The open-source Camoufox alternative
Camoufox is a well-built open-source anti-detect browser, on Firefox. Clearcote takes the same engine-level approach to Chromium, so your automation presents the browser about 66% of the web actually uses instead of one used by about 3%.
What is Camoufox?
Camoufox is an open-source anti-detect browser built on Firefox by the developer daijro. It patches the engine in C++ and uses a customised Juggler (Firefox's automation protocol) to present a coherent fingerprint: canvas, WebGL, fonts, screen, navigator, WebRTC and locale, rather than spoofing them from injected JavaScript. You drive it through Playwright-compatible packages for Python and, since September 2026, JavaScript/TypeScript. The browser is MPL-2.0 and its launchers are MIT; it has about 12,400 GitHub stars and around 810,000 PyPI downloads a month, and is genuinely respected in the space.
It is also moving fast: the current releases are Firefox 156 based (v156.0.1, from late September 2026) and still tagged as betas, and the README warns the project is under development and may not be suitable for stable production use. The bigger difference, though, is the engine. Camoufox presents a Firefox identity; Clearcote presents a Chromium one. According to StatCounter, Chrome alone had 66% of worldwide browser usage in September 2026 and Firefox had 3%. A Chrome persona sits in a much larger, more ordinary crowd, and it is what most sites expect to see.
Clearcote vs Camoufox
| Feature | Clearcote | Camoufox |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | De-Googled Chromium 154 (Chrome: ~66% of usage) | Firefox 156 (Firefox: ~3% of usage) |
| Approach | Engine-level C++/Blink patches | Engine-level C++ patches (Juggler) |
| Open source | Open build fully readable and reproducible (BSD-3); the latest build adds private patches | Fully open (browser MPL-2.0, launchers MIT) |
| Automation API | Playwright & Puppeteer (Python, Node, .NET), drop-in launch() | Playwright (Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript since September 2026) |
| TLS / network coherence | TLS ClientHello follows the claimed Chrome version (JA3/JA4) | Firefox's native TLS |
| CDP endpoint / Docker / MCP | Yes: CDP serve(), Docker image, MCP server | N/A (Firefox uses Juggler, not CDP) |
| Cost | Open build free; latest build free with GitHub (one browser at a time); Pro from $49/mo | Free |
Comparison compiled October 2026. Camoufox is open source (mpl-2.0); details change — check its project for the latest.
Why teams pick Clearcote
A Chrome persona, not a Firefox one
Chrome is roughly 66% of browser usage and Firefox about 3%. A coherent Chrome identity blends into the largest crowd and matches what most sites expect, where a Firefox fingerprint is inherently rarer.
Coherent down to the TLS handshake
Clearcote keeps the network layer consistent with the claimed Chrome version: the JA3/JA4 ClientHello follows the persona, not just the JavaScript. A browser that says Chrome should shake hands like Chrome.
Drop-in for the Chromium ecosystem
Playwright and Puppeteer, Python, Node and .NET, a standing CDP endpoint, a Docker image and an MCP server. Clearcote plugs into the tooling most automation already uses, with a one-line launch().
An open build you can verify
Clearcote's open build ships every patch as readable source with reproducible builds, so you can check the binary against the code. The latest build is the same engine a couple of months earlier, with additional private patches.
When Camoufox might be the better pick
- You specifically want a Firefox identity, for targets that expect Firefox or to diversify away from Chrome.
- You want every patch in the build you run to be open source, on a recent engine, at no cost.
- Your stack is Playwright, in Python or JavaScript, and you don't need Chromium's CDP ecosystem (Puppeteer, browser-use, Crawl4AI, Stagehand).
- Camoufox is a serious, actively developed project. If a Firefox persona fits, it's an honest choice.
FAQ
Is Clearcote a drop-in replacement for Camoufox?
Not literally. Camoufox exposes a Firefox and Playwright interface for Python and JavaScript/TypeScript; Clearcote is Chromium with Playwright and Puppeteer for Python, Node and .NET. Both are engine-level, so the concepts transfer directly, and Clearcote's launch() returns a standard Playwright Browser.
Is Camoufox or Clearcote better for avoiding bot detection?
It depends on the target. Most sites see mostly Chrome, so a Chromium persona sits in a far larger crowd and is usually the safer default. Camoufox is the right tool when you specifically need a Firefox identity. Neither makes automation undetectable; see what an undetectable browser really is.
Are both free and open source?
Camoufox is free and fully open source: the browser under MPL-2.0, its launchers under MIT. Clearcote's open build is free and fully open source (BSD-3) with reproducible builds, and arrives about two months after each new Chromium major. The latest build is free with a GitHub sign-in for one browser at a time and adds private stealth patches; Pro ($49/month) removes the concurrency limit.
Which Firefox version is Camoufox based on?
The current releases on GitHub are based on Firefox 156 (v156.0.1, from late September 2026), published as betas. Check the project's releases page for the latest.
Related reading
Try the open-source Chromium alternative
Free and open source, a drop-in for Playwright & Puppeteer, coherent down to the TLS handshake.
Free for one browser with GitHub. No card.