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Kernel vs Steel

Steel scores higher on the AgentReady, 90/100 against 89/100. They differ on 7 of the 41 signals. Which ones decides whether an agent can adopt them without a person watching.

What each one is

Kernel. Kernel provides crazy fast, open source browser infrastructure for AI agents to access the internet.

Steel. Steel is an open source browser API that lets you control fleets of browsers in the cloud.

Where Kernel is ahead

Kernel passes limits / constraints documented, and Steel does not. That is understand, whether an agent can read the docs and work out how the API behaves before calling it.

It also holds operate: retry behavior documented and rate-limit behavior predictable. Steel misses those.

Where Steel is ahead

Steel passes no mandatory sales call, agent-compatible signup flow, fast time to first request and copyable quickstart, and Kernel does not. That is adopt, whether an agent can get a key and make its first successful call without a human in the loop.

What neither does

Both fail authentication documented, idempotency support. If your agent needs any of those, you will be building it yourself either way.

Score, pillar by pillar

The AgentReady splits into four pillars, scored separately, because a product can be easy to find and still impossible to adopt.

Understand. Kernel leads 92 to 85. Kernel misses authentication documented; Steel misses authentication documented, limits / constraints documented.

Adopt is whether an agent can get a key and make its first successful call without a human in the loop. Steel leads 100 to 71. Kernel misses no mandatory sales call, agent-compatible signup flow, fast time to first request, copyable quickstart; Steel misses nothing.

Operate. Kernel leads 94 to 76. Kernel misses idempotency support; Steel misses retry behavior documented, idempotency support, rate-limit behavior predictable.

Pricing

Kernel starts at $0/mo and has a free tier. Steel does not publish one and has a free tier.

Signal by signal

Which to pick

Steel clears more of the signals an agent needs, so it is the safer default for unattended use. Full profiles: Kernel and Steel. Alternatives to each: Kernel, Steel.

An agent can fetch this as data: POST /v1/compare {"slugs": ["kernel", "steel"]}