One manager for the whole job.
Where each approach stops.
| Capability | Aera | AI chat tools | Scripts (Puppeteer) | AI extensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executes on real websites | ||||
| Plain language, no code | No | |||
| Runs on a schedule | ◐ | |||
| Unattended runs happen on your machine, in your session | ◐ | No | ◐ | |
| Keeps running with the browser closed | No | |||
| Reads the page instead of a stored selector | No | |||
| Handles logins & sessions | ◐ | |||
| Your daily-driver browser | No | No | ||
| MCP for your dev tools | No | No |
◐ = possible with significant setup or limitations
Why choose Aera
Hand over the outcome you want. Your manager organizes the work and keeps it moving.
Their cloud browser does not sign in. Their local runs need their app open.
ChatGPT drives real websites and runs recurring scheduled tasks. OpenAI's cloud browser works on public pages and does not sign in to sites for you; the ChatGPT desktop app runs scheduled tasks on your machine as long as the computer is on and the app is running, and its built-in browser uses a profile separate from your regular browser. Aera does the same class of work in the Chromium profile you are already signed into, on your machine.
They're code. Aera is a sentence.
Test frameworks need scripts, selectors, and CI to babysit. Aera reads the page on every run, so a renamed div is not automatically fatal, and there is nothing to deploy.
They're infrastructure. Aera is your browser.
Headless services run backend jobs in someone else's cloud, with your credentials. Aera runs on your machine, in your sessions, in a browser you also use all day.
They stop when the window does.
The strongest extensions now schedule recurring browser tasks: Claude in Chrome has done that since November 2025. They keep working only while Chrome is open, because an extension cannot outlive its browser. Aera's scheduler is a separate service on your machine, so a task fires with the browser closed, and files, in-browser code execution and MCP are native rather than bolted on.
Still weighing it? Read the FAQ or see real use cases.
Your work. Taken care of.
Start with the work you want off your plate.