Compare the programmable browser surface
Cloud browser services typically bill per browser-hour; data-extraction APIs typically bill per page. MetaDock runs locally on your machine at a flat monthly rate, and you can see every browser running.
Short answer
Choose MetaDock when you want local, visible browsers at a predictable flat rate and the option to intervene by hand. Choose a cloud service when you need to scale past one machine or run from their infrastructure rather than yours.
See the case for each tool ↓What is the core difference between MetaDock and a cloud browser service?
Cloud browser services run browsers in their datacentre and bill you per browser-hour or per page. MetaDock runs real browsers on your own machine at a flat monthly rate, visible on screen so you can watch a run and step in by hand at any point.
Visual + Local
Real browsers you can see, running on your machine. Debug visually. Flat monthly pricing. 207 MCP tools.
Cloud Browser API
Serverless cloud browsers. Pay per browser-hour. Live view and session recordings. Official MCP server.
Cloud/Self-host Browser API
Containerized cloud browsers. Pay per unit (30s). Self-hosting option. REST and BrowserQL API.
Data Extraction API
Converts websites to LLM-ready markdown. Credit-based billing. Official MCP server. Scraping-first; now offers a browser sandbox.
How do the features compare side by side?
MetaDock and competitor pricing was checked August 8, 2026. Vendor pricing and feature sets change frequently; verify current numbers on each vendor's website before making a purchase decision.
| Feature | MetaDock Pro | Browserbase | Browserless | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||||
| Pricing Model | Flat monthly | Per browser-hour | Per unit (30s) | Per credit |
| Starting Price | $49/mo (unmetered) | $20/mo (100 hrs) | $25/mo annual billing (20k units) | $16/mo annual billing (5k pages) |
| Overage Costs | None | $0.10-0.12/hr | $0.0015-0.002/unit | Usage-based |
| Infrastructure | ||||
| Deployment | Your Windows machine | Cloud only | Cloud + Docker | Cloud (self-host beta) |
| Visual Browsers | YesAlways visible, headless available | Hosted live view | Live debugger / Hybrid | Interact live view |
| Browser execution and profile data | Your Windows machine | Their servers | Their servers / yours | Their servers |
| Browser Limit | Hardware-dependent | 25-250+ concurrent | 10-100+ concurrent | N/A |
| Session Time Limit | None | 15 min+ (tier-based) | 1 - 60 min | N/A |
| AI & Automation | ||||
| MCP Support | Native (207 tools) | Official | Official | Official |
| REST API | Yes208 endpoints | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WebDriver/Selenium | Yes | Yes | Not listed in v2 docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
| Debugging | ||||
| Visual Debugging | YesReal-time | YesLive view + replay | YesLive debugger | YesInteract live view |
| Manual Intervention | YesClick anytime | YesLive View | YesHybrid / debugger | YesManual control |
| Additional | ||||
| Persistent browser profiles | Yesunlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Proxy Support | YesPer profile | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Native App Docking | YesBeta | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
| Multi-Monitor | Yes | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
| Workspace Restore | Yes | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
How does MetaDock compare with fingerprint-focused browsers?
Tools like GoLogin and AdsPower focus on fingerprint configuration. MetaDock offers per-profile fingerprint protectiontoo (Beta), but is built around a different problem, the complete local workspace around your accounts: saved layouts, native-app docking (Beta), multi-monitor use, and optional automation. Vendor features and pricing checked October 4, 2026; verify on each vendor's site before deciding.
| Feature | MetaDock Pro | GoLogin | AdsPower |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-account profile isolation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI control via MCP | YesNative (207 tools) | YesOfficial MCP server, higher plans | YesOfficial MCP server via Local API |
| Persistent visual workspace | Yes | Profile-focused | Profile-focused |
| Native-app docking | YesBeta | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
| Workspace save and restore | Yes | Not listed in reviewed docs | Not listed in reviewed docs |
| Multi-monitor layouts | Yes | Not listed in reviewed docs | PartialSynchronizer window tiling |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly | Tiers by profile count | Tiers by profiles + team members |
GoLogin and AdsPower price their plans by the number of browser profiles, and AdsPower also by team members. MetaDock is a flat monthly desktop app on your hardware. Every row above except AI control is also in MetaDock at $19/mo; MetaDock Pro adds MCP and the rest of the browser automation layer.Bring your own proxies per profile. MetaDock provides profile isolation; you are responsible for using it within each platform's terms of service and applicable law.
