Best AI browser and computer-use agents in 2026, compared

Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, maker of OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. Comparisons use public documentation, without hands-on testing.

For deep control of a web browser, ChatGPT Work with its cloud browser and Claude in Chrome lead this list, because their vendor pages document the most approval, takeover and limit settings. If you would rather message an agent that has its own computer, OpenAssistant is our recommendation for that job: you reach it by email, text, phone call or Slack. Two products people still search for are gone or unclear: OpenAI’s ChatGPT agent is no longer available, and Google’s Project Mariner page returns a 404.

Options at a glance

We ranked against the same rubric for every product: whether the documented capabilities cover browser and computer tasks, what the vendor says about quality and who stands behind it, price for what you get, where it works, and privacy, security and admin controls. The top two win on the first and last criteria: their pages describe where the browser runs, when it asks permission, how you take over, and what it will not do. Vendor performance numbers are marked “vendor claim” and carry no weight in the order.

Five of the nine list a paid entry plan at $20 a month or a few cents under: ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro on monthly billing, the Manus $20 card, Google AI Pro at $19.99 and Opera Neon at $19.90. Price therefore separates these products less than documented controls do.

OpenAssistant sits fourth. Browser specialists rank above it for pure browser control because their pages document more: per-website permission modes, takeover steps and written limits. OpenAssistant is our recommendation for a different job, an agent you message that has its own computer, because its own pages describe email, text, calls and Slack together. Manus is working on a similar idea, with Cue agents in invite-only early access (see the Manus entry).

Status changes you should know about

• ChatGPT agent: OpenAI’s help page opens with “ChatGPT agent is no longer available” and points to ChatGPT Work with a cloud browser (OpenAI help). The rest of that article is still written in the present tense, so treat its plan and message limits as legacy. We rank ChatGPT Work, not the old agent.
• Claude Cowork: Anthropic says “Claude Cowork and chat are merging into one Claude” (Anthropic blog), and its pricing page banner reads “Claude Cowork is now just Claude” (Claude pricing). The Cowork product page still markets it by name, so we cover it inside the Claude entry.
• Project Mariner: Google’s Labs page for it returns “The page you are looking for could not be found” (Google Labs). We do not rank it.
• Gemini Agent: a Google release note from November 2025 announced it for Google AI Ultra subscribers 18 and over in the US (Gemini release notes). The current help page describes “Tasks in Gemini” and Chrome “auto browse” instead, and the subscriptions page does not name Gemini Agent. We cover those two live features.

1. ChatGPT Work with cloud browser (OpenAI)

OpenAI’s help page says cloud browser gives ChatGPT Work “its own browser on a separate computer in the cloud” (OpenAI help). It does not use your personal browser’s tabs or history, and tasks keep running after you leave. Work itself is described as an agent for longer, multi-step jobs, and it can also run once, on a schedule or on a trigger (OpenAI help).

Control is the strength. ChatGPT asks permission before a new website by default, with three modes (Always ask, Auto approve, Always allow, the last marked “not recommended”). It asks for confirmation before actions that are hard to reverse, such as a booking or a payment, asks you to take over when it is stuck, and uses a secure sign-in form whose credentials the model cannot see. On desktop, Work can use local files and apps with your permission (OpenAI help).

Price: Plus is $20 per month and includes Work on desktop, web and mobile. Go is $8 per month, and Pro starts at $100 per month in three tiers ($100, $200 and $500). Business standard seats are $20 per month billed annually or $25 monthly (ChatGPT pricing; tiers per OpenAI Pro tiers help). Cloud browser is for paid plans and excludes Free and Go.

Watch out for: OpenAI’s own page answers “No” to whether cloud browser can finish every task or transaction, and says a website may block it. Work’s usage follows the Codex usage structure and the pages read give no per-plan Work numbers. The pricing page shows limited Work for Free on desktop while the cloud browser article excludes Free, so check your plan before you rely on it.

2. Claude in Chrome, Claude (formerly Cowork) and the computer use API (Anthropic)

Anthropic describes the extension this way: “Claude works with the logins you have, on the tab in front of you” (Claude in Chrome). It works only in Chrome, not other Chromium browsers or mobile (Anthropic help). The side panel starts in “Automatically approve” mode with a separate safety check on each action, or you can switch to Permissions Mode and grant sites one at a time. Purchases and other one-way actions wait for you, and Enterprise admins can set site allowlists.

