browsers you control
  2. Automation FrameworksCompetitor wins
    CrawlForge
    None needed; interaction via scrape_with_actions and browser_session
    Browserbase
    Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium, Stagehand
  3. Billing UnitTie
    CrawlForge
    Credits per tool call (scrape = 2)
    Browserbase
    Browser hours and concurrency, plus Fetch and Search calls
  4. Structured ExtractionTie
    CrawlForge
    scrape_structured, extract_structured, extract_with_llm
    Browserbase
    Stagehand extract and the Agents API
  5. CAPTCHA HandlingCompetitor wins
    CrawlForge
    Not solved; stealth_mode with your own proxy
    Browserbase
    Automatic CAPTCHA solving on paid plans
  6. ProxiesCompetitor wins
    CrawlForge
    Bring your own
    Browserbase
    Included GB on paid plans, or bring your own
  7. ResearchCrawlForge wins
    CrawlForge
    deep_research with conflict detection, search_web
    Browserbase
    Search API
  8. Crawling and MonitoringCrawlForge wins
    CrawlForge
    map_site, crawl_deep, track_changes
    Browserbase
    Build it on browser sessions and Functions
  9. DebuggingCompetitor wins
    CrawlForge
    browser_session snapshots and screenshots
    Browserbase
    Session recording and live debugger
  10. MCP SupportTie
    CrawlForge
    Native MCP server with 31 tools
    Browserbase
    MCP server (hosted or local)

04The numbers

Pricing Comparison

Free

CrawlForge1,000 credits (one-time)

Browserbase$0 — 1 browser hour, 3 concurrent browsers

Hobby

CrawlForge$19/mo — 5,000 credits (roll over)

BrowserbaseDeveloper $20/mo — 100 browser hours, 25 concurrent

Professional

CrawlForge$99/mo — 100,000 credits (roll over)

BrowserbaseStartup $99/mo — 500 browser hours, 100 concurrent

Business

CrawlForge$399/mo — 500,000 credits (roll over)

BrowserbaseScale — custom, 250+ concurrent

05Trade-offs

Why Choose CrawlForge

  • No browser code to write: tools return markdown, links, metadata or schema fields
  • Priced per call, with no browser-hour meter: a plain scrape is 2 credits
  • map_site, crawl_deep, deep_research and track_changes cover crawling, research and monitoring
  • browser_session for multi-step flows when you do need a real browser, priced per step
  • Credits roll over on every paid plan
  • 1,000 free credits to try all 31 tools

Where Browserbase Shines

  • Full Playwright, Puppeteer and Selenium control over real cloud browsers
  • High concurrency: 25 browsers on Developer, 100 on Startup, 250+ on Scale
  • Automatic CAPTCHA solving and bundled proxy bandwidth on paid plans
  • Stagehand, its AI browser SDK with act, extract and observe
  • Session recording and a live debugger for every session
  • Enterprise options: SOC 2, HIPAA BAA and SSO

06Verdict

The Verdict

Pick Browserbase if you are building browser automation: agents that log in, fill in multi-page forms, and need a real browser under your own Playwright or Stagehand code, at high concurrency, with CAPTCHA solving and session replay. It is infrastructure, and it is very good at that layer.

Pick CrawlForge if what your agent needs is the data. Most scraping, extraction, crawling and research jobs do not need you to write browser code, and CrawlForge returns the result of each one from a single tool call, billed in credits. For the pages that do need clicks, scrape_with_actions and browser_session cover it without leaving the same API.

07Decision

Which one should you pick?

Pick CrawlForge when

  • Your agent needs page content, fields or crawls, and you would rather not write browser code.
  • You want a per-call price instead of metering browser hours.
  • You need research (deep_research) or monitoring (track_changes) alongside scraping.
  • Occasional interaction is enough, and scrape_with_actions or browser_session covers it.
  • You want unused credits to roll over month to month.

Pick Browserbase when

  • You already have Playwright, Puppeteer or Selenium scripts and want to run them in the cloud.
  • You need dozens or hundreds of concurrent browsers.
  • Target sites show CAPTCHAs that you need solved automatically.
  • You want session recordings and live debugging for every run.
  • You need HIPAA or SSO on an enterprise contract.

08Migration

Migration example

Replace a Browserbase session that only loads a page and reads it with one CrawlForge scrape call. Keep Browserbase for flows that need custom browser code. (Check Browserbase docs for the latest SDK.)

Before — Browserbase
// Before: Browserbase + Playwrightimport { chromium } from 'playwright-core';import Browserbase from '@browserbasehq/sdk';const bb = new Browserbase({ apiKey: process.env.BROWSERBASE_API_KEY });const session = await bb.sessions.create();const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(session.connectUrl);const page = browser.contexts()[0].pages()[0];await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });const html = await page.content();await browser.close();
After — CrawlForge
// After: CrawlForgeconst res = await fetch('https://www.crawlforge.dev/api/v1/tools/scrape', {  method: 'POST',  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.CRAWLFORGE_API_KEY}`, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },  body: JSON.stringify({ url: 'https://example.com', formats: ['markdown', 'html'] }),});const { data } = await res.json();const { markdown, html } = data.formats;

09Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

01Is CrawlForge a Browserbase replacement?

Only for some workloads. CrawlForge is not a browser you connect Playwright to; it is a set of tools that return results. If your Browserbase sessions mostly load pages and read content, scrape, extract_content and batch_scrape replace them. If you rely on custom browser scripts, high concurrency or CAPTCHA solving, Browserbase remains the right layer.

02How do the prices compare?

They meter different things. Browserbase bills browser time: its pricing page estimates that 100 browser hours (the Developer plan, $20/mo) is roughly 3,000 page-level tasks. CrawlForge bills per call: the Hobby plan ($19/mo, 5,000 credits) covers 2,500 scrape calls at 2 credits, or 1,000 stealth_mode calls at 5. Which works out cheaper depends on how long your pages take and how much interaction they need.

03Does CrawlForge solve CAPTCHAs?

No. stealth_mode reduces challenges with fingerprint randomisation and routes through a proxy you supply; CrawlForge supplies no proxies and does not solve CAPTCHAs. Browserbase includes automatic CAPTCHA solving on its paid plans.

04How does CrawlForge handle pages that need clicks or logins?

Two ways. scrape_with_actions (5 credits) runs a fixed chain of actions such as click, type, wait and scroll, then returns the content in one call. browser_session keeps a page open across several calls so an agent can look before it acts; open costs 3 credits and most later steps 1 or 2.

05Can I use Browserbase and CrawlForge together?

Yes. A common split is Browserbase for the workflows that need custom browser code, and CrawlForge for bulk reading, extraction, crawling and research. Each is billed separately.

10Resources

Related resources

01

Getting started

Install CrawlForge MCP and run your first scrape in under a minute.

02

Browse all 31 tools

See every scraping, extraction, and research tool with credit costs.

03

Use cases

Lead enrichment, price monitoring, RAG pipelines, and more.

04

Pricing

Free 1,000 credits, then $19/mo Starter. Compare every plan.

05

All comparisons

See how CrawlForge stacks up against every major scraping API.

06

MCP web scraping guide

Why MCP-native scraping outperforms REST for AI agents.

Start forging

Ready to Try CrawlForge?

Every new account gets 1,000 free credits. No credit card required.

Try CrawlForge Free — 1,000 Credits