[Products](https://scrapfly.io/products) / [// Cloud Browser API](https://scrapfly.io/products/cloud-browser-api) / vs Steel.dev // STEEL.DEV VS SCRAPFLY [Overview](#overview) [Compare](#comparison) [Scrapium](#scrapium) [AI Agents](#ai-agents) [Pricing](#pricing) [Code](#code-example) [FAQ](#faq) [Start Free](https://scrapfly.io/register) [ 4.9/5 on Capterra · 236 reviews ](https://www.capterra.com/p/212653/Scrapfly/reviews/)# Steel.dev Alternative\_ ## Replay every failed scrape on video. Scrapfly is the **best Steel.dev alternative** when runtime stealth gets detected and there's no video debug mode to diagnose the failures. Scrapium delivers source-level stealth across Cloudflare, DataDome, and Akamai, records every session as replayable video, and adds human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA when automated solving falls short. - **Source-level stealth** Scrapium fork vs runtime patches that anti-bot vendors detect. - **Video debug mode** Record entire sessions to replay and diagnose failed scrapes. - **Human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA** Real humans solve hCaptcha and reCAPTCHA v3 when bots fail. - **Named vendor coverage** Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai, PerimeterX bypass tested per-target. - **AI agent frameworks** Browser Use and Stagehand work out of the box. [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) [ See Comparison ](#comparison) No credit card required · Full API access [ **Getting started** · CDP over WebSocket, drop-in for Playwright/Puppeteer ](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/getting-started) --- // WHY YOU'RE HERE##### Steel.dev works, until your targets get protection. Teams come to this page for one of three reasons. **Stealth degraded** after an antibot vendor update and runtime patches got detected. **Cost surprised them** via per-hour minimums or browser-time multipliers. Or they need **features Steel.dev doesn't ship**: manual control for debugging, session resume, browser extensions, and human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA solving. Scrapfly's [Cloud Browser API](https://scrapfly.io/products/cloud-browser-api) addresses all three on the same key, and you can compare it side by side with [Browserbase](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browserbase-alternative), [Browsercloud](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browsercloud-alternative), or [CloudBrowser.ai](https://scrapfly.io/compare/cloudbrowserai-alternative). --- OVERVIEW## Steel.dev at a glance. Steel.dev provides AI-agent-focused cloud browser infrastructure with proxies, sessions, and manual control. But it uses runtime stealth that fails againt advanced anti-bots. // STARTING AT$10/mo // BILLINGCredit-based, billed by usage time // TECH STACK Playwright Puppeteer Browser Use Stagehand Runtime stealth // FEATURE SUPPORT### What ships with Steel.dev. **Proxies Included**Built-in residential & datacenter proxies **AI Agent Ready**First-class support for autonomous agents **File Downloads**Download and retrieve files from sessions **Debug Mode**Step-through debugging with full visibility **Manual Control**Remote browser control and interaction **Session Resume**Reconnect to existing browser sessions **Browser Extensions**Load custom Chrome extensions --- HEAD-TO-HEAD## Scrapfly vs Steel.dev, one row at a time. What matters in production: stealth, cost, sessions, debugging, AI-agent support. | Feature | Scrapfly $30/mo | Steel.dev $10/mo | |---|---|---| | // Pricing & Billing | | Entry Price | $30/mo | $10/mo | | Billing Model | Credit-based (time + bandwidth) | Credit-based, billed by usage time | | // Core Technology | | Stealth Technology | Scrapium (custom Chromium fork) | Stealth mode (runtime patches) | | Anti-Bot Bypass | Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai, etc. | Stealth mode | | Proxies | Included (190+ countries) | Included | | // Session Management | | Session Resume | Reconnect to existing sessions | Supported | | Session Persistence | Cookies, localStorage, history | Context persistence | | Manual Control | Debug, solve challenges, verify manually | Supported | | // Developer Tools | | Debug Mode (Video) | Record sessions as videos | Not available | | Browser Extensions | Chrome extensions supported | Supported | | AI Agent Frameworks | Browser Use and Stagehand | Browser Use, Stagehand | | File Downloads | Up to 100MB per file | Supported | | // CAPTCHA Bypass | | CAPTCHA Solving | Custom build + human-in-the-loop | Automated solver only | Supported Partial Not available [ Try Scrapfly Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) --- SCRAPIUM## Source-level stealth, not runtime patches. [Scrapium](https://scrapfly.io/scrapium) is a custom Chromium fork. Fingerprints are emitted by the browser itself, not