Cowork has its own built-in browser, “fully separate from your own browsing”, and by default asks before taking an action (Anthropic blog). Its computer use asks permission for each application, uses your screen “as a last resort” after connectors and the browser, and is in research preview (Cowork product page). For developers, the computer use tool is client side: you run the environment, and Anthropic recommends a dedicated virtual machine with minimal privileges (Claude docs).

Price: Pro is $20 monthly or $17 per month on the annual plan ($200 billed up front). Max starts at $100 per month. Team standard seats are $20 per seat per month annual or $25 monthly, for teams of 2 to 150 (Claude pricing). Claude in Chrome is not on the Free plan. The API tool adds about 4,500 input tokens to a request.

Watch out for: the Chrome page tells users to avoid financial transactions, password management and sensitive personal data, while also saying purchases “wait for you”. Anthropic says plainly that its protections “aren’t foolproof.” The Chrome side panel is labelled beta, and the Cowork merge is rolling out to Pro and Max first.

3. Manus

Manus documents itself as “a virtual colleague with its own computer” (Manus docs). It offers three ways to browse: a Cloud Browser it operates “like a real person” and shows in real time (Manus docs), a Browser Operator extension that uses your existing logins in Chrome or Edge (Manus docs), and a desktop “My Computer” mode for local files and apps (Manus docs). Manus 2.0 was announced as adding Cloud Computer, Automations and Computer Use. It also introduced Cue, a separate app in invite-only early access where, the post says, each agent has its own email, phone number and computer, can pay within a budget you set, and can take your calls (Manus blog).

Controls: Cloud Browser prompts you to “Take Over” for verification steps such as SMS, CAPTCHA or MFA. Browser Operator needs authorization for every session, and the desktop mode needs approval for every local command, scoped to folders you allow.

Price: the pricing page shows three unnamed paid cards at $20, $40 and $200 per month (4,000, 8,000 and 40,000 credits a month), or about $17, $34 and $167 per month billed yearly (Manus pricing; annual figures read from the page image).

Watch out for: no Manus page read mentions prompt injection, and the privacy policy could not be read. The docs describe a Free plan that the pricing page cards do not show. Cloud Browser uses data center IP addresses, and the Cloud Computer price is not stated.

4. OpenAssistant (our product)

OpenAssistant is an AI assistant that acts for you through email, text (iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp), phone calls and Slack. Its marketing page describes “a sandboxed machine where it opens the same apps and websites you do” (OpenAssistant). The homepage says each assistant has its own computer, email address and phone number (OpenAssistant), and the trust page says each workspace runs in an isolated, ephemeral environment (OpenAssistant trust page). It also browses sites for you to book travel or make reservations (OpenAssistant), including when there is no integration.

The difference from the products above is how you work with it. You email it or Cc it on a thread, text it one to one, call it or let it call out, or DM it in Slack, and the help center says work from every channel can be tracked from one dashboard (OpenAssistant help). The help center’s channel list names the dashboard, email, Slack, SMS and WhatsApp; calls and iMessage appear on the marketing pages.

Approvals are set per action type (Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous), for example email sent as the assistant, email sent as you, messages in Slack, SMS and WhatsApp, calendar, files and contacts. A Confirmation Window proceeds on its own if you do nothing, so it is not Manual approval (OpenAssistant help). The trust page states a SOC 2 Type II audit and that it never trains on your data.

Price: Starter is free with 1,000 credits at signup, then 100 bonus credits a day once they are used up, up to 1,000 a month. Pro is $72 monthly or $60 annual and Team is $120 monthly or $100 annual, per user per month at the 5,000-credit tier, and higher credit tiers cost more (OpenAssistant pricing; per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). Simple tasks use about 10 to 50 credits and deep research uses hundreds (OpenAssistant pricing). Plan credits do not roll over.

Watch out for: a browser specialist wins for core browser work. OpenAssistant is a general work assistant, not a dedicated browser agent, and the pages read do not describe per-website permission modes or a takeover step for its browsing (not stated). Browsing is also not listed among the per-action autonomy types. It does not join group texts or group WhatsApp chats, texting is not available in every country (OpenAssistant help), and it does not work in Slack Connect channels with outside companies (OpenAssistant help).

