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Browser agents · AI agent

Nanobrowser: review, pricing, security and alternatives

Nanobrowser is an open-source AI agent published by Nanobrowser, in the browser agents family. Nanobrowser is a browser extension that uses AI agents to automate tasks within the user’s authenticated browser. Its repository has 14,168 stars and its last commit is from October 24, 2026.

Open sourceSelf-hostableActively maintainedModerate risk

What Nanobrowser does

Nanobrowser belongs to the browser agents family: agents that open pages, click, fill in forms and extract information in place of a human. On our grid it ranks #12 of the 21 projects of this family listed in the directory.

You use it from: web app. Usable models: Claude (Anthropic), GPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), DeepSeek, and local models (Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM…). It can run on your own machine or server.

Who is Nanobrowser for?

It helps people who spend time on websites without an API: it clicks, fills in and reads pages for you. Typical tasks people give it:

  • fill in repetitive forms
  • collect prices or information across several sites
  • test a website's user flow
  • fetch documents from a customer portal

It is a good candidate if you prefer doing everything in a browser, with no install, your data must stay on your machines, and you want the option of a local model, with no API fees.

Access and human control

According to its documentation, Nanobrowser can:

  • drive a web browser
  • call online services and APIs

We could not establish whether it asks for human approval before sensitive actions: test it first on an unimportant account or folder.

Read and edit filesRead and edit files : 14 %14 %Drive a web browserDrive a web browser : 76 %76 %Call online services and APIsCall online services and APIs : 33 %33 %Read and send messagesRead and send messages : 5 %5 %Make paymentsMake payments : 5 %5 %
Share of the 21 agents in the family that have each access, according to their documentation. In orange, Nanobrowser's access.

Nanobrowser pricing

The code is free, under the Apache-2.0 licence.

Getting started with Nanobrowser

  1. Install it: the project ships as a Node.js package (install with npm, or run directly with npx). The exact command is in the repository README.
  2. Pick the model: an API key from a provider, or a local model if your machine has enough graphics memory (the VRAM calculator tells you).
  3. Give it a first playground with nothing at stake: a test folder, a secondary account or a throwaway project. Only open your real accounts once you have seen how it behaves.
  4. Give it a short, checkable task, review the result and its action log, then raise the difficulty step by step.

Security: risk level

Every page visited may hide instructions: do not leave a browser agent logged into sensitive accounts without action approval.

Points found for Nanobrowser:

  • Outside content: it reads web pages or API responses, which may contain booby-trapped instructions (prompt injection).

Three habits: least privilege (minimal rights, dedicated keys), human approval for irreversible actions, a sandbox for code execution. The AI agent security check reviews your setup in a few minutes.

Project activity and releases

Created on December 31, 2024, the nanobrowser/nanobrowser repository has 14,168 stars, 1,506 forks and 25 open issues, with 395 commits in total. It received changes this month.

Over the last 52 weeks: 30 commits, an average of 0.6 per week.

Nov 2, : 1 · Nov 2, 2025Nov 2,Nov 9, : 0 · Nov 9, 2025Nov 16, : 3 · Nov 16, 2025Nov 23, : 4 · Nov 23, 2025Nov 30, : 1 · Nov 30, 2025Dec 7, : 0 · Dec 7, 2025Dec 14, : 0 · Dec 14, 2025Dec 21, : 0 · Dec 21, 2025Dec 28, : 0 · Dec 28, 2025Dec 28,Jan 4, : 0 · Jan 4, 2026Jan 11, : 0 · Jan 11, 2026Jan 18, : 0 · Jan 18, 2026Jan 25, : 0 · Jan 25, 2026Feb 1, : 0 · Feb 1, 2026Feb 8, : 0 · Feb 8, 2026Feb 15, : 0 · Feb 15, 2026Feb 22, : 0 · Feb 22, 2026Feb 22,Mar 1, : 0 · Mar 1, 2026Mar 8, : 0 · Mar 8, 2026Mar 15, : 0 · Mar 15, 2026Mar 22, : 0 · Mar 22, 2026Mar 29, : 0 · Mar 29, 2026Apr 5, : 0 · Apr 5, 2026Apr 12, : 0 · Apr 12, 2026Apr 19, : 0 · Apr 19, 2026Apr 19,Apr 26, : 0 · Apr 26, 2026May 3, : 0 · May 3, 2026May 10, : 0 · May 10, 2026May 17, : 0 · May 17, 2026May 24, : 0 · May 24, 2026May 31, : 0 · May 31, 2026Jun 7, : 0 · Jun 7, 2026Jun 14, : 0 · Jun 14, 2026Jun 14,Jun 21, : 0 · Jun 21, 2026Jun 28, : 0 · Jun 28, 2026Jul 5, : 0 · Jul 5, 2026Jul 12, : 0 · Jul 12, 2026Jul 19, : 0 · Jul 19, 2026Jul 26, : 0 · Jul 26, 2026Aug 2, : 0 · Aug 2, 2026Aug 9, : 0 · Aug 9, 2026Aug 9,Aug 16, : 0 · Aug 16, 2026Aug 23, : 1 · Aug 23, 2026Aug 30, : 0 · Aug 30, 2026Sep 6, : 0 · Sep 6, 2026Sep 13, : 0 · Sep 13, 2026Sep 20, : 0 · Sep 20, 2026Sep 27, : 0 · Sep 27, 2026Oct 4, : 7 · Oct 4, 2026Oct 4,Oct 11, : 0 · Oct 11, 2026Oct 18, : 11 · Oct 18, 2026Oct 25, : 2 · Oct 25, 2026Oct 25,
Commits per week on the main repository, last 52 weeks (GitHub API, checked October 25, 2026).

