head to head · open source
Browser Use vs ArrowDL
Browser Use has 115,379 GitHub stars, 12,695 forks, 421 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ArrowDL has 851 stars, 41 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Browser Use leads on adoption by 13,458% (115,379 vs 851 stars). Browser Use is written in Python under MIT; ArrowDL is written in C++ under LGPL-3.0. Browser Use has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, ArrowDL 5%. Browser Use was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Browser Use | ArrowDL | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 115K | ★ 851 |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-05-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 41 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Browser Use if
- You weight community size — 115K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ArrowDL if
- You want the ArrowDL feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and ArrowDL fits your workflow better
About Browser Use
Browser Use is an open source Python library and hosted platform that enables AI agents to control web browsers programmatically. It lives in the AI agent and browser automation ecosystem, built on Playwright and designed to let LLMs interact with websites as a human would—clicking, filling forms, solving CAPTCHAs, and navigating dynamic interfaces. The project provides three deployment paths: a fully hosted cloud service, a command line interface for existing agents, and a local Python library for custom integrations.
read the full Browser Use overview →
About ArrowDL
ArrowDL (Arrow Downloader) is a free, open source, standalone download manager for Windows, macOS and Linux, built in C++ with the Qt framework and aimed at anyone who needs to capture, queue and batch download files, media streams and torrents without depending on a browser's built in downloader.
read the full ArrowDL overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Browser Use or ArrowDL more popular?
Browser Use has 115,379 GitHub stars and ArrowDL has 851. Browser Use has the larger community by that measure.
Are Browser Use and ArrowDL free?
Both are open source. Browser Use is licensed under MIT and ArrowDL under LGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Browser Use and ArrowDL?
Browser Use is written in Python and ArrowDL in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Browser Use or ArrowDL?
Choose Browser Use if you want the larger community (115,379 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ArrowDL if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.