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Why teams pick Shade.
Usage-based with a free amount of credits every day. Your agents get real browsers that stay logged in as you, over one MCP connection, with saved sessions and a live console you can step into.
Comparison reviewed June 2026. Competitor offerings change; check their current docs before buying.
| Capability | Shade | Browserbase | Steel | Playwright-MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Usage-based, free amount every day | Paid browser-hours | Paid browser-hours | Your own machine |
| Build & configure a profile | Your AI, the API, or by hand | Reusable contexts | Reusable profiles | Your local profile |
| Connects to agents | MCP, one connection | API + SDK | API + SDK | Local, per client |
| Watch and take over | Live console, step in anytime | Recordings + live view | Session embeds | Local only |
Live console
See what your agents are doing
The console shows you what happened in plain terms — clicks, navigations, downloads, takeovers — not raw page data.