Native fingerprints from AdsPower
Cloud Browser runs AdsPower fingerprint browsers with real native browser fingerprints, bringing AdsPower’s browser technology directly to your cloud workflows.
Playwright, Puppeteer & cloud browsers
AdsCrawl vs Browserless
Both can run Chromium automation remotely. Compare the connection protocol, saved state and output you need, then decide whether hosted APIs or a self-hosted browser deployment fits your team.
Published by AdsCrawl · Official documentation reviewed
A documentation-based feature comparison; not a performance benchmark.
Powered by AdsPower
Why choose AdsCrawl Cloud Browser
Use AdsPower fingerprint browsers as saved cloud environments for recurring tasks, with an API to create, start and stop each profile.
An isolated environment for every profile
Give each task or account its own browser environment, with separate fingerprint settings and browser state. Save and reuse profiles for recurring work.
Browser updates that follow AdsPower
Cloud Browser follows AdsPower fingerprint browser version updates, bringing ongoing browser-engine and fingerprint improvements to your cloud environments.
Choose for the workflow
When to consider AdsCrawl
- You want AdsPower fingerprint browsers in Cloud Browser, with native fingerprints, isolated profiles and updates that follow AdsPower. API-key starts require your proxy; runtime requires a paid plan.
- Your Chromium scripts need an explicit create, connect and delete lifecycle for temporary Remote CDP sessions.
- You need article Markdown, named DOM/network fields or PNG through dedicated HTTP endpoints, alongside browser control.
When to consider Browserless
- Your automation needs Firefox or WebKit through Playwright’s native protocol, in addition to Chromium.
- You want a dedicated PDF endpoint or JPEG/WebP screenshot output.
- You need a self-hosted browser deployment and can evaluate its edition, licensing and maintenance requirements.
These recommendations follow the documented capabilities below; they do not imply the other provider cannot perform the same task.
Side by side
Capabilities, lifecycle & billing
Each row links to official references. Proxy and session behavior is scoped to the named product; check the current contract before integrating.
Scroll the table sideways to compare both providers →
| Dimension | AdsCrawl | Browserless |
|---|---|---|
| Browsers & protocols | Remote CDP provides Chromium connections for compatible Playwright, Puppeteer and CDP clients. | Chromium/Chrome support CDP. Firefox and WebKit use the native Playwright protocol, with different connection paths. |
| API models | HTTP browser tasks, temporary Remote CDP sessions and saved Cloud Browser profiles have separate APIs and lifecycles. | REST handles HTTP tasks; BaaS connects existing browser automation libraries; BrowserQL expresses browser interactions as GraphQL mutations. |
| State reuse | Cloud Browser stop keeps its saved profile for a later start. Temporary Remote CDP is a separate lifecycle. | Session API preserves cookies, localStorage and cache across restarts until expiry or deletion. Chromium-based Authenticated Profiles restore saved login state into independent sessions; changes do not automatically update the saved profile. |
| Proxy routing | Cloud Browser runtime requires a paid plan and an explicit, valid proxy on each API-key start. Temporary CDP and browser tasks also offer managed routing. | BaaS offers built-in residential/datacenter proxies and external proxies; without a proxy it uses the host IP. Cloud external-proxy access requires a paid plan. |
| Content & files | POST /html returns HTML, article Markdown or article JSON; /spa-extract returns named DOM/network fields. The published /screenshot endpoint returns PNG. | REST offers rendered HTML and CSS-selector extraction; Smart Scrape returns selected formats including Markdown in JSON. Screenshot supports PNG/JPEG/WebP; a dedicated /pdf endpoint renders URLs or HTML. |
| Live session or saved data | A saved Cloud Browser profile can outlive its running instance. Explicitly stop the runtime when finished; closing the viewer alone does not stop billing. | Standard Sessions keep a live process for Puppeteer reconnects. A persistent Session API restart can instead open a new process and blank page while restoring stored data. These are different workflows. |
| Hosting & editions | Use AdsCrawl’s hosted API and dashboard. The references in this comparison describe that managed service. | Cloud and self-hosted deployments are available. The repository uses SSPL-1.0 or a commercial license; open-source and Enterprise/Cloud feature sets differ. |
| Billing & limits | Compare plan credits, browser concurrency, saved-profile limits and API-key limits. Keep runtime cleanup in your cost estimate. | Browser time is metered in 30-second units; built-in proxy traffic and successful CAPTCHA solves add units. Concurrency, connection duration and saved-state TTL are separate limits. |
Check these before migrating a script
Match the protocol before changing the URL
A Playwright native connection and a Chromium CDP connection are different integration paths. Check your browser engine, authentication, context creation and session cleanup. Re-run the operations your script actually uses.
Separate stopping a runtime from deleting state
AdsCrawl Cloud Browser stop preserves its saved profile. Browserless’s persistent Session API stop URL deletes the session and its data. Map cleanup operations deliberately; do not substitute them by name.
Test the result and the full usage bill
Use the same target pages, region, viewport and output requirements. Record retries, browser duration, proxy traffic and concurrency. For self-hosting, also include infrastructure and maintenance in the comparison.
Common questions
Is Browserless the same as Playwright?
No. Playwright is the automation library your code uses. Browserless provides a remote browser service with multiple API interfaces. AdsCrawl also exposes remote Chromium CDP connections for compatible clients. Choose the service and connection mode around the library features you need.
Do both support reusable browser state?
Yes. AdsCrawl offers saved Cloud Browser profiles; Browserless offers persistent sessions and authenticated profiles. Saved cookies and storage are different from a running page. Check expiration, restart and deletion behavior for the specific state model you choose.
Which service is cheaper for Playwright or Puppeteer?
Credits and units are not interchangeable. Compare usage for the same workflow, including proxies, idle time and concurrency, against each provider’s current plan. This page does not establish a cost or performance winner.