Browserless

Hosted headless browsers for web scraping, testing, and automation tasks

Browserless provides a pool of hosted headless browsers for users to perform web scraping, testing, or automation tasks without the need for complex server setup. The platform supports different methods such as API, Puppeteer, and Playwright, allowing users to customize and be flexible in using web browsers.

The platform was founded and built in 2017 by Joel Griffith, an American software engineer. Browserless has been since expanded and developed by a team of 10 people, with Joel Griffith continuing to hold the CEO position.

Revenue model

Browserless generates revenue through a usage-based pricing model, suitable for both individual and enterprise customers. The service is divided into 3 tiers, with the lowest price starting from $200/month.

With this model, the product currently brings in around $140K/month, as shared by the author on Indie Hackers.

Marketing strategy

Browserless was initially promoted mainly through blogging, sharing knowledge and best practices around topics that Joel cares about. Joel also tried various marketing methods, including running paid ads but found them not very effective.

Eventually, Browserless continued to focus on creating high-quality content and sharing knowledge on the blog, boosting SEO, while supporting users as best as possible, resulting in the product still attracting many new users and retaining current customers, achieving stable revenue and growth.