What’s the difference between a scraping browser and a headless browser?

A headless browser is a barebones browser you control with code. A scraping browser includes that functionality plus built-in unblocking (proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, fingerprint evasion). We can say that headless browsers are raw browser automation, whereas a web scraping browser is a managed solution for scraping protected sites.

Scraping browser vs scraping API: Which should you choose?

A scraping browser gives you complete control of user actions such as logins, clicks, or infinite scroll, and works best on heavily protected, dynamic websites. A web scraping API is more straightforward and more cost-effective, as it returns structured data without requiring a full browser. If you need fast access to static or semi-dynamic content, a web scraper API is enough.

Do I still need proxies if I use a scraping browser?

Most scraping browsers come with proxies built in, so you don’t need to manage them separately. Providers rotate IPs, handle geo-targeting, and bypass bans for you. However, if you have particular geo-location needs or already own a proxy pool, you can combine your proxies with the scraping browser.

Are scraping browsers legal?

Web scraping browsers are generally legal to use, but it depends on the type of data collected and the website’s terms of service. Always check compliance requirements for your industry and jurisdiction before large-scale web scraping.

Can I build one myself?

Yes, developers can combine a headless browser such as Playwright or Puppeteer with proxies, stealth libraries, and CAPTCHA solvers to create their own custom scraping browser.

How much do they cost?

Pricing ranges from $49/month for no-code tools like Browse AI to $ 499 or more per month for enterprise providers like Bright Data. Costs are usually based on traffic (per GB) or requests. The right choice depends on the scale of your project.

Data Web Data Scraping Scraping Tools

Best Scraping Browsers: Bright Data vs Oxylabs vs Zyte

Gulbahar Karatas

updated on Sep 24, 2025

See our ethical norms

Scraping browsers take care of the unblocking infrastructure, enabling users to interact with websites programmatically and extract data easily.

We put them to the test on sites with login walls, infinite scroll, and strict anti-bot rules. The results show how each provider compares in terms of reliability, speed, and cost at scale, and which one is the best choice for your project.

See the top scraping browsers based on our benchmark and follow the links to learn our rationale:

5 best scraping browser APIs for multi-level data collection

Note on pricing: While Bright Data’s entry plan looks expensive at $499/month, it includes 71 GB of traffic. That brings the effective cost down to $7/GB, making it competitive with Nimble and cheaper than Zyte or Oxylabs at scale.

We benchmarked the top browser scraping APIs currently available. These tools are still relatively new and complex to build, as providers must combine unblocking (CAPTCHA bypass, IP rotation) with full browser capabilities, such as JavaScript rendering.

How to choose a web scraping browser?

Bright Data Scraping Browser: Ideal for teams that use Selenium or Playwright, or for those seeking a drop-in replacement that can easily switch back to proxies later. Ideal for enterprise-scale projects with high traffic needs. Bright Data Scraping Browser is the easiest choice if your company
- is already relying on a headless browser like Selenium or Puppeteer or
- wants to retain the ability to easily switch to using proxies instead of these tools. Your tech team will not need to change their code base and can go back to using proxies after changing how their browser communicates with the web data infrastruture.
Oxylabs Unblocker: Ideal for those seeking a balance between API-based automation and flexibility. Strong support and reliable infrastructure for scaling. Zyte API and Oxylabs Unblocker with headless browser feature allow users to specify actions for browser automation using their API.
Zyte API: Best if you need the cheapest entry point or don’t already have Selenium/Playwright automation in place. Fully API-driven, cost-efficient for smaller projects. Zyte API can be a good alternative if:
- you are looking for the cheapest solution
- Zyte’s API offers all the browser automation functionalities that you need and
- you didn’t already have an automation built with a tool like Selenium or Puppeteer or if you can cost effectively replicate your automation in Zyte API.

For more details on how these tools performed in real tests, see our browser automation benchmark.

Comparison of the best scraping browsers

Bright Data Scraping Browser can be used as a browser socket (with unblocking capabilities) that can be integrated with browser automation libraries such as Selenium or Puppeteer.

