Clutchbox vs Kernel: getting AI agents signed in
Kernel signs browsers in by having each user type their password into a page it hosts, then keeps the credentials to sign in again. Clutchbox copies sign-ins from the browser you already use, so nobody hands a password to another service.
Side by side
| Question | Clutchbox | Kernel |
|---|---|---|
| How sign-ins get in | An extension in your own Chrome syncs the sites you choose. Nobody types a password into another service or exports cookies by hand. | Managed Auth: the user types their password and 2FA code on a Kernel-hosted page, and Kernel signs in and saves a profile. No import from your own browser is documented. |
| Keeping them current | In the background: the extension syncs when a sign-in changes, and each browser gets your latest sync when it opens. | Kernel checks sessions on a schedule and signs in again with the stored credentials when it can. Email and SMS codes need the user again. |
| Environment | Any browser your code runs, with Playwright, browser-use, Stagehand or CDP, or our persistent Linux desktop with Chrome, live view and takeover. | A headful Chromium in a VM, with mouse, keyboard and screenshots of the whole VM, and an interactive live view. |
| How agents connect | Your code applies sign-ins with the open-source adapters, and hosted agents use a remote MCP server with OAuth: mouse and keyboard, Chrome over CDP, and shell commands. | CDP, SDKs, a CLI, and a hosted MCP server with OAuth. |
| Claude and ChatGPT | A custom connector in Claude, a plugin in ChatGPT, and Claude Code and Codex. | A custom connector in Claude on paid plans, and Claude Code and Codex. No ChatGPT connector is documented. |
| Free tier | Sync and 600 minutes of hosted computer time a month. Self-hosting is free. | $5 of credits a month. Paid plans start at $30 a month. |
| Open source | All of it, under Apache-2.0: the extension, the sync format, the adapters and the web app. | The browser images are Apache-2.0 and the MCP server is MIT. The platform, including Managed Auth, isn’t published. |
| Bot detection and CAPTCHAs | Not offered. | Stealth mode, CAPTCHA solving, and residential and mobile proxies. |
Which should you use?
Choose Kernel if you are fine storing users’ credentials so sign-in can be recovered automatically, and you need stealth, proxies or pools of browsers.
Choose Clutchbox if you want agents signed in without anyone handing a password to another service, using the sessions in the browser you already use.
Clutchbox runs on your real accounts, so sync only the sites a task needs. How we keep your sign-ins safe.
Sources
Kernel’s side is from its own documentation, read on October 24, 2026: Managed Auth, Profiles, Computer controls, MCP server, Pricing, Stealth. Tell us at GitHub issues if something has changed.