Browserbase vs Firecrawl vs Skyvern: Which is Better for Workflow Automation? (December 2025)

You need browser automation that actually completes tasks, not just infrastructure or data extraction. Browserbase manages headless browsers while you write the scripts. Firecrawl pulls content into markdown or JSON. But logging into supplier portals, submitting purchase orders, and downloading invoices? That requires something different.

TLDR:

• Browserbase provides browser infrastructure while Firecrawl extracts data as markdown/JSON
• Skyvern automates interactive workflows like form filling and invoice downloads across sites
• LLM-powered automation adapts to layout changes without breaking like script-based tools
• Fixed pricing vs metered browser-hour billing makes costs predictable for automation teams

What is Browserbase?

Browserbase is a cloud-based infrastructure service that manages headless browsers for developers building web automation workflows. Instead of running browsers locally or managing server infrastructure, Browserbase handles compute and orchestration through a serverless architecture.

The service integrates with automation frameworks like Playwright, Puppeteer, and Selenium. Developers write scripts using familiar tools while Browserbase handles browser provisioning, session management, and teardown.

Key features include stealth mode capabilities to bypass anti-bot systems, built-in CAPTCHA solving, and session debugging tools for inspecting browser sessions. The infrastructure approach allows scaling browser automation without provisioning servers or managing browser instances.

What is Skyvern?

Skyvern automates browser workflows using LLMs and computer vision instead of predefined scripts or element selectors. It handles tasks like form filling, invoice downloading, and data extraction across unfamiliar websites. Traditional automation tools use XPaths or CSS selectors that break when websites update their layout. Skyvern interprets pages visually and contextually to identify fields and buttons without hardcoded instructions.

The API accepts workflow parameters and returns structured results while handling authentication, CAPTCHA solving, file downloads, and multi-step processes across different websites.

AI-Powered Automation Capabilities

Browserbase's Stagehand SDK converts natural language commands into browser actions through act() and extract() functions that generate Playwright code. This sits on top of existing automation frameworks, requiring teams to maintain Playwright infrastructure.

Skyvern uses LLMs to interpret pages directly without generating intermediary code. The system can infer answers to eligibility questions, understand product equivalence across different websites, and reason through multi-step processes by analyzing page structure and content.

When websites change, Browserbase's generated Playwright scripts may need adjustments since they still rely on element identification. Skyvern's visual interpretation adapts automatically by understanding page context rather than depending on generated selectors.

Form Filling and Data Extraction

Browserbase handles browser infrastructure and stealth capabilities but leaves data extraction to your development team. You'll write custom scripts using Playwright or Selenium to identify form fields, extract content, and structure output data. Stealth mode solves CAPTCHAs and manages browser fingerprinting automatically, helping scripts run without detection.

Skyvern includes form filling and extraction as core features. The API accepts structured schemas for JSON or CSV output without requiring field selectors or parsing logic. YAML workflow definitions specify what data to extract or which forms to complete.

Scaling across multiple websites with different layouts shows the difference. Browserbase requires separate extraction scripts for each site structure. Skyvern handles varied form layouts through the same workflow definition, interpreting fields contextually rather than through custom code for each scenario.

Infrastructure Management and Scalability

Browserbase spins up browsers at scale with serverless provisioning across multiple geographic regions. Session recording captures browser behavior for troubleshooting, while the infrastructure handles compute allocation automatically.

This approach requires connecting browser sessions to business logic through external tools. Organizations build workflow orchestration separately and wire together browser infrastructure with their automation scripts.

Skyvern combines browser execution with workflow orchestration in a single system. Anti-bot detection runs alongside parallel execution and multi-step chaining without additional configuration. Live viewport streaming displays browser activity while visualization tools monitor workflow status.

Browserbase routes browser sessions through global locations to minimize latency. Skyvern's proxy network targets specific ZIP codes when workflows need precise geographic control, with location logic defined within the workflow rather than at the infrastructure layer.

Authentication and Complex Workflows

Browserbase provides browser sessions with file upload support, downloads, and custom extensions through its API. Early implementations encountered login issues and bot detection failures, with authentication flows requiring one-time password verification proving problematic.

Skyvern includes two-factor authentication and TOTP support natively. The system handles multiple authentication methods without separate implementations for each login scenario. Multi-step workflows chain together sequentially, processing operations across different websites within a single API call.

Organizations managing supplier portals or procurement systems face complex login requirements with security tokens and verification steps. Native authentication logic removes the development overhead of building and maintaining separate auth flows for each target system.

Pricing and Accessibility

Browserbase charges based on browser hours and concurrent sessions. The free tier includes 1 browser hour for testing. The Hobby plan provides 200 browser hours and 3 concurrent browsers for $39 monthly. The Startup plan offers 500 hours and 50 concurrent browsers at $99 monthly. Usage beyond plan limits incurs per-hour compute charges and per-gigabyte storage fees.

This metered structure creates unpredictable costs when workflows vary in complexity or execution time. Teams must estimate monthly usage to avoid overages, but actual expenses depend on browser activity duration and data storage volume.

Skyvern prices based on automation value instead of infrastructure consumption. Basic, Pro, and Enterprise tiers accommodate different team sizes and workflow complexity without browser-hour metering or session caps. Costs stay fixed regardless of workflow execution time, letting teams scale automation without optimizing session duration to manage expenses.

What is Firecrawl?

Firecrawl is an API service from Mendable.ai that converts websites into structured data for LLM consumption. The service crawls pages and outputs content as markdown or JSON, handling JavaScript rendering and proxy rotation automatically.