What does each option cost to start?
These services use different billing units, so entry prices are not directly equivalent. This section shows each provider's published model without treating pages, credits, units, and browser hours as interchangeable.
Flat rate. Hours are never metered.
- 14-day free trial, no signup
- All 5 protocols, no licensed profile limit
- No request quota
- 100 hrs or 1,000 hrs: same bill
100 hrs included, then overage
- 100 hours = $20
- 200 hours = $32
- 1,000 hours = $128
- Scales with usage
20k units, annual billing
- 20k units = $25/mo
- 180k units = $140/mo
- 500k units = $350/mo
- Unit-based (30s each)
5k pages/mo, annual billing
- 5k pages = $16/mo
- 100k pages = $83/mo
- 500k pages = $333/mo
- Interact uses credits per minute
Published prices checked August 8, 2026; actual costs and plan terms may change. Browserless units represent 30 seconds of standard browser time. Firecrawl Interact uses 2 credits per minute in code mode or 7 credits per minute in prompt mode. MetaDock Pro is $49/mo with a 14-day free trial; local automation API calls are not metered, subject to the Fair Use Policy.
Sources
Which of these should I actually choose?
Choose MetaDock when you want local, visible browsers at a predictable flat rate and the option to intervene by hand. Choose a cloud service when you need to scale past one machine or run from their infrastructure rather than yours. Each case is broken out below.
- You want to see what your AI is doing
- You need predictable monthly costs
- Browser data must stay on your machine
- You use Claude, Cursor, or MCP clients
- You need to manually intervene sometimes
- Long-running local browsers
- Built-in CAPTCHA solving is required
- You want zero infrastructure management
- Session recordings are enough for debugging
- You're using Stagehand framework
- You want self-hosted Docker option
- You need hybrid cloud + on-prem
- Existing Puppeteer/Playwright codebase
- You have DevOps expertise in-house
- You need website → LLM-ready data
- Bulk crawling entire sites
- Structured data extraction with AI
- No need to control browser sessions
FAQ
Questions about moving automation onto MetaDock
MetaDock Pro is a flat $49 USD/mo (or $440/yr) and local automation API calls are not metered, subject to the Fair Use Policy. The services compared above bill by browser-hour, unit, or credit instead. Their published prices are linked below the table and were checked on the date shown there.
5, all part of MetaDock Pro: REST, WebSocket, MCP, CDP, Selenium. That is 208 REST operations, 209 WebSocket operations, 207 MCP tools, and 84 W3C WebDriver operations, plus 12 Chrome DevTools Protocol domains handled explicitly with everything else passed through to Chromium.
Yes, on MetaDock Pro. MetaDock exposes standard W3C WebDriver and Chrome DevTools Protocol, so existing scripts point at MetaDock with minimal changes. Both are automation surfaces, so the MetaDock plan does not open them.
On your own machine. MetaDock drives real local browsers you can watch and step into by hand at any moment, rather than remote sessions in someone else's datacentre. Browsing data, profiles, and workspaces stay local. Headless mode is available on MetaDock Pro for the runs you do not need to watch.
Local browsers, flat pricing, 5 protocols.
Free for 14 days as MetaDock Pro, no account, no email, no card. Pick a plan when the trial ends.
Steam reviews
What people are saying
“Brilliant software. Main use case for me is the ability to resize windows that can't usually be resized. I'm able to do almost as much on 2 monitors now as I could on 3.”
“Very interesting application, great for productivity. This has fast become a tool in my tool box.”
All quotes are from pseudonymous Steam reviewers. Verify on Steam. Reviews curated and re-checked against the live page as of 2026-09-06.
14-day free trial, no signup
Download it and start a 14-day free trial in the app. No account, no email, no card. Subscribe when you are ready.
Cancel anytime
Paid plans renew automatically until you cancel, and you can cancel from the billing portal at any time to stop every future charge.
Local-first data
Multi-monitor layouts, profiles, and browsing data stored locally. No cloud sync.