spoofed in JavaScript. // FINGERPRINTS##### Real TLS, HTTP/2, WebGL, Canvas Authentic [JA3/JA4](https://scrapfly.io/web-scraping-tools/ja3-fingerprint), [HTTP/2](https://scrapfly.io/web-scraping-tools/http2-fingerprint), [WebGL](https://scrapfly.io/web-scraping-tools/webgl-fingerprint), [canvas](https://scrapfly.io/web-scraping-tools/canvas-fingerprint). Match the Chrome builds target sites expect. // CHALLENGE SOLVING##### Adaptive bypass Handles [Cloudflare](https://scrapfly.io/bypass/cloudflare), [DataDome](https://scrapfly.io/bypass/datadome), [PerimeterX](https://scrapfly.io/bypass/perimeterx), [Akamai](https://scrapfly.io/bypass/akamai) automatically. // FORK##### Source-level mods Chromium modified at the C++ source level. The browser is *genuinely different*, not patched after launch. // WHY SOURCE-LEVEL WINS##### Steel.dev's stealth is detectable. Scrapium isn't. Runtime stealth modifies `navigator.webdriver`, `navigator.plugins`, and a few other JS surfaces after the page loads. Modern antibot vendors fingerprint exactly that pattern. Scrapium's fingerprints are produced by the browser itself, so there's nothing to detect. // SCRAPIUM- Source-level Chromium modifications - Native fingerprint emission - Undetectable by JS-property checks // STEEL.DEV- Runtime JS-property overrides - Spoofed fingerprints applied post-load - Detectable by modern anti-bot vendors --- AI AGENTS## Plug your agent into Scrapfly's CDP endpoint. Stealth browser, integrated proxies, and human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA. Everything an agent needs. // BROWSER USE **Python / TypeScript** An open-source framework wrapping Playwright with an LLM-driven control layer, Python and TS SDKs included. [ Integration Guide ](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/browser-use) // STAGEHAND **JavaScript / TypeScript** A browser automation SDK that decomposes browser interactions into atomic, agent-callable steps. [ Integration Guide ](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/stagehand) --- PRICING## One credit pool. Every Scrapfly product. Cloud Browser time shares the same credits as the rest of the Scrapfly API. Start at **$30/mo**, scale to enterprise volume. [Full pricing details](https://scrapfly.io/pricing). // DISCOVERY **$30** /mo **$0.15** per 1k credits, prepaid **200,000** API credits / month [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) // PRO **$100** /mo **$0.10** per 1k credits, prepaid **1,000,000** API credits / month [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) // STARTUP **$250** /mo **$0.10** per 1k credits, prepaid **2,500,000** API credits / month [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) // ENTERPRISE **$500** /mo **$0.09** per 1k credits, prepaid **5,500,000** API credits / month [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) // CUSTOM **Custom** **Negotiated** volume contract **Unlimited** credits negotiated [ Talk to Sales ](mailto:sales@scrapfly.io?subject=Enterprise%20Plan%20Request) [ Compare every plan ](https://scrapfly.io/pricing) --- WHY TEAMS SWITCH## Stealth gets them in. Production tooling keeps them. // ANTI-BOT##### Pass the toughest detections Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai, PerimeterX. Scrapium's source-level stealth holds where runtime patches fail. // PROXIES##### Integrated, no second vendor Premium residential & datacenter pools across 190+ countries, billed in the same credit pool as your browser time. // SCALE##### Run as many browsers as you need No infrastructure to manage, no per-browser provisioning. Concurrency scales with your plan. --- DROP-IN## Connect in seconds. Both services speak CDP over WebSocket. Point your existing Playwright or Puppeteer code at Scrapfly's URL. python ``` from scrapfly import ScrapflyClient, BrowserConfig from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright client = ScrapflyClient(key="YOUR_API_KEY") # Configure the Cloud Browser session (proxy pool, OS fingerprint, # session pinning, block rules, captcha solver, etc.) config = BrowserConfig( proxy_pool="datacenter", os="linux", ) # SDK builds the signed wss:// URL with all options encoded ws_url = client.cloud_browser(config) with sync_playwright() as p: browser = p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(ws_url) context = browser.contexts[0] page = context.pages[0] if context.pages else context.new_page() page.goto("https://web-scraping.dev/products") print(page.title()) browser.close() ``` javascript ``` import { ScrapflyClient, BrowserConfig } from 'scrapfly-sdk'; import puppeteer from 'puppeteer-core'; const client = new ScrapflyClient({ key: 'YOUR_API_KEY' }); // Configure the Cloud Browser session (proxy pool, OS fingerprint, // session pinning, block rules, captcha solver, etc.) const config = new BrowserConfig({ proxy_pool: 