5. Gemini: Chrome auto browse and Tasks in Gemini (Google)

Google says auto browse in Gemini in Chrome lets you “tell Gemini what you need and watch it handle the rest on your behalf” (Gemini in Chrome). The help article says Gemini can connect to your local desktop Chrome or use a separate remote browser in the cloud that keeps working if you close your device. It asks for confirmation before sending communications, modifying your data, making purchases and submitting web forms. On the remote browser, a task pauses at sign-in until you take over (Gemini help).

Price: Google AI Pro is $19.99 per month and includes auto browse. Google AI Ultra is $99.99 per month (5x Pro limits) or $199.99 per month (20x Pro limits), and has the highest auto browse access (Gemini subscriptions). Annual pricing is not shown.

Watch out for: auto browse is a preview for Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US, and desktop only. Tasks in Gemini excludes the European Economic Area, Nigeria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Google warns that “Gemini can make mistakes and do unexpected things,” and that with offline schedules you may not be able to stop an unintended action. The Gemini Agent, Project Mariner and “Agent Mode” names appear on different Google pages, so confirm which feature your plan includes.

6. Perplexity Comet

Perplexity describes Comet as “The browser that works for you” (Comet). It is a browser for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, with an assistant in a side panel. Perplexity’s help center says Comet never has access to your passwords or payment data, and lets you block tasks on specific websites (Perplexity help). Organization admins can set domains to Browser Control, Read Only or No Access (Perplexity help). A separate product, Perplexity Computer, runs in a cloud sandbox (Perplexity help).

Price: Comet is free, and Perplexity commits to always providing a free version. Perplexity Pro is $17 per month billed annually (the monthly price is not shown) and Max is $167 per month billed annually (Perplexity Pro).

Watch out for: Comet pages read do not name prompt injection, and the landing page footer is dated 2025 while the help center is dated 2026. The landing page lists shopping tasks but no purchase rule was found.

7. Genspark

Genspark calls Super Agent an autonomous assistant with a “dedicated sandbox environment: real browser, own filesystem” (Genspark help), and says you can start a task, close your laptop and come back to finished work. Its Chrome extension reads the current page and “clicks buttons, fills out forms, and extracts data” for you (Genspark help).

Price (from the help center, because the pricing page sat behind a login): Free is $0 with 100 credits a day up to a lifetime limit. Plus is $24.99 per month or $19.99 per month billed annually. Pro is $249.99 per month or $199.99 per month billed annually. Team is $40 per seat per month or $35 billed annually (Genspark plans). An “Ask First” setting checks with you before credits are used.

Watch out for: the two articles read describe no takeover or approval controls beyond advice to confirm that the AI understood your intent, and name no prompt-injection statement. Some tasks can use more credits.

8. Opera Neon

Opera calls Neon “a browser built to act” (Opera Neon). Its FAQ says the agent works “with you in control at every step” and that Neon uses your real, logged-in browser session for MCP connections (Opera Neon FAQ). The home page says credentials stay on your device and that Neon does not use your account data or chats for training or advertising.

Price: the download is free for Windows or macOS, with a browser, ad blocker and VPN. Agentic features need the Standard subscription at $19.90 per month, tax included, with “Higher limits” and no stated numbers (Opera Neon subscription).

Watch out for: the pages read do not mention prompt injection or describe an approval screen, and the launch post is dated September 2025.

9. Browser Use

Browser Use is aimed at developers: “The open-source browser agent. MIT licensed.”, plus hosted cloud browsers for your own agents (Browser Use). It lists SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and zero data retention as compliance claims, and publishes benchmark numbers on its own tasks (vendor claim, not ranked on).

Price: there is no subscription. Cloud browsers cost $0.02 per hour plus proxy traffic, web agents cost the model price plus 20%, a $1 free credit comes once per person, and the minimum top-up is $5 (Browser Use pricing).

Watch out for: the pages read describe no consumer approval or takeover screen, and no prompt-injection or training statement. It is a build-it-yourself tool, not an app for non-technical users.

