head to head · open source
Browser Use vs curl_cffi
Browser Use has 115,379 GitHub stars, 12,695 forks, 421 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. curl_cffi has 6,514 stars, 552 forks, 72 open issues and last shipped today. Browser Use leads on adoption by 1,671% (115,379 vs 6,514 stars). Browser Use is written in Python under MIT; curl_cffi is written in Python under MIT. Browser Use has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, curl_cffi 8%. curl_cffi 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 | curl_cffi | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 115K | ★ 6.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 552 |
| 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 curl_cffi if
- You want the curl_cffi feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and curl_cffi 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 curl_cffi
curl cffi is a Python HTTP client that binds the curl impersonate fork through cffi so Python programs can impersonate browser TLS/JA3 and HTTP/2 fingerprints, and it is aimed at developers whose scripts are blocked by bot protection despite apparently correct requests.
read the full curl_cffi overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Browser Use or curl_cffi more popular?
Browser Use has 115,379 GitHub stars and curl_cffi has 6,514. Browser Use has the larger community by that measure.
Are Browser Use and curl_cffi free?
Both are open source. Browser Use is licensed under MIT and curl_cffi under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Browser Use and curl_cffi?
Browser Use is written in Python and curl_cffi in Python. 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 curl_cffi?
Choose Browser Use if you want the larger community (115,379 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose curl_cffi if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.