Add to Chrome
Retriever AI (rtrvr.ai) is a free browser agent with the AI included. You can research companies, collect data, and fill forms in Chrome without an AI API key or paid AI subscription. If you already pay for Claude and work in Cowork or Claude Code, its Chrome extension is also worth trying.
Both products can act on signed-in websites. The useful question is what you need to finish, and where the result goes next.
What changed since the original comparison
Checked September 23, 2026: Anthropic lists Claude in Chrome on all paid plans. It supports multiple tabs in a tab group, background tasks, and connections to Cowork and Claude Code. Our earlier claims that access required a $200 plan and that it worked on only one tab are outdated. Anthropic’s product page
Compare the setup
| Decision | Retriever AI | Claude in Chrome |
|---|---|---|
| Start without an AI subscription | Free Mode, with sponsored cards and a daily allowance | A paid Claude plan is required |
| Use sites where you are signed in | Chrome extension | Chrome extension |
| Work across tabs | Supported | Supported through Claude’s tab group |
| Continue from your existing tools | Cloud, API, and MCP paths | Cowork and Claude Code integration |
| Repeat a task on a schedule | Paid Retriever plan | Check current Claude plan and workflow support |
Claude’s access and tab behavior come from its current product documentation. Retriever’s plan boundaries are listed on pricing. This is a documentation review, not a new head-to-head performance test.
Try the same small task
Choose five public company pages you already know. Give both agents the same request:
Read these five company pages. Return company, main product, customer type, and one source URL per row. Mark anything the page does not establish as unknown. Do not fill forms or contact anyone.
Check each row against the source. Record missing fields, wrong inferences, how often you intervened, and the cost shown for the run. Speed only matters once the answers are right.
Next, try a task that represents your actual work: fill a form from a document or prepare a prospect shortlist. A public-page research test does not establish reliability on a complex signed-in portal.
When to choose each
Choose Claude in Chrome when keeping browser tasks inside your existing Claude setup matters most. Its connection to Cowork can be useful when research feeds a report or presentation. Claude in Chrome
Choose Retriever AI when you want a free entry in your existing browser, or need the same task available through Cloud, the API, or MCP. For signed-in Chrome tasks, start with the extension; Cloud uses a separate browser session.
What “free” covers
Free Mode includes supported AI models and Cloud browser time for tasks you start in the extension or Cloud dashboard. No AI API key or paid AI subscription is required. Sponsored cards and a daily fair-use allowance apply. Schedules, triggers, cookie sync, and Chrome control through API or MCP require a paid plan. Data enrichment and managed proxies can use credits separately.
Free Mode in the Chrome extension involves sponsored content. In Cloud, it also includes a license to use anonymized task records and derived products, as described in the Terms and Privacy Notice. Read the offer before choosing a plan. Free access is not a guarantee that every site or every task will work.
Add Retriever AI to Chrome and try the five-page research task.