16 releases in total; 3 in the last twelve months. Latest release: v0.3.0, on October 15, 2026.

v0.1.0 · Mar 4, 2025v0.1.0Mar 4, 2025v0.1.1 · Mar 10, 2025v0.1.2 · Mar 17, 2025v0.1.3 · Mar 25, 2025v0.1.4 · Apr 1, 2025v0.1.5 · May 2, 2025v0.1.6 · May 21, 2025v0.1.7 · Jun 11, 2025v0.1.8 · Jul 8, 2025v0.1.9 · Aug 25, 2025v0.1.12 · Sep 3, 2025v0.1.13 · Nov 22, 2025v0.2.0 · Oct 2, 2026v0.3.0 · Oct 15, 2026v0.3.0Oct 15, 2026
The latest 14 releases published on GitHub (hover a point for details).

Nanobrowser vs other browser agents

GitHub stars of the best-rated open-source projects in the browser agents family. Stars measure attention, not quality: a heavily promoted project collects them fast, a specialised tool will have few.

Browser UseBrowser Use : 119K119KStagehandStagehand : 25.8K25.8KSkyvernSkyvern : 23.3K23.3KBrowserOSBrowserOS : 14.1K14.1KOpenCLIOpenCLI : 30.6K30.6KCloakBrowserCloakBrowser : 32.5K32.5KInvisible DotsInvisible Dots : 32.2K32.2KMoliMoli : 20.5K20.5KNanobrowserNanobrowser : 14.2K14.2K
Log scale; Nanobrowser in orange. Checked October 25, 2026.

Nanobrowser and other browser agents at a glance

The 7 best-ranked agents in the same family, 7 of them open source. The score out of 100 only applies to open-source projects; for proprietary services we show the published entry price. A dash marks information the documentation does not state.

Quick comparison: browser agents
AgentModelScoreStars or entry priceSelf-hostableHuman approval
Nanobrowseropen source7414.2K ★yes–
Browser Useopen source92119K ★yes–
Stagehandopen source8425.8K ★yes–
Skyvernopen source8323.3K ★yes–
BrowserOSopen source8114.1K ★yes–
OpenCLIopen source8030.6K ★yes–
CloakBrowseropen source7832.5K ★yes–
Invisible Dotsopen source7832.2K ★yes–

How we rated it

Score: 74/100, computed only from public, verifiable data, with no subjective testing or partnership:

  • Adoption 26/40: 14,168 stars on a log scale (40 points from about 200,000).
  • Activity 23/30: last commit less than a month ago, 2 releases in six months, 30 commits in a year.
  • Framework 25/30: licence, default human approval, self-hosting, model choice and documentation site.

The score does not say whether the agent will succeed at your tasks: it measures how solid the project is. The full grid is on the method page.

Verdict

Nanobrowser is a serious option; check the limitations below before granting it access.

Strengths

  • Very active development
  • Can run on your side: data under control
  • Free choice of model
  • Permissive licence (Apache-2.0)

Frequently asked questions

Is Nanobrowser free?

The software is free (Apache-2.0 licence). You still pay for the model calls, unless you use a local model.

Is Nanobrowser safe?

Our risk level: mid. Points found: outside content. Give it minimum rights and approve irreversible actions.

Which models does Nanobrowser use?

According to its documentation: Claude (Anthropic), GPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), DeepSeek, and local models (Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM…).

Can Nanobrowser be installed on your own server?

Yes, from the nanobrowser/nanobrowser repository. Data then stays with you, but security and updates are your job.

What are the alternatives to Nanobrowser?

In the same family: Browser Use, Stagehand, Skyvern, and BrowserOS.

Nanobrowser or Browser Use: what is the difference?

Both belong to the browser agents family. Nanobrowser has 14.2K stars against 119K for Browser Use. The right choice mostly depends on the access you are willing to give it.

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Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score