Browser automation has evolved beyond simple web scraping into sophisticated AI-powered assistants that can handle complex online tasks. The latest entrant, Strawberry Browser, introduces a novel “Skills” system that allows users to create custom automation workflows for repetitive digital tasks—from comparison shopping to lead generation.
Unlike traditional browsers that simply display web pages, agentic browsers like Strawberry can actively navigate websites, fill forms, extract data, and complete transactions on your behalf. Think of them as digital assistants that understand both your intent and web interfaces, capable of performing the same clicking, typing, and decision-making you’d do manually.
What sets Strawberry apart from competitors like Anthropic’s Claude or other automation tools is its Skills framework—customizable task templates that transform complex multi-step processes into simple voice commands. Rather than repeatedly explaining your shopping preferences or research criteria, you create a skill once and reuse it indefinitely.
Agentic browsers represent a significant shift from passive web browsing to active task execution. Built on Chromium—the same open-source foundation powering Google Chrome—these tools maintain familiar interfaces while adding powerful automation capabilities.
These browsers can perform virtually any task a human might do online: comparing prices across multiple retailers, filling out lengthy application forms, scheduling appointments, or extracting data from websites into spreadsheets. The key difference lies in their ability to understand context and make decisions based on your specific requirements.
Most agentic browsers require users to provide detailed instructions for each task. Strawberry Browser’s innovation lies in its Skills system, which allows you to package these instructions into reusable templates.
Skills function as intelligent shortcuts that combine your specific requirements with Strawberry’s automation capabilities. Instead of repeatedly explaining that you want to compare prices for running shoes across major retailers, you create a “shoe shopping” skill that remembers these preferences.
Consider a practical example: A marketing professional who regularly researches competitor pricing could create a skill that automatically visits competitor websites, extracts pricing information, and compiles results into a structured report. Once created, activating this skill requires only typing “/competitor-research tablet computers” to generate a comprehensive analysis.
The system proves particularly valuable for tasks involving multiple variables or complex decision trees. A skill designed for apartment hunting might incorporate specific location preferences, budget constraints, and amenity requirements, then systematically search rental platforms while filtering results according to your criteria.
Strawberry Browser pairs Skills with specialized AI companions—each optimized for different types of work. This companion system ensures that your automation workflows use the most appropriate AI model for specific tasks.
The platform offers six distinct companions:
Lora serves as the default general-purpose assistant, ideal for basic web navigation, shopping, and research tasks. Most users should start with Lora when creating their first skills.
Sales Sally specializes in lead generation and customer relationship management, designed for finding prospects, crafting personalized outreach, and managing follow-up communications.
Recruiter Ryan focuses on talent acquisition, from writing job descriptions to screening candidates and managing interview processes.
Extractor Ella excels at data collection and organization, particularly useful for populating spreadsheets or databases with information gathered from multiple websites.
Assistant Astrid handles productivity tasks like email management, calendar scheduling, and meeting preparation.
Competition Camilla analyzes market intelligence, tracking competitor activities and identifying industry trends.
Selecting the right companion significantly impacts your skill’s effectiveness. A skill designed for competitive analysis would benefit from Competition Camilla’s specialized training, while a general shopping skill works best with Lora’s broad capabilities.
Setting up a skill requires just a few steps, though thoughtful planning improves results significantly.
After installing Strawberry Browser on macOS or Windows, open the application and locate the + button near the center bottom of the interface. This button launches the skill creation wizard.
The skill creation process begins with naming your automation. Choose descriptive names that clearly indicate the skill’s purpose—”Product Research” works better than generic labels like “Shopping.”
In the prompt section, provide clear instructions about what you want the skill to accomplish. For a product research skill, you might write: “Search major online retailers for the product mentioned in the query, compare prices, read customer reviews, and summarize key features and pricing information.”
Choose the AI companion that best matches your skill’s intended function. For general shopping and research tasks, Lora provides excellent results. More specialized skills benefit from their corresponding companions.
After saving your skill, test it with a simple query to ensure it produces the expected results. You can always edit and improve skills based on their performance.
Activating a skill is straightforward but powerful. From Strawberry Browser’s main interface, either click your desired skill from the skills menu or type “/[skill name]” followed by your specific query.
For example, using a product research skill might look like: “/product-research wireless noise-canceling headphones under $200.” Strawberry then executes your predefined workflow, visiting relevant websites, comparing options, and generating a comprehensive report.
The browser displays its progress in real-time, showing which websites it’s visiting and what information it’s collecting. Once complete, you receive a structured summary with product comparisons, pricing information, and key details—all formatted for easy decision-making.
Results can be exported to various formats or saved within Strawberry for future reference, creating a personal database of research and analysis.
E-commerce professionals can create skills for competitive pricing analysis, automatically tracking competitor product launches and pricing changes across multiple platforms.
Real estate agents might develop skills for property research, automatically gathering comparable sales data, neighborhood statistics, and market trends for specific locations.
Small business owners can use skills for vendor research, automatically comparing suppliers, collecting quotes, and analyzing service offerings.
Job seekers benefit from skills that monitor job boards, extract relevant opportunities, and compile application requirements into organized summaries.
Strawberry Browser operates on a credit-based system where each automation task consumes credits based on complexity and duration. The platform offers three pricing tiers:
The Free plan includes 2,000 credits monthly, sufficient for light usage and skill experimentation. Pro subscribers pay $20 monthly for 8,000 credits, with additional credits available at $10 per 1,000. The Ultra plan costs $250 monthly for 50,000 credits plus dedicated support, targeting heavy business users.
Credit consumption varies significantly based on task complexity—simple price comparisons might use 50-100 credits, while comprehensive market research could consume 500-1,000 credits per execution.
For business users: Start with simple skills to understand credit consumption patterns before creating complex automation workflows. Consider the Ultra plan if your team regularly performs data-intensive research.
For individual users: The free tier provides ample opportunity to explore Skills functionality. Focus on creating 2-3 highly useful skills rather than numerous specialized ones.
For technical teams: Skills can integrate with existing workflows through data export features, though direct API access isn’t currently available.
Strawberry Browser’s Skills system represents an intriguing approach to browser automation, prioritizing reusability over one-time task completion. While the credit system requires careful management, the ability to create persistent automation workflows offers significant value for users with repetitive online tasks.
The platform’s success will likely depend on expanding its companion ecosystem and improving skill-sharing capabilities between users. For professionals regularly performing similar online research or data collection tasks, Strawberry’s Skills framework could substantially reduce time investment while improving result consistency.
Join hosts Anthony, Shane, and Francesca for essential insights on AI's impact on jobs, careers, and business. Stay ahead of the curve – listen now!
Join hosts Anthony, Shane, and Francesca for essential insights on AI's impact on jobs, careers, and business. Stay ahead of the curve – listen now!
No hype. No doom. Just actionable resources and strategies to accelerate your success in the age of AI.