It is a proxy-unlocking solution that assists users in scraping data from browsers while managing the proxy and unblocking infrastructure, including CAPTCHA solving. Scraping Browser operates in both “headfull” (GUI-based) and “headless” (no GUI, programmatically controlled) modes.

Pros

Highest success rate (97%+) in our benchmark
Integrates easily with Selenium/Puppeteer (drop-in setup)
Built-in CAPTCHA solving and IP rotation
Supports both headless and headful modes

Cons

High monthly entry price ($499) may not be ideal for small projects.

Oxylabs Unblocker, featuring the headless browser capability, enables users to define actions for browser automation through its API. Users can submit requests, which may include identifying specific states, cities, or exact coordinates. JavaScript rendering can be activated by adding a particular header to the request.

Pros

Strong support team (fastest responses in our benchmark)
Flexible API with headless browser automation

Cons

No pay-as-you-go plan (subscription only)
Slightly lower success rate on infinite scroll pages

Zyte offers a general-purpose scraper API that includes proxy management features and browser automation capabilities. The scraper API enables the management of request headers, cookies, and toggling JavaScript.

Pros

API-first design, no need to maintain Selenium/Playwright scripts
Success rate on static + semi-dynamic pages

Cons

Lacks full Selenium/Playwright integration
Slower on heavy JavaScript rendering than Bright Data

Nimble Browserless Drivers are specially designed for web scraping and automation purposes, combined with residential proxies and an unblocker. The scraping browser solution operates on a cloud-based infrastructure.

Automatically manage multiple facets of web interactions during web scraping, including TLS fingerprints, canvas checking, JavaScript execution, and HTTP headers.

Pros

Handles TLS fingerprints, canvas checks, and JavaScript execution
Developer-friendly, less locked-in than enterprise-heavy tools

Cons

Limited advanced documentation vs larger providers
May require more fine-tuning for large-scale projects

Browse AI is a no-code web automation tool that simplifies scraping data from target websites. This platform features an extension that enables users to select webpage elements for capture by pointing and clicking easily.

It automates user interactions necessary for data extraction, such as logging in, clicking buttons, filling out forms, and selecting options from dropdown menus. This functionality makes it easier to scrape web data without manual input. The platform can monitor websites for changes and notify users via email about the updates.

Pros

No-code setup: point-and-click interface for selecting elements
Free plan available, easy to start

Cons

Less control than code-based browser scraping APIs (limited for complex sites)
Slower for dynamic sites with heavy JavaScript than Bright Data or Oxylabs

Scraping browser automation benchmark

Results

Bright Data Scraping Browser, Zyte API, and Oxylabs Unblocker, with the headless browser feature enabled, achieve high success rates (i.e., 95%+) for browser automation.

Methodology

To benchmark scraping browsers, we

Coded a Selenium script to extract the top trending topic in the US on Google Trends. The script selects the topic, navigates to its URL, and downloads the trends data.
We validated that the script returned correct results.
We tested the script on the anti-bot tests. Its results were not significantly different from those of the unblocker.

Participants

We selected largest 3 providers in the market in terms of number of employees and tested their scraping browsers. We chose the number of employees since it is publicly available on LinkedIn, regularly updated, and is correlated with a company’s market share.

Selected providers sorted by their number of employees:

Bright Data
Oxylabs
Zyte

What is a scraping browser?

A scraping browser, also known as a web scraping browser, is an automated tool designed for extracting data. These browsers come with built-in tools to

help users select and extract specific elements from web pages, such as images, links, and text.
interact with websites by clicking, scrolling, or inputting data,
automatically overcome advanced bot detection software via residential proxies and other algorithmic solutions.

A web scraping browser can function in either a headless or a headful environment. In headless mode, the browser emulates a web browsing experience without displaying a graphical user interface, providing enhanced control and flexibility.

Why use a scraping browser?

In some data collection and other use cases, businesses need a solution for browser automation (i.e., to interact with the website via clicking buttons, filling out forms, etc.). This can be achieved by adding proxies to browsers; however, this approach requires constant configuration of proxies to achieve high success rates.

Browser automation solutions combine an unblocker and a browser that can be manipulated via an API or software library. With these solutions, users don’t need to configure proxies, which makes it easier to access web data.