The API provides multiple endpoints:

• Scraping extracts content from single pages for focused data collection
• Crawling navigates entire sites recursively to gather comprehensive datasets
• Mapping generates site structure without content extraction for understanding site architecture
• Search queries specific information across pages to locate targeted data
• AI-based extraction transforms raw HTML into structured formats based on custom schemas

Firecrawl handles anti-bot detection through automatic proxy management and browser fingerprinting techniques. The service focuses on data conversion rather than workflow execution.

Browser Automation vs. Data Extraction Focus

Firecrawl converts websites into structured formats like markdown or JSON for AI applications and data analysis. The service handles proxy rotation, JavaScript rendering, and anti-bot bypass to extract clean content from pages without performing browser actions like clicking buttons, filling forms, or navigating interactive sequences.

Skyvern automates interactive browser workflows including form submissions, button clicks, navigation sequences, and transaction completion. Teams automating procurement across vendor portals, downloading invoices from supplier systems, or completing multi-step processes in applications without APIs need this type of execution capability.

Firecrawl provides the data. Skyvern performs the work.

Workflow Automation vs. Content Conversion

Firecrawl extracts website content for analysis and dataset building. The API accepts natural language prompts describing desired data structures and returns clean JSON or markdown without selector logic. Teams building market research databases, aggregating competitor content, or feeding information into LLM applications get structured output.

This approach breaks down when workflows require interaction. Firecrawl cannot log into authenticated portals, submit purchase orders, or navigate multi-step approval processes.

Skyvern handles the interactive layer that content extraction skips. Logging into supplier portals with 2FA, completing procurement forms across different vendor interfaces, and downloading invoices from authenticated systems require browser actions beyond data parsing. These workflows chain together authentication, form submission, file retrieval, and cloud storage in sequences that respond to page behavior.

Organizations automating back-office operations face both needs. Extracting product catalogs from supplier websites suits Firecrawl. Actually ordering materials, processing approvals, and retrieving transaction records requires Skyvern's workflow execution capabilities.

Technical Implementation Requirements

Firecrawl requires an API key and supports Python and Node.js SDKs for integration. The service handles concurrent requests and asynchronous crawling to speed up data collection. Teams comfortable with API calls can implement extraction quickly, though you'll need to build workflow logic and application processing around the extracted content separately.

Skyvern uses YAML-based workflow definitions that describe complete automation sequences. Navigation steps, form filling logic, extraction schemas, and error handling live in declarative configurations rather than imperative code. The action viewer and live viewport streaming let you debug workflows directly within the execution context instead of recreating issues locally.

Handling Dynamic Websites and Anti-Bot Measures

Firecrawl includes smart wait functionality for single-page applications and infinite-scroll pages, waiting until content loads fully before extraction. Stealth mode retries failed requests with stealth proxies to bypass common blocking scenarios.

Website redesigns require manual updates to extraction prompts or logic. While Firecrawl handles dynamic content loading and anti-bot systems during data extraction, structural changes need intervention to capture correct data.

Skyvern interprets pages through computer vision and LLM reasoning without XPaths or CSS selectors. Layout changes don't break workflows because the system identifies elements by visual context and semantic meaning instead of predetermined paths.

When suppliers redesign portals or when running procurement workflows across vendors with different interfaces, Firecrawl requires updating extraction schemas for each structural change. Skyvern adapts by understanding what a purchase order form looks like regardless of HTML structure.

The system also infers eligibility answers, recognizes when products match specifications across different naming conventions, and handles multi-step sequences that shift based on page responses without reconfiguration.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Why Skyvern is the Better Choice

Firecrawl handles content extraction and data conversion. Browserbase offers browser infrastructure for developers writing automation scripts. Neither solves interactive workflow automation.

Skyvern combines LLM reasoning, form automation, authentication handling, and workflow orchestration in a single API. Teams automating procurement, downloading invoices across vendor portals, or handling form submissions need workflow execution beyond data extraction or browser infrastructure.

Operating across different websites without custom code for each layout change delivers value that infrastructure services and content APIs cannot match for interactive business processes.

Final thoughts on web automation approaches

Browserbase gives you browser infrastructure, Firecrawl extracts website content, but web scraping and data extraction only solve part of the problem. Interactive workflows need form filling, authentication, and multi-step execution that adapts to different website layouts. Skyvern handles those workflows without custom code for each site. Your automation keeps working when suppliers update their portals instead of requiring constant maintenance.

FAQ

What's the main difference between Browserbase and Skyvern?

Browserbase provides cloud infrastructure for running headless browsers while you write automation scripts using Playwright or Selenium. Skyvern automates complete workflows through LLMs and computer vision without requiring custom scripts for each website or layout change.

Can Skyvern handle websites it hasn't seen before?

Yes, Skyvern interprets pages visually and contextually instead of using XPaths or CSS selectors. This allows it to work on unfamiliar websites and adapt automatically when sites redesign their layouts without requiring code updates.

When should I choose Firecrawl over Skyvern?

Choose Firecrawl when you need to extract content from websites for analysis, dataset building, or feeding data into LLM applications. Choose Skyvern when you need to automate interactive workflows like form submissions, invoice downloads, or multi-step processes requiring authentication.

How does Skyvern's pricing differ from Browserbase?

Browserbase charges based on browser hours and concurrent sessions, creating variable costs depending on execution time. Skyvern uses fixed-tier pricing based on team size and workflow complexity, so costs remain predictable regardless of how long workflows take to run.