Side by side

Cloudflare Browser Run vs Rod

Both stand on browser automation tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Cloudflare Browser Run

Free plan APIWeb

Browser Run provides hosted Chrome with both stateless actions and controllable sessions, plus several output formats and Cloudflare integrations. Check the bot identification, allowlisting requirement, and session limits against your target sites and workflow.

Visit Cloudflare Browser Run

Rod

Free plan APILinuxMac+3

Rod combines browser automation and scraping with support for page interaction, testing, and customization. It is free under the MIT License, but is provided without warranty.

Visit Rod

The facts

	Cloudflare Browser Run	Rod
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	API, Web	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Cloudflare	Not published
Website	developers.cloudflare.com	go-rod.github.io
On browser automation tools	#20 of 62	#24 of 62

Cloudflare Browser Run: what it does well

Offers Quick Actions and directly controlled browser sessions.
Supports Puppeteer, Playwright, CDP, and Stagehand.
Live View enables real-time session inspection and interaction.
A free Workers plan is listed.

What to know first

Requests are identified as bot traffic.
Website allowlisting requires an Enterprise plan.
Sessions close after one minute inactive by default.
Local development does not support requests over 1 MB.

Rod: what it does well

Free under the MIT License.
Can locate or download a browser automatically.
Supports nested iframes and shadow DOMs.
Thread-safe APIs can control multiple browsers.
Supports mouse, keyboard, and touch simulation.

What to know first

The software is provided without warranty.
Questions are directed to issues, discussions, or chat.

Alternatives to Cloudflare Browser Run Alternatives to Rod The whole list