Browser platforms / Browserless alternative

A Browserless alternative when the agent needs more than a returning browser

Browserless provides managed browsers, browser APIs and optional licensed private deployments. Its Session API can retain browser data across process restarts for days. Distinguish that stored browser identity from the live browser process and from a complete persistent Linux environment.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

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

When Browserless fits

Browserless fits browser automation that needs managed engines, BrowserQL/BAP, proxy and CAPTCHA options, screenshots/PDFs, and browser-state reuse. Enterprise private deployment is also a distinct purchasing option; those requirements are broader than a basic CDP endpoint.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for the surrounding Linux agent environment, including persistent installed tools, system configuration and growing files. Retain a managed browser service or operate a compatible browser where needed, and validate gVisor requirements before moving execution.

Capabilities

Browserless and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeBrowserlessLive browser limits range from two minutes on Free to 60 minutes on Scale; persisted session data can live much longer.View evidence ↗Sandbox0ttl 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 filesBrowserlessBrowser userDataDir persists across new processes until session TTL or explicit permanent stop.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSBrowserlessThe documented durable directory contains browser data; arbitrary whole-Linux-RootFS continuity is not established.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 stateBrowserlessA new browser process can reload saved profile data, while live keep-alive retains compute; neither is a documented complete-machine pause contract.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateBrowserlessReconnect retains a running browser; it is not evidence of a durable arbitrary RAM checkpoint.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.

The Session API persists a Chrome user-data directory with plan-bounded retention. It does not establish automatic online expansion of a whole durable agent RootFS. Preserve that distinction without dismissing the genuine persisted-browser feature.

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.

See paused file operations →

Stored session data can outlive the browser process

The Session API persists cookies, local storage and cache in an isolated userDataDir. By default the browser process ends when all clients disconnect; reconnect starts a new browser on a blank page with saved data. Persisted session TTL can reach 1/7/30/90 days on Free/Prototyping/Starter/Scale, while stop permanently deletes that session data.

Source 1 ↗

Live reconnection is a different kind of continuity

processKeepAlive adds a grace period for the same live process, with the guide documenting Puppeteer disconnect support rather than Playwright support. BAP reconnects also keep the browser running, using a concurrency slot and billing during the wait. Reconnecting does not extend the absolute browser deadline beyond the plan limit.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Units combine time and other billable activity

A browser connection uses one unit per 30 seconds, rounded up; reconnects start a fresh connection charge. Built-in proxy traffic and successful CAPTCHA solves use additional units from the same balance. Persisted-data TTL, maximum live session time and plan unit allowance are separate constraints.

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.

Browserless

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Free
$0/month
1,000 units, two concurrent browsers and two-minute live sessions.
Rate source ↗
Prototyping annual commitment
$25/month equivalent, billed annually
20,000 units/month; $0.0020/unit overage; 15-minute live sessions.
Rate source ↗
Starter annual commitment
$140/month equivalent, billed annually
180,000 units/month; $0.0017/unit overage; 30-minute live sessions.
Rate source ↗
Scale annual commitment
$350/month equivalent, billed annually
500,000 units/month; $0.0015/unit overage; 60-minute live sessions.
Rate source ↗
Browser time
1 unit per started 30 seconds per connection
Rate source ↗
Built-in residential / datacenter proxy
6 / 2 units per MB
Rate source ↗
Successful CAPTCHA solve
10 units
Rate source ↗
Enterprise / licensed self-hosting
Custom terms
Rate source ↗

Paid headline amounts above are the explicitly displayed annual-billing equivalents; verify monthly billing separately. Reconnect wait time stays billable and each new connection has fresh unit rounding. Proxy and solve units share the plan balance, so it is not all available for browser hours. A stored profile is not an active process or unlimited runtime.

Check current Browserless 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 Browserless

  1. Separate browser session data and live reconnect requirements from agent-installed packages, system files, outputs and external storage.
  2. Port compatible Linux agent execution and preserve or replace Browserless automation, proxy, CAPTCHA and private-deployment requirements explicitly.
  3. Test authentication, reconnect versus fresh-process behavior, whole-system growth, paused file access and time/proxy/solve charges under actual billing terms.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Browserless 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.browserless.io/baas/session-management/persisting-state.md ↗docs.browserless.io/bap/session-management/reconnects.md ↗www.browserless.io/pricing ↗docs.browserless.io/overview/unit-consumption.md ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

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