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---
$schema: https://holocron.so/frontmatter.json
title: Cloud Browsers
description: Stealth Chromium browsers with residential proxies and auto CAPTCHA solving. $10 per browser per month, 2 months free on annual plans.
icon: lucide:cloud
---
import { CloudHeroSection } from '../../components/hero-section.tsx'
# Cloud Browsers
Run automation on **stealth Chromium instances** hosted in the cloud. Each cloud browser comes with
**residential proxies**, **automatic CAPTCHA solving**, and **anti-bot fingerprint evasion** built in.
No setup, no proxy configuration, no CAPTCHA API keys to manage.
Cloud browsers appear alongside your local Chrome in `playwriter session new`, so your existing
workflows and scripts work without changes.
## Pricing
Subscription quantity = max concurrent cloud browsers. Start with 1 and scale up as needed.
[Subscribe from your dashboard](/dashboard).
## Why multiple browsers
Each cloud browser is an **isolated Chromium instance** with its own IP address, fingerprint, and
cookie jar. Adding more browsers lets you:
* **Run agent tasks in parallel.** Spin up 5 browsers and let 5 agents work simultaneously instead
of waiting for one to finish before starting the next.
* **Use different identities.** Log into separate accounts on the same site at the same time.
Useful for testing multi-user flows, managing multiple client accounts, or comparing search
results across regions.
* **Open more tabs for resource-intensive tasks.** Heavy pages (dashboards, SPAs, video players)
consume memory and CPU. Spreading tabs across multiple browsers keeps each instance responsive
instead of slowing everything down in a single browser.
Your subscription quantity controls how many browsers can run at the same time. If you need 3
concurrent browsers, set quantity to 3.
## Stealth and anti-detection
Cloud browsers are purpose-built to look like a real user, not a bot.
**Stealth Chromium.** The browser ships with patches that remove common automation signals. Headless
detection checks, `navigator.webdriver`, CDP leak fingerprints, and other bot indicators are all
handled. Sites that block Playwright, Puppeteer, or Selenium out of the box work normally in a
cloud browser.
**Residential proxies.** Proxies are **disabled by default** to keep costs low. Enable them with
`--proxy ` when you need anti-detection or geo-targeting. Pick from **195+ countries**.
Sites that block datacenter IPs or rate-limit by IP range see a normal residential connection.
**Automatic CAPTCHA solving.** When a CAPTCHA appears (Turnstile, reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha), the
cloud browser solves it automatically via token injection. No CAPTCHA API key needed, no manual
intervention, no extra code in your scripts.
**Custom proxies.** If you have your own proxy infrastructure, pass it directly instead of using
the built-in residential proxies:
```bash
playwriter session new --browser cloud --custom-proxy user:pass@host:8080
```
## Getting started
### 1. Authenticate
**Option A: Interactive login** (opens browser for OAuth)
```bash
playwriter cloud login
```
This opens a device flow in your browser. Sign in at [playwriter.dev](https://playwriter.dev) and
the CLI stores your token locally.
**Option B: API key** (for CI, VPS, headless environments)
Create an API key at [playwriter.dev/dashboard](https://playwriter.dev/dashboard), then set it as an environment variable:
```bash
export PLAYWRITER_API_KEY=pw_xxxxx
```
API keys work everywhere `cloud login` works but don't require a browser or interactive terminal.
### 2. Subscribe
```bash
playwriter cloud subscribe
```
Opens the subscription page where you pick monthly or yearly and set the number of concurrent
browsers.
### 3. Start a cloud browser
```bash
# New cloud browser (no proxy, cheapest)
playwriter session new --browser cloud
# Enable US residential proxy (for anti-detection / geo-targeting)
playwriter session new --browser cloud --proxy us
# German proxy
playwriter session new --browser cloud --proxy de
# Japanese proxy
playwriter session new --browser cloud --proxy jp
```
Cloud sessions appear in the session table with keys like `cloud-1`, `cloud-2`. Selecting an
existing cloud session **reattaches** to the running VM instead of creating a new one.
### 4. Use it
Once connected, the cloud browser works exactly like a local one. All Playwright commands,
snapshots, screenshots, and MCP tools work the same way:
```bash
playwriter -s 1 -e "await page.goto('https://example.com')"
playwriter -s 1 -e "console.log(await snapshot({ page }))"
```
### 5. Check status
```bash
playwriter cloud status
```
Lists all active cloud browser VMs with their index, region, and uptime.
## MCP and agent usage
Cloud browsers work with the MCP server too. Set env vars in your MCP client config:
```json
{
"env": {
"PLAYWRITER_CLOUD_TOKEN": "your-token"
}
}
```
The MCP server discovers cloud browsers alongside local ones. Agents can request a cloud browser
when they need stealth browsing, geo-targeted access, or CAPTCHA bypass without any extra prompting.
## Subscribe
Manage your subscription from the [dashboard](/dashboard). Pick monthly or yearly, adjust the
number of concurrent browsers, and switch or cancel any time through the Stripe billing portal.