AI browser and computer use tools compared: Claude in Chrome, Codex, Aside, ego (lite)

TL;DR: More than six tools for having AI do computer work have come out in just a few months. The names all sound alike, so it’s easy to get confused about what to install. I put the six most-mentioned tools into one table in three layers, “Chrome tab only,” “with my login as is,” and “up to the desktop app.” The summary draws on my own record of handing over everything from game installation to going live, plus raw user reviews. For work on the page you’re viewing, start with Chrome extensions. For repetitive work across several sites, start with tools that pass along your login. For work outside the browser, start with the desktop apps.

Contents

1. How far can you go: three layers
2. The six tools at a glance
3. Which one to pick for each situation
4. Layer 1, inside Chrome: Claude in Chrome and the Codex Chrome extension
5. Layer 2, passing your login along: Aside and ego (lite)
6. Layer 3, beyond the app: computer use in the Claude desktop app and the Codex app
7. Hands-on: your first task in 10 minutes
8. Wrap-up

A few nights ago, instead of sitting down at my gaming PC, I sent Codex one line. It was to download RimWorld from Steam, install the extension needed for a Chzzk (South Korea’s live-streaming platform) broadcast, connect the broadcast and donations, and leave the stream running. Everything finished without a human stepping in. This post starts from that experience. It splits six tools into groups by how far each one can reach and what you give up in exchange.

1. How far can you go: three layers

Before memorizing tool names, sort them by “what can the AI touch?” and the six fall into three groups.

• Layer 1, browser tab only: install an extension in your Chrome, and the AI reads and clicks the tab you’re looking at.
• Layer 2, with your login: move your login state into a browser made for AI, and let it move across multiple sites.
• Layer 3, up to the desktop app: it looks at screenshots and moves the mouse and keyboard. Whether it’s a game launcher or a streaming program, anything on screen is fair game.

2. The six tools at a glance

Tool	Layer	Scope	My login	Pricing	Supported OS
Claude in Chrome	Layer 1	Chrome tabs	Your own Chrome, as is	Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise	Chrome desktop
Codex (ChatGPT) Chrome extension	Layer 1	Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi tabs	Your own browser, as is	No plan requirement in the docs; depends on rollout stage and workspace settings	Mac, Windows
Aside	Layer 2	Entire logged-in web	As is	Free $0, Pro $20/month, Max $200/month	Mac (tested firsthand)
ego (lite)	Layer 2	Chrome-family browsers	Imported from Chrome	Free	Mac (Windows pending)
Claude desktop app computer use	Layer 3	In-app browser, entire screen	Cookie import	Pro, Max beta	Mac, Windows
Codex app computer use	Layer 3	Entire screen, desktop apps	Choose an extension or the built-in browser	Codex app: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu; computer use limited to supported regions	Mac, Windows

Pricing and OS in the table are based on official documentation as of September 2026. The Claude desktop app bundles both Cowork and Claude Code. Official help says Cowork is being merged into Claude, so this post calls it the “Claude desktop app.”

3. Which one to pick for each situation

Here’s the conclusion first. The sections below are the evidence for this picture.

Examples of what each layer suits:

• Layer 1: summarizing the page you’re viewing, organizing comments, filling in forms
• Layer 2: repetitive work across several sites, collecting captures
• Layer 3: installing, configuring, and testing programs outside the browser

4. Layer 1, inside Chrome: Claude in Chrome and the Codex Chrome extension

This is the easiest layer to enter. Add one extension to the Chrome you already use, and you’re done. You don’t need to log in again.

Both extensions work the same way. You write instructions in the side panel, and the AI reads the current tab, scrolls, types, and clicks. Only Opera has no side panel, so you start the task from the desktop app.

Item	Claude in Chrome	Codex (ChatGPT) Chrome extension
Safety controls	Approval for each action, always allow per site, block list	Allow once per site, always allow, block
Permission requests	Reading and operating open tabs	All site data, browsing history
Other browsers	Chrome only	Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi
Background	Keeps running while Chrome is open	Work starts from the desktop app

User reviews are split. In one Reddit thread titled “why is it so bad,” complaints appeared alongside replies saying it has improved a lot recently. Another thread has someone who uses it every day.

Too many connectors (MCP) eat up my context. (translated)

(Reddit r/ClaudeAI, karn****)

It seems Claude has improved this a lot recently. (translated)

(Reddit r/ClaudeAI, Empt****)

I use this every day for a small automation setup. (translated)

(Reddit r/ClaudeAI, Ok_J****)

As a South Korean example, the Excel tutorial site Oppadu Excel (a Korean Excel tutorial site) posted how to use this extension to summarize YouTube comments and polish blog posts. Repetitive work that ends inside the browser is Layer 1’s territory.

