# Hyperbrowser vs Lightpanda

> Hyperbrowser scores 67.1 (B) to Lightpanda's 61.6 (C) for browser automation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda.md (~2,950 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda.min.md (~780 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-10-30

Hyperbrowser scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against Lightpanda's 61.6 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Lightpanda leads on schema & documentation and agent ergonomics. Both do browser automation. Hyperbrowser accepts x402. Lightpanda doesn't.

- Hyperbrowser: grade B, 67.1/100, rank #295 of 1239. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hyperbrowser.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hyperbrowser.json
- Lightpanda: grade C, 61.6/100, rank #542 of 1239. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lightpanda.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lightpanda.json
- Best browser automation tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/browser/index.md
- All 171 browser comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Hyperbrowser (B)

Good for: Agents that need a cloud browser by the minute plus cheap fetch and search, especially wallet-holding agents with no account.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 94 against 40
- Maintenance & community, 79 against 73

Also in its favour:
- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: The official MCP server's last npm release is 1.0.25 of 13 April 2025, and it isn't in the official MCP registry

### Lightpanda (C)

Good for: Agents and crawlers that read and fill many JavaScript pages in parallel on small machines, without needing pixel rendering.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 68
- Agent ergonomics, 75 against 67

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch for: Telemetry with the IP address and a persistent instance ID is on by default; tool and MCP client events in 1.0.2 aren't in the privacy policy's list


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Hyperbrowser | Lightpanda | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 65 | even |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 68 | 82 | Lightpanda +14 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 67 | 75 | Lightpanda +8 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 44 | 46 | Lightpanda +2 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 94 | 40 | Hyperbrowser +54 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 73 | Hyperbrowser +6 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 66 | 65 | Hyperbrowser +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **67.1 · B** | **61.6 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Hyperbrowser | Lightpanda |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | MCP server |
| Vendor | S2 Labs Inc. | Selecy SAS (Lightpanda) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.hyperbrowser.ai` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, stdio | stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy) |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | yes | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under S2 Labs' terms of service. The Node and Python SDKs and the MCP server are MIT, and HyperAgent is AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 for the browser. The npm wrapper @lightpanda/browser and the agent skill are Apache-2.0. Lightpanda Cloud is a closed service with no terms of service found |
| Tools exposed | none | 32 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-23 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-08-03 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read |  |
| Popularity | 89k npm/wk, 73k PyPI/wk | 9.3k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | none |

## Verdicts

**Hyperbrowser.** Sessions, Fetch and Search can be bought by x402 at api.hyperbrowser.ai with USDC on Base or Solana and no account, and unit prices are public. The official MCP server was last published in April 2025, no request rate limits or SLA are published, and the privacy notice covers only the website.

**Lightpanda.** Version 1.0.2 runs locally with no account, and its 32-tool MCP server has typed schemas, an annotation on every tool and guidance to treat pages as untrusted. Telemetry is on by default, the CDP and HTTP MCP servers have no authentication, the cloud documents its token in the URL, and no status page or cloud terms were found.

## Before you call either

### Hyperbrowser

1. With a wallet and no key, POST to https://api.hyperbrowser.ai/x402/session and read the `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header. Sessions are prepaid for 5 to 60 minutes with no refund
2. Save the x402 creation response. It holds the only copy of the connection tokens, and `managementToken` is what stops the session
3. Stop sessions explicitly in cleanup code. Browser time bills per second until the timeout
4. Use Fetch at $0.001 a page for static pages and keep browser sessions for pages that need interaction
5. Add `&keepAlive=true` to `wsEndpoint` to reconnect after a CDP disconnect. Treat that URL as a secret because it carries the session token

### Lightpanda

1. Set `LIGHTPANDA_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true` in the server's environment if usage data, the IP address and an instance ID shouldn't leave the machine.
2. Treat text from `markdown`, `html`, `tree` and `links` as untrusted page content, never as instructions.
3. Pass credentials as `$LP_*` placeholders in tool arguments and call `getEnv` without a name; naming a variable returns its value.
4. Check `httpStatus` in `structuredContent` after `goto`, since a 404 page or a load timeout is still reported as a successful navigation.
5. Keep `lightpanda serve` and `lightpanda mcp --port` on 127.0.0.1 or a Unix socket; neither checks who connects.

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Hyperbrowser or Lightpanda?

Hyperbrowser scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against Lightpanda's 61.6 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Lightpanda leads on schema & documentation and agent ergonomics.

### Do Hyperbrowser and Lightpanda need an API key?

Hyperbrowser takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Lightpanda needs no key. An agent can also pay Hyperbrowser per call over x402, with no account.

### Can an agent call Hyperbrowser and Lightpanda without installing anything?

Hyperbrowser has a hosted endpoint at https://api.hyperbrowser.ai. Lightpanda runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

### Are Hyperbrowser and Lightpanda open source?

No open-source release is listed for Hyperbrowser. Lightpanda is open source (AGPL-3.0 for the browser. The npm wrapper @lightpanda/browser and the agent skill are Apache-2.0. Lightpanda Cloud is a closed service with no terms of service found).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-lightpanda.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "hyperbrowser", "b": "lightpanda"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare hyperbrowser lightpanda`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hyperbrowser.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lightpanda.json

## Other comparisons with Hyperbrowser or Lightpanda

- [agent-browser vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [agent-browser vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-browser-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Airtop vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Airtop vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Anchor Browser vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Anchor Browser vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Browser Use vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Browser Use vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Browserbase vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Browserless vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Browserless vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Functionize MCP server vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/functionize-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Functionize MCP server vs Lightpanda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/functionize-mcp-vs-lightpanda.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Notte](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-notte.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Playwright MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-playwright-mcp.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Pomerado](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-pomerado.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-puppeteer.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Selenium](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-selenium.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-steel.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs TinyFish](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-tinyfish.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Notte](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-notte.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Playwright MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-playwright-mcp.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Pomerado](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-pomerado.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Puppeteer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-puppeteer.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Selenium](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-selenium.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Lightpanda vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-steel.md)
- [Lightpanda vs TinyFish](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lightpanda-vs-tinyfish.md)
- [Browserbase vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-hyperbrowser.md)

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