Performance

Kernel browsers benchmark as the fastest, most performant browsers in the market.

Kernel browser creation latency

Benchmark	Latency	Last reported
P50	30ms	April 24, 2026
P99	105ms	April 24, 2026

Troubleshooting latency

If you’re experiencing slower-than-expected browser creation (or browser pool acquisition), review your configuration for the following:

1. App code ⇔ Kernel browser region

Kernel browsers run in us-east. Use our app platform to colocate your browser agent or automation.

2. Create browser rate limit

Kernel enforces a per-plan create rate on browser creation. Our SDKs automatically retry, respecting the Retry-After header for delay timing. If retries are exhausted, the SDK throws a typed RateLimitError with the response headers accessible for custom backoff logic.

3. Non-default browser configurations

Headful and headless browsers, with stealth mode on or off, are the standard configuration — those are the numbers benchmarked above. Anything else can add to creation time, and some configurations trigger Chromium to restart, which takes several seconds and disrupts active CDP connections:

• Custom viewport configurations
• Chrome extensions
• Setting the live view to kiosk mode
• Attaching a profile

Use browser pools to get browsers with custom configurations without paying that cost per task.

4. Browser pool refill rate

Browser pools fill at a specified rate. Read about browser pool lifecycle best practices here.