Browser platforms / BrowserAct alternative

BrowserAct alternative

BrowserAct combines cloud-built Bots and workflows with a CLI that can drive browsers on your own machine. Its browser identity and task session are separate concepts. Compare the part you want managed with the durable Linux environment that runs your agent and supporting tools.

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Reviewed 2026-10-18 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When BrowserAct fits

BrowserAct fits teams that want reusable web Bots, a visual workflow path, managed cloud execution or local browser control for their existing agent. It can remain a web-automation component while a separate runtime owns the surrounding application.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when the agent needs installed system packages, configuration, repositories and accumulating files retained across tasks, with automatic online RootFS growth. Test any local browser/CLI dependencies on gVisor and supply the agent or workflow layer explicitly.

Capabilities

BrowserAct and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeBrowserActNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesBrowserActBrowser identities retain selected state; a managed durable Linux disk is not established.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSBrowserActBrowser/profile isolation does not establish retention of a whole writable Linux filesystem.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateBrowserActIdle session reclamation and browser reuse do not establish a compute-free machine checkpoint.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateBrowserActArbitrary Linux process-memory capture/restore is not established.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

BrowserAct’s reusable Bots and browser identities do not establish online expansion of a hosted Linux RootFS. A local CLI inherits the storage of the machine you provide. Sandbox0 can retain the compatible CLI, surrounding system tools and growing outputs as part of its whole writable RootFS.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

BrowserAct browser/profile commands outside a live task are not evidence of a paused Linux Files API. Access to the agent’s retained files depends on the machine or storage you supply; Sandbox0’s supported paused-file operations concern its own persistent RootFS.

See paused file operations →

Browser identity is separate from task navigation

The CLI guide defines a browser as cookies, profile, fingerprint and proxy identity, while a session holds one task’s current page and command flow. Sessions on one browser share login state but navigate separately. Private sessions instead start with an empty profile. Idle sessions may be reclaimed, so save task progress outside a live browser.

Source 1 ↗

Cloud Bots and local execution have different costs

The public pricing page says local CLI execution has no BrowserAct runtime fee; optional managed browser and proxy services still consume credits. Cloud SaaS supports reusable Bot building and runs. Its cloud-browser runtime and bundled dynamic proxy are currently described as free for a limited time, not as a permanent zero-cost infrastructure guarantee.

Source 1 ↗

The workflow-step rate needs account confirmation

The current website quotes three credits per executed Bot Workflow step, while the Billing & Credits guide still says five, including loop-based multipliers. That is a material disagreement. Agent-built Bot build/run estimates are different again; inspect actual task usage rather than assuming one step, one task and one build share a fixed price.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

BrowserAct

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Free plan
$0; 200 signup credits
Two simultaneous tasks and two free Agent builds shown; signup benefits are not a recurring credit allowance.
Rate source ↗
Basic, monthly billing
$16/month including 10,000 monthly credits
Ten simultaneous tasks. The annual selection separately shows $13/month, billed $156 yearly.
Rate source ↗
Website Bot Workflow step
3 credits per executed step
Current public price-page meter; the billing guide disagrees.
Rate source ↗
Documentation workflow step
5 credits per executed step
The guide applies this rate to standard steps and loop multipliers; confirm the rate applied to your account.
Rate source ↗
Local CLI execution
$0 BrowserAct runtime fee
Optional local fingerprint-browser creation is 100 credits each; dynamic proxy traffic is 5,000 credits/GB in the billing guide.
Rate source ↗

The same credit balance covers several services. The billing guide says credit packs expire at the next monthly reset; they are not permanent credits. Local execution still needs a machine, an agent/model where applicable, and any chosen add-ons. Do not convert the vendor’s build/run estimates into guaranteed completed-task counts or equal-resource VM prices.

Check current BrowserAct pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from BrowserAct

  1. Separate cloud Bots, workflow steps and local CLI usage; record identity-sharing, private-session and credit-expiry assumptions.
  2. Port compatible agent/CLI dependencies to a Sandbox0 template or retain BrowserAct Cloud as a web tool, preserving required exports and credentials.
  3. Test concurrent account behavior, idle recovery, system-package persistence, RootFS growth, paused files and the effective credit rates in your account.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in BrowserAct replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗docs.browseract.com/agent-cli/concurrency-isolation.md ↗www.browseract.com/pricing ↗docs.browseract.com/account-billing/billing/billing-credits.md ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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