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Kitesurf

Cloudflare · Agent-Native Browser Runtime Without Chromium

Open Kitesurf

Kitesurf is Cloudflare's browser built specifically for AI agents: a stateless runtime on Cloudflare Workers that drops Chromium entirely and uses 3–7x less CPU and memory for agentic tasks like HTML extraction and screenshots. Best for developers running browsing agents at scale who care about cost and concurrency.

PricingFree
Setupmedium
Runs onAPI
APIYes
Open sourceNo
DocsYes
CategoryAI Infrastructure
Browser AutomationAgent InfrastructureHeadless BrowserWeb ScrapingCloudflare WorkersBeta

Best for

Developers and platform teams running web-browsing AI agents at scale on Cloudflare who want cheaper, higher-concurrency sessions

Not ideal for

Workflows needing logged-in sessions, video, WebGL, or pixel-perfect rendering, and teams not using Cloudflare's platform

Who it's for

Engineers building browsing, scraping, or research agents who need many cheap concurrent browser sessions

Capabilities

  • Runs entirely in V8 isolates on Cloudflare Workers — no Chromium engine
  • 3–7x less CPU and memory than Chromium for agentic tasks like screenshots and HTML extraction
  • Stateless design suited to many concurrent sessions and bursty agent workloads
  • Opt-in via a browser=kitesurf parameter on existing Browser Run CDP and Quick Action endpoints
  • Renders many modern sites correctly (TodoMVC, Wikipedia, Hacker News)
  • Public playground at kitesurf.cloudflare.app for testing without deployment

Limitations

  • Beta product behind per-account limits — capabilities and pricing may change
  • No video playback, WebGL rendering, persistent authenticated sessions, or bot-challenge handshakes that need real browser TLS fingerprints
  • Roughly 1.7–1.8x slower wall-clock time than Chromium on common tasks (trades speed for resource efficiency)
  • Tied to Cloudflare's Browser Run platform — no self-hosted option is documented

Use cases

  • Extracting structured HTML or Markdown from pages inside an agent loop
  • Taking screenshots of pages at high concurrency without Chromium overhead
  • Cutting compute costs for web-browsing agents that never need pixels
  • Handling bursty scraping workloads where Chromium sessions are too heavy
  • Prototyping agent browsing flows in the public playground before wiring up the API

Kitesurf pricing

Beta

Free

  • Free during beta behind per-account limits
  • Opt-in on Browser Run endpoints with browser=kitesurf

Note: Kitesurf itself is free while in beta. It runs within Cloudflare Browser Run, which is available on free and paid plans priced on browser time used; Kitesurf-specific pricing after beta has not been announced.

Technical specs

Modalities

HTML extraction, Markdown, Screenshots

Frequently asked questions

What is Kitesurf?

Kitesurf is a browser built by Cloudflare specifically for AI agents. It runs in V8 isolates on Cloudflare Workers instead of shipping a Chromium engine, prioritizing token efficiency, scalability, and cost over rendering pixels.

How much does Kitesurf cost?

Kitesurf is free while in beta, behind per-account limits. It runs inside Cloudflare's Browser Run service, which offers free and paid plans billed on browser time used.

Does Kitesurf work with Puppeteer and Playwright?

Kitesurf is used through Browser Run's existing CDP and Quick Action endpoints via a browser=kitesurf parameter; Browser Run sessions are controlled through Puppeteer, Playwright, CDP, or Stagehand.

Is Kitesurf open source?

Not yet. Cloudflare has said it plans to open source Kitesurf, but as of August 2026 it is closed-source and available only through Cloudflare's Browser Run platform.

What can't Kitesurf do?

It does not support video playback, WebGL rendering, or persistent authenticated sessions, and common tasks run about 1.7–1.8x slower in wall time than Chromium — the tradeoff for using 3–7x fewer resources.

Integrations & fit

Cloudflare WorkersBrowser RunChrome DevTools ProtocolPuppeteerPlaywrightStagehand
Good fit forSolo / individual, Startup / small team, Enterprise
Pricing modelFree· No cost to start
See pricing on Kitesurf →

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About Kitesurf

Most browsing agents drive a full Chromium instance that renders pixels no model ever sees. Kitesurf rebuilds the browser for that reality: it runs entirely in V8 isolates on Cloudflare Workers, optimizing for token efficiency, context windows, scalability, and cost instead of visual fidelity. Developers opt in with a browser=kitesurf parameter on Browser Run's CDP and Quick Action endpoints, so existing automation workflows carry over, and a public playground (kitesurf.cloudflare.app) lets you test it without deploying code. The efficiency comes with tradeoffs: common agentic tasks run 1.7–1.8x slower in wall time than Chromium, and video playback, WebGL, and persistent authenticated sessions are not supported. It renders many modern sites correctly, but teams needing full browser fidelity should stick with Browser Run's Chromium sessions.

Updates from Kitesurf

LaunchKitesurf launches in free beta on Browser Run

Cloudflare released Kitesurf, an agent-first browser running on Workers V8 isolates instead of Chromium, free during beta behind per-account limits.

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