'datacenter', os: 'linux', }); // SDK builds the signed wss:// URL with all options encoded const wsUrl = client.cloudBrowser(config); const browser = await puppeteer.connect({ browserWSEndpoint: wsUrl }); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://web-scraping.dev/products'); console.log(await page.title()); await browser.close(); ``` Related docs: [Playwright](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/playwright) [Puppeteer](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/puppeteer) --- FAQ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Scrapium and how is it different from Steel.dev? Scrapium is Scrapfly's custom Chromium fork, built from source with deep anti-detection modifications. Unlike Steel.dev's approach which applies runtime patches, Scrapium's fingerprint coherence is baked into the browser at the source code level. This makes it undetectable by advanced anti-bot systems. ### How does Scrapfly's stealth compare to Steel.dev? Steel.dev uses runtime stealth patches that modify browser properties via JavaScript overrides. Advanced anti-bot systems can detect these modifications. Scrapium is a custom Chromium fork where fingerprints (TLS, HTTP/2, Canvas, WebGL) are coherent at the source level. They match because the browser actually produces them, not because they're spoofed. ### Can I use my existing Steel.dev code with Scrapfly? Yes. Both services use CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) over WebSocket. Change your connection endpoint to Scrapfly's URL and your existing Playwright or Puppeteer code works immediately. ### What features does Scrapfly offer that Steel.dev doesn't? Scrapfly offers manual control for debugging failed scrapes, video recording of browser sessions, session resume to reconnect to existing browsers, and Chrome extension support. These features help you diagnose issues and handle edge cases that pure automation can't solve. ### Does Scrapfly work with AI agent frameworks? Yes. Scrapfly's Cloud Browser API integrates with [Browser Use](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/browser-use) and [Stagehand](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/stagehand). The CDP WebSocket connection provides stealth browsers with integrated proxies and human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA solving. That combination is what AI agents need for reliable web access. ### Are proxies included in Scrapfly? Yes. Scrapfly includes premium residential and datacenter proxies across 190+ countries. You don't need a separate proxy provider. Proxy usage is included in your browser API credits. ### What is human-in-the-loop CAPTCHA solving? When automated CAPTCHA solvers fail (common with hCaptcha and reCAPTCHA v3), Scrapfly routes the challenge to real humans. This provides significantly higher success rates on tough CAPTCHAs. ### How does Scrapfly compare to other Steel.dev alternatives? If you're shortlisting multiple cloud browser vendors, the head-to-head pages line up the same comparison axes side by side. Browse the other detailed breakdowns: [Scrapfly vs Browserbase](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browserbase-alternative), [Scrapfly vs Browsercloud](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browsercloud-alternative), [Scrapfly vs CloudBrowser.ai](https://scrapfly.io/compare/cloudbrowserai-alternative), [Scrapfly vs Hyperbrowser](https://scrapfly.io/compare/hyperbrowser-alternative), [Scrapfly vs Anchor Browser](https://scrapfly.io/compare/anchorbrowser-alternative), [Scrapfly vs Lightpanda](https://scrapfly.io/compare/lightpanda-alternative). Or jump to the [Cloud Browser API landing](https://scrapfly.io/products/cloud-browser-api) for the full feature surface. --- OTHER COMPARISONS## Evaluating multiple cloud browser vendors? [ // BROWSERBASE **View comparison** FROM$20/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browserbase-alternative) [ // BROWSERCLOUD **View comparison** FROM$19/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/browsercloud-alternative) [ // CLOUDBROWSER.AI **View comparison** FROM$25/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/cloudbrowserai-alternative) [ // HYPERBROWSER **View comparison** FROM$30/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/hyperbrowser-alternative) [ // ANCHOR BROWSER **View comparison** FROM$50/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/anchorbrowser-alternative) [ // LIGHTPANDA **View comparison** FROM$19/mo ](https://scrapfly.io/compare/lightpanda-alternative) --- // GET STARTED### Ready to switch from Steel.dev? Try Scrapfly's Cloud Browser API for free. No credit card. CDP-compatible Playwright and Puppeteer drop-in. [ Start Free ](https://scrapfly.io/register) [ Read the docs ](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/getting-started)