Selenium vs Airbrowser

The definitive comparison for developers who need reliable browser automation in 2025.

Selenium has been the go-to browser automation tool for over a decade. Airbrowser is built on top of SeleniumBase and provides a modern, API-first approach with built-in anti-detection. Here's how they compare.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Selenium	Airbrowser
Anti-Detection	Easily detected	Built-in (UC mode)
REST API	No (library only)	Full REST API
MCP for AI Agents	No	Native MCP server
Setup Complexity	WebDriver + browser + config	One Docker command
Browser Pool	Manual implementation	Built-in (100+ browsers)
VNC Debugging	External setup needed	Built-in noVNC
Proxy Support	Complex configuration	Per-browser proxy
Cloudflare Bypass	Blocked	Works automatically
AI Vision Tools	No	Built-in (OpenRouter)
Learning Curve	Moderate	Low (REST/MCP)

The Problem with Vanilla Selenium

Selenium is a powerful library, but it has significant limitations for modern web automation:

• Detection - Most sites detect and block Selenium via navigator.webdriver
• Setup - Requires ChromeDriver, browser installation, and configuration
• Scaling - No built-in way to manage multiple browsers
• Remote Access - Selenium Grid is complex to set up and maintain
• AI Integration - No native support for AI agents or MCP

How Airbrowser Solves These Problems

1. Anti-Detection Out of the Box

Airbrowser uses SeleniumBase's Undetected Chromedriver (UC) mode, which patches Chrome to bypass bot detection. No additional configuration needed.

2. One Command Setup

Instead of installing WebDriver, configuring browsers, and managing dependencies:

docker run -d -p 18080:18080 ghcr.io/ifokeev/airbrowser-mcp:latest

3. REST API for Any Language

Selenium requires you to use their Python, Java, or JavaScript bindings. Airbrowser provides a REST API that works with any language or framework.

4. Built for AI Agents

Native MCP integration means AI assistants like Claude can directly control browsers without wrapper code. 39 tools for complete browser control.

Code Comparison

Selenium (Traditional)

Setting up Selenium requires multiple steps and dependencies:

• Install selenium package
• Download correct ChromeDriver version
• Configure browser options
• Handle WebDriver exceptions
• Implement anti-detection patches manually

Airbrowser (Modern)

With Airbrowser, you just make HTTP requests:

• POST /api/v1/browser/create_browser - Create browser
• POST /api/v1/browser/{id}/navigate - Navigate
• POST /api/v1/browser/{id}/click - Click
• DELETE /api/v1/browser/{id}/close_browser - Close

When to Use Selenium

• You need to run tests in CI/CD without Docker
• You're extending existing Selenium test suites
• You need to use Selenium-specific plugins
• You're testing your own applications (detection doesn't matter)

When to Use Airbrowser

• You're scraping sites with bot detection
• You're building AI agents that need browser access
• You need to scale to 100+ concurrent browsers
• You want REST API access from any language
• You need visual debugging via VNC