Prompt injection: what the vendors say

Prompt injection means a web page or message hides instructions that try to redirect the agent. OWASP lists it first in its 2025 LLM risks and says it is “unclear if there are fool-proof methods of prevention” (OWASP). The vendors here are candid in different degrees:

• OpenAI says its safeguards “do not eliminate every risk” (OpenAI help) and tells you never to paste passwords or payment details into the chat.
• Anthropic says “Hidden instructions on a page can try to redirect Claude’s actions” (Claude in Chrome) and that “No browser agent is immune” (Anthropic research). Its help article cites an attack success rate below 0.08% in Anthropic’s own internal evaluation (vendor claim) (Anthropic help). Its API docs warn that Claude may follow commands found in content.
• Google says its “safeguards described above don’t guarantee protection against all risks” (Gemini help).
• For Manus, Perplexity Comet, Genspark, Opera Neon and Browser Use, the pages read do not mention prompt injection (not stated). OpenAssistant’s pages read do not name it either; its trust page says inbound email must pass sender authentication, unusual requests are held for confirmation, and consequential actions are shown in full before sending (OpenAssistant trust page).

The practical reading: no vendor claims the risk is gone, so approvals and narrow permissions matter more than any percentage.

What to ask each vendor

• Does the agent run in my browser with my logins, or in a separate cloud browser or computer?
• Which actions pause for my approval by default (payments, sending, deleting, new websites), and can an admin lock that?
• How do I take over or stop a task that is running?
• What do you say about prompt injection, and what happens when a web page tells the agent to do something I did not ask?
• Is my data used for training by default, and what is retained or reviewed by people?
• What are the usage limits on my plan, in numbers, and what does a heavy task cost?
• Which countries, browsers and operating systems are supported today?

What to keep for humans

• Payments, bank and card details, and any task that moves money.
• Passwords and security codes: let the vendor’s sign-in form or your own hands handle them.
• Sending anything to customers, courts, regulators or your team that cannot be recalled.
• Deleting data, changing account settings or accepting contracts and terms.
• Anything involving health records or other sensitive personal data, which Anthropic’s own page says to avoid.

Related reading

• Are AI agents safe? Prompt injection, permissions and approval settings: Real risks from prompt injection to excess access, the controls to look for and a 10-question checklist.
• OpenAssistant vs ChatGPT: which AI agent should you use for work?: ChatGPT agent is no longer available; OpenAssistant and ChatGPT Work compared on identity, channels, approvals, security and price.
• OpenAssistant vs Manus: two ways to hand work to an AI agent: Channels, approvals, prices, free plans, security statements and limits for OpenAssistant and Manus.
• Best AI research agents in 2026: deep research tools compared: Seven research agents compared on prices and limit traps: Elicit, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Consensus and Manus.
• Best AI agents in 2026: top picks by job, with prices: Our recommendations for each job (general work, coding, browser use, research, sales, support, enterprise and builders), with vendor prices.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI browser agent in 2026?

On documented controls, ChatGPT Work with cloud browser ranks first and Claude in Chrome second, because their vendor pages describe permission modes, confirmations, takeover and written limits in the most detail. The right pick depends on whether you want a separate cloud browser (ChatGPT Work, Manus, Genspark) or an agent working inside your own signed-in Chrome (Claude in Chrome, Comet, Opera Neon).

Is ChatGPT agent still available?

No. OpenAI’s help page states “ChatGPT agent is no longer available” and points to ChatGPT Work with a cloud browser (OpenAI help). The rest of the article still describes agent mode in the present tense, so treat its limits as legacy.

What happened to Claude Cowork and Project Mariner?

Anthropic says Cowork and chat are merging into one Claude, and its pricing page reads “Claude Cowork is now just Claude.” Google’s Project Mariner page returns a 404 today. See the status notes near the top for the sources.

Are AI browser agents safe to use with my logged-in accounts?

Vendors say they add approvals, classifiers and site controls, and also say these do not remove the risk. Use permissions one site at a time where offered, keep payments and passwords for humans, and read the prompt-injection section above before connecting sensitive accounts.

Can an AI agent browse for me without me installing a browser?

Yes, in several cases. ChatGPT Work, Manus, Genspark and Perplexity Computer run browsers in the cloud, and OpenAssistant uses its own sandboxed computer that you reach by email, text, call or Slack. Each still depends on the plan you hold and the controls above.

Try OpenAssistant

If you want an agent you can message that has its own computer, email address and phone number, try OpenAssistant. The Starter plan is free, and you can compare paid options on the OpenAssistant pricing page.