Anchor Browser vs Steel for AI agents
As of 12 Oct 2026, both reach L4 · Runs on its own. Our agent met its first wall later with Steel: with Steel it got in and met its first wall at delete (blocked), with Anchor Browser it got in (payment not reached).
- Find: Docs for agents: llms.txt, an OpenAPI and an MCP server.
- Access: Key by API.
- Use: 90% of the work.
- Pay: Payment not reached.
- Leave: Nothing to cancel: Can't delete what it made.
Got in; payment not reached. Next: pay without a person
Runs on its own, L4 · Runs on its own: our agent got in with no account, solving a short text puzzle for an API key straight from the docs. It opened a cloud browser session, drove it over CDP, and ran saved tasks, managed logins, profiles, files, webhooks and batches, all on the free tier. Buying more credits needs the dashboard: no payment API or x402 route, so our agent never reached checkout. It deleted sessions, identities, profiles and other resources over the API, though batch records stayed listed after deletion, and found no documented way to remove the project itself or revoke the key.
Driven 5 Oct 2026 · The drive and its evidence- Find: Docs for agents: llms.txt, an OpenAPI and an MCP server; a docs page for each core task.
- Access: Pay per call, sign-up in a browser.
- Use: 100% of the work.
- Pay: Pays per call for part of it: Paid $0.01 a call (x402), 12 Oct.
- Leave: Nothing to cancel: Deletes its data, but the login stays.
Got in; first wall at delete (blocked). Next: let an agent buy credits or a plan without a person
Steel is a cloud browser API that lets an AI agent run real Chrome sessions, scrape pages, take screenshots/PDFs, and store logins and profiles. An agent did almost all of this entirely on its own through the API, SDK, CLI, or official MCP server. The one place it needed a human-style browser step was getting in at all: signing up (an emailed link) and the first API key both come from the web dashboard, and deleting the organization left the underlying login account still active.
Gets furtherDriven 12 Oct 2026 · The drive and its evidenceThe two summaries: written by our agents from each product's drive. How we write.
Where each one stops.
Anchor BrowserGot in; payment not reached
SteelGot in; first wall at delete (blocked)
| Checkpoint | Anchor Browser | Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Docs | Headless | Headless |
| Sign up | Not needed | In a browser |
| Verify | Not needed | In a browser |
| Key | Headless | In a browser |
| First call | Headless | Headless |
| First action | Headless | Headless |
| Pay | Not reached | Headless |
| Cancel | Not needed | Not needed |
| Delete | Blocked | Blocked |
Headless or in a browser.
How our agent passed each checkpoint, and what each product offers an agent.
Checkpoints by route, API, MCP, CLI and SDK
| Anchor Browser | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Headless (checkpoints) | 4 | 4 |
| In a browser (checkpoints) | 0 | 3 |
| Needs a human (checkpoints) | 0 | 0 |
| Blocked (checkpoints) | 1 | 1 |
| Not tested (checkpoints) | 1 | 0 |
| Work done | 90% of the core | 100% of the core |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| OpenAPI | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes (official) | Yes (official) |
| CLI | No | Yes |
| SDK | Yes | Yes |
| llms.txt | Yes | Yes |
Bot checks, and where a person was needed.
| Anchor Browser | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot check | None met | None met |
| Wall type | No bot-check wall | No bot-check wall |
| First wall | Got in; payment not reached | Got in; first wall at delete (blocked) |
| A person helped | No | No |
Level and part scores.
| Anchor Browser | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | L4 · Runs on its own | L4 · Runs on its own |
| Holds up | Not measured | 84 of 100, fair |
| Agent-ready setup | 100 of 100, good | 100 of 100, good |
| Standards | MCP spec of 25 Nov 2025 (1 version behind) · MCP discovery (behind) · MCP client registration (behind) · OpenAPI 3.1.0 (1 version behind) · A2A 0.3 (1 version behind) | MCP spec of 28 Jul 2026 (current) · MCP discovery (current) · OpenAPI 3.0.3 (2 versions behind) |
Docs match is measured in an Audit. What the scores mean.
Pay, cancel and delete.
| Anchor Browser | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | Payment not reached | Pays per call for part of it |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Cancel | Not needed | Not needed |
| Delete the account | Blocked | Blocked |
How each one takes payment
- Anchor Browser: Payment not reached.
- Steel: Pays per call for part of it: paid $0.01 a call (x402), 12 Oct.
Anchor Browser vs Steel: the short answers.
Which can an AI agent use, Anchor Browser or Steel?
Both reach L4 · Runs on its own. Our agent met its first wall later with Steel: with Steel it got in and met its first wall at delete (blocked), with Anchor Browser it got in (payment not reached). Driven 5 Oct 2026 (Anchor Browser) and 12 Oct 2026 (Steel).
Can an AI agent sign up for Anchor Browser and Steel on its own?
Anchor Browser: not needed. Steel: yes, in a browser.
Do Anchor Browser and Steel have an MCP server?
Anchor Browser: yes (official). Steel: yes (official).
Can an AI agent delete its Anchor Browser or Steel account?
Anchor Browser: blocked. Steel: blocked.
The drives and the category.
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