Steel

Open-source headless browser API purpose-built for AI agents, with session management and observability.

Open Source Automation & Agents
Visit Website ↗ by Steel AI

What is Steel?

Steel is an open-source browser API designed specifically for AI agents. It lets you spin up fleets of managed Chromium sessions in the cloud and control them via API or SDKs, handling the painful parts of web automation — JavaScript rendering, logins, proxies, CAPTCHAs, anti-bot measures and scaling — so agents can focus on the task. Agent-focused observability like live session viewers, replays and step-by-step agent logs makes failed runs far easier to debug.

Key features

  • Open-source browser API (Apache 2.0) for AI agents, self-hostable via Docker
  • Cloud-native sessions handling JS rendering, logins, proxies and CAPTCHAs
  • Connects via Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium or raw CDP
  • Live session streaming, MP4 replays and Agent Logs for debugging
  • Token-optimized page formats — markdown, cleaned HTML, PDFs, screenshots
  • Python and Node SDKs

Pros

  • Open-source (Apache 2.0) and self-hostable — audit exactly what runs
  • Built from day one for agent workloads: fast session starts, agent logs, replays
  • Standard CDP/Playwright/Puppeteer/Selenium connections — no lock-in
  • Built-in stealth, CAPTCHA solving and token-optimized page formats

Cons

  • Early-stage company with a smaller team and less enterprise track record
  • Fewer built-in integrations beyond the core CDP/Playwright/Selenium layer
  • Self-hosting the open-source version requires browser infrastructure know-how

Steel at a glance

PricingOpen Source
CategoryAutomation & Agents
Platformsweb, api, linux
CompanySteel AI
Official websitesteel.dev
browser-automationopen-sourceAI-agentsheadless-browserinfrastructureAPI

How to choose the right Automation & Agents tool

Automation and agent tools promise to do work for you, so judge them on reliability before cleverness. Map the exact workflow you want to automate, then check the tool's integrations cover every app in that chain — one missing connector breaks the whole flow. Look for clear triggers, sensible limits, and logs you can read when something goes wrong, because something eventually will. For agents that act on your behalf, approval controls matter: you should be able to review messages, purchases or changes before they happen, especially at the start. Pricing usually scales with runs or tasks, so estimate your monthly volume honestly. Start with one low-risk workflow, measure the time it truly saves, and expand from there.

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Steel FAQs

What is Steel?

Steel is an open-source browser API designed specifically for AI agents. It lets you spin up fleets of managed Chromium sessions in the cloud and control them via API or SDKs, handling the painful parts of web automation — JavaScript rendering, logins, proxies, CAPTCHAs, anti-bot measures and scaling — so agents can focus on the task. Agent-focused observability like live session viewers, replays and step-by-step agent logs makes failed runs far easier to debug.

What are the main features of Steel?

Steel offers Open-source browser API (Apache 2.0) for AI agents, self-hostable via Docker, Cloud-native sessions handling JS rendering, logins, proxies and CAPTCHAs, Connects via Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium or raw CDP, Live session streaming, MP4 replays and Agent Logs for debugging, Token-optimized page formats — markdown, cleaned HTML, PDFs, screenshots and Python and Node SDKs.

How much does Steel cost?

Steel is open source, so the software itself is free to download, use and self-host. Your only costs are the infrastructure you run it on and any paid services you connect to it.

What are the pros and cons of Steel?

Strengths of Steel include Open-source (Apache 2.0) and self-hostable — audit exactly what runs; Built from day one for agent workloads: fast session starts, agent logs, replays; Standard CDP/Playwright/Puppeteer/Selenium connections — no lock-in. On the downside, Early-stage company with a smaller team and less enterprise track record; Fewer built-in integrations beyond the core CDP/Playwright/Selenium layer; Self-hosting the open-source version requires browser infrastructure know-how.