Browser Use Gains Popularity Thanks to Manus

Manus, an AI platform from the Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, has unintentionally boosted the visibility of another AI tool called Browser Use.

Browser Use is designed to enhance website accessibility for AI applications that automate tasks for users. It has seen a rapid surge in popularity over the past week, with daily downloads skyrocketing from approximately 5,000 on March 3 to 28,000 on March 10, according to co-creator Gregor Zunic.

"The past few days have been really wild," Zunic communicated via direct message. "We are the biggest trending repository on GitHub, received many downloads, and that translates into high usage numbers."

So, why has there been such an increase? A social media post detailing how Manus utilizes Browser Use reached over 2.4 million views and countless shares on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Browser Use is a key tool that Manus leverages to carry out tasks including navigating through website menus and filling in forms.

Zunic founded the company behind Browser Use with Magnus Müller last year at ETH Zurich’s Student Project House accelerator. They believed that web agents, which can autonomously navigate websites and web applications, would become a significant trend by 2025.

“What started as casual brainstorming over a few lunches turned into a challenge: let’s create something small, launch it on Hacker News, and see what happens,” Zunic explained. “We assembled a minimum viable product in four days, launched it, and suddenly we were number one. From that point, it’s taken off like a rocket.”

Browser Use functions by extracting elements from websites—such as buttons and widgets—making it simpler for AI models to interact with them. The tool can handle multiple browser tabs, automate tasks like file saving and database operations, and manage keyboard and mouse inputs.

While the company behind Browser Use offers managed subscription plans, it also provides a free, self-hosted version of its software. This self-hosted version has experienced a notable spike in usage since the launch of Manus.

Zunic shared that he and Müller aim to "sell a shovel" to developers eager to join the booming market of web agents.

"Our goal was to create a foundational layer that everyone could use to build browser agents," Zunic stated. "In our view, by the end of the year, there will be more agents on the web than humans."

While this prediction may sound overly optimistic, analysts suggest substantial growth for the AI agents market. Research and Markets forecasts this sector will reach $42 billion by 2029, and Deloitte predicts that half of all businesses using AI will deploy AI agents by 2027.

Regardless of the impact from Manus, the timing for Browser Use seems serendipitous.

AI, growth, technology, innovation, accessibility