head to head · open source
Browser Use vs lcu
Browser Use has 117,422 GitHub stars, 12,967 forks, 421 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lcu has 735 stars, 34 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Browser Use leads on adoption by 15,876% (117,422 vs 735 stars). Browser Use is written in Python under MIT; lcu is written in Python under MIT. Browser Use has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, lcu 5%. Browser Use was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (browser-automation), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | lcu | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 117K | ★ 735 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 34 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Browser Use if
- You weight community size — 117K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick lcu if
- You want the lcu feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and lcu 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 lcu
LCU is a Python tool that exposes Codex's computer use runtime to any agent harness — Claude Code, Codex CLI, Pi, and others — for people who want desktop and browser control without running the Codex app's own agent.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Browser Use or lcu more popular?
Browser Use has 117,422 GitHub stars and lcu has 735. Browser Use has the larger community by that measure.
Are Browser Use and lcu free?
Both are open source. Browser Use is licensed under MIT and lcu under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Browser Use and lcu?
Browser Use is written in Python and lcu 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 lcu?
Choose Browser Use if you want the larger community (117,422 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lcu if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.