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AI · March 4, 2025

We Built Open-Source Alternative to OpenAI's Operator, Runs in Chrome

Hi HN, I'm one of the creators of Nanobrowser, an open-source Chrome extension that lets you automate web tasks using AI agents. We were inspired by the potential of tools like OpenAI's Operator, but we wanted something that was: -Open-Source:You can see the code, modify it, and contribute to the project. -Browser-Based:No complex setups or server deployments. It runs directly in your browser. -Customizable:You can tailor the agent's behavior to your specific needs. -BYO LLM:Bring your own large language model API key (OpenAI, Anthropic,or even local models), No vendor lock-in. -Privacy…

We Built Open-Source Alternative to OpenAI's Operator, Runs in Chrome launched on March 4, 2025 with 9 votes, #3,084 of 7,215 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.

What it does

Open-Source Chrome extension for AI-powered web automation. Run multi-agent workflows using your own LLM API key. Alternative to OpenAI Operator. - nanobrowser/nanobrowser

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi HN, I'm one of the creators of Nanobrowser, an open-source Chrome extension that lets you automate web tasks using AI agents. We were inspired by the potential of tools like OpenAI's Operator, but we wanted something that was: -Open-Source:You can see the code, modify it, and contribute to the project.…

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