5. Layer 2, passing your login along: Aside and ego (lite)

Layer 2 is the approach of keeping a separate browser just for AI. An extension borrows your own Chrome, but here the AI uses an entirely separate browser that carries over your login state.

Item	Aside	ego (lite)
Login state	Log in directly in the Aside browser	Import tabs, bookmarks, cookies, and passwords from Chrome
Agent connection	Its own agent and terminal commands	Install the ego-browser skill in Claude Code or Codex
Safety controls	Human approval before payments, posts, and messages	Agent-only Space, separated from your own tabs
Pricing	Free, Pro $20/month, Max $200/month	Free

Aside is the tool the author uses for captures on this blog. I’ve put two related posts here:

• Concept: What is Aside?
• Differences from Chrome and Playwright: Could Aside become the second Cursor?

Reviews of both products bring up convenience and unease about handing over cookies, side by side.

Up to now it feels like it has the best of both worlds. (translated)

(Reddit r/ArcBrowser, Gloo****)

Handing an agent my real Gmail browser cookies is a shaky foundation in the long run. (translated)

(Reddit r/ShareAIagents, JanJ****)

6. Layer 3, beyond the app: computer use in the Claude desktop app and the Codex app

This is the layer where I handed off the RimWorld and Chzzk setup. It reaches beyond the browser to every program on screen.

From game install to stream, in one line

Here’s the list of tasks I gave to Codex computer use. No human stepped in at any point.

1. Launch Steam, search for RimWorld, and download it
2. Install the extension needed for a Chzzk stream
3. Connect the Chzzk stream
4. Connect donations
5. Start the broadcast

Each step moves between different programs, such as the Steam launcher, Chrome, and a streaming app. Tasks that normally mean going back and forth through many settings screens, like installing extensions and connecting accounts, went through without a hitch. The measured state of the finished stream is below.

Item	Measured
Chzzk stream	ON, 1080p, 6144kbps, 30FPS
Public scene setup	Game capture, game audio, and the judgment overlay only
Removed from the public scene	Display capture, webcam, microphone
Gameplay afterward	Claude Code plays autonomously in in-game MCP mode, total of 3 turns, about $5.42

Codex computer use handled the setup, and Claude Code handled the gameplay after setup. The gameplay side reads game state as data rather than looking at the screen, so it’s outside the scope of this post.

The official docs for the two products show these differences:

Item	Claude desktop app	Codex app (ChatGPT desktop)
Status	Pro, Max beta	Available, limited to supported regions
Priority	Connectors, browser, then screen control	Plugins, browser, computer use
Permissions	Per-app approval, hidden instruction detection, stop	Per-app approval, always allow, stop and hand-off
Window constraint	Mac 15 or later: separate background conditions apply	Only operates windows in front
Official warnings	No isolation wall between Claude and apps; no permission for banking, medical, and government apps	Cannot approve admin authentication or security prompts; humans stay present for payments and account settings

Reviews split into two camps:

• The Korean blog FindSkill (a Korean tech blog) wrote after 48 hours on a Mac: “It actually works. It’s slower than a native Mac app and slightly less accurate, but it’s definitely possible.”
• On Reddit, one comment says: “Unfortunately it’s quite fragile and doesn’t always work” (translated, r/codex).
• One report says the Claude desktop app’s built-in browser “does not work over any remote connection, including Linux inside Windows (WSL)” (translated, r/ClaudeAI). If you connect to a remote server, check this first.

7. Hands-on: your first task in 10 minutes

If this is your first time, start at Layer 1. Setup is shortest, and if something goes wrong, it stays within one tab.

1. In the Chrome Web Store, search for Claude and install the item with the claude.com verification badge.
2. Log in to Claude in the Chrome right side panel. You need a Pro or higher plan.
3. Open a YouTube video or news page with lots of comments.
4. Paste the instruction below into the side panel.

Scroll through the comments on this page, read them, and summarize 5 recurring opinions in a table. Don't leave this page.

5. For the first permission request, choose the one-site allow option (the Korean UI labels it differently). Don’t press the always-allow option yet.
6. Check that the side panel builds up a line for each action, such as scrolling, reading, and clicking.

To move to Layer 3, use Codex as the reference: in the desktop app, pick Codex, turn on Computer Use from the plugin menu, and on a Mac, allow the Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. Start your first instruction with something reversible, like playing a song on Spotify.

8. Wrap-up

Some tools aren’t covered here. Perplexity Comet and Dia are AI browsers, but they focus on search and summarization. Browser Use, Playwright MCP, and Skyvern are automation that developers attach with code, so they’re topics for a separate post. I dropped OpenAI Operator from the table because its official help says it can no longer be used.