# Levirge Search vs google-browser-scraper

[google-browser-scraper](https://github.com/nodemaven/google-browser-scraper),
from the proxy provider NodeMaven, is an MIT-licensed Python tool that collects
Google results pages through a real Chrome browser and your own residential
proxy. It runs as a CLI, a Python library, a local HTTP API or an MCP server.
Levirge Search is a hosted MCP server that searches the web and reads the pages
it finds. One collects Google results; the other reads the sources. On 27 Oct
2026 we ran the same 5 queries we used for the
[DeepSeek comparison](/search/vs-deepseek) through both.

## Same 5 queries

Both served all 5. Top result for each:

| Query | google-browser-scraper #1 | Levirge #1 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DeepSeek V4 release | `deepseek.com › news › deepseek-v4-1-flash` | `deepseek.com/en/news/deepseek-v4-1-flash/` |
| deno compile cross-platform static binary | `docs.deno.com › Runtime` | `docs.deno.com/runtime/reference/cli/compile/` |
| NATS JetStream KV watch example | `docs.nats.io › learn › key-value › watching` | `natsbyexample.com/examples/kv/intro/go/` (KV intro, not watch-specific) |
| Sydney apartment rent prices 2026 | `realestate.com.au › ... › Rent News` | `realestate.com.au/news/sydney-median-rent-hits-record-800-a-week-…` |
| tokio vs smol async runtime | "Goodbye Async-Std, Welcome Smol", Substack | `rustify.rs/articles/rust-async-runtimes-tokio-vs-async-std-2026` (async-std, not smol: off-target) |

| | google-browser-scraper | Levirge Search |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Results per query | 7–9 organic, plus People Also Ask (4 on two queries) and 6–8 related searches | 10 (`limit: 10`) |
| Result URLs | `link` was `null` on all 41 results: 0 resolved, 41 failed. Each kept Google's `/goto?url=…` redirect and a display string such as `docs.deno.com › Runtime` | A plain URL on every result |
| Run time | 299 s for the run; 1.0–2.1 s per results page once warm | No warm-up step |
| Traffic on your connection | 66 MB, of which 59.1 MB was the warm-up | Only the MCP responses; searching runs on Levirge's servers |

On Google ranking, google-browser-scraper was the better list: its NATS and
tokio/smol top results match the query more closely than ours. Without
resolved links, though, an agent cannot open them without another step.

## Where google-browser-scraper is ahead

| Capability | google-browser-scraper | Levirge Search |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Google results page detail | `organic_results` with position, `ads`, `related_questions`, `related_searches`, `pagination` | `title`, `url` and `content` per result |
| Country | `--country` picks the proxy exit | Not selectable |
| Self-hosting | MIT, `pip install` or a Docker image | Hosted only |
| Cost visibility | Bytes and cost per 1,000 pages in every run summary | Flat plan |
| Volume | `--workers N`, up to 300 queries per exit | Research use; bulk scraping not allowed |

## What only Levirge Search does

| Capability | google-browser-scraper | Levirge Search |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reading the result pages | No: it returns the results page only | `fetch` returns pages as Markdown, JSON and XML as raw bodies, with `select` and `schema` |
| Setup | A residential proxy with sticky sessions, plus Chrome on your machine | Add `https://search.levirge.com/mcp`, sign in with OAuth |
| First query | A fresh exit is warmed up first: 299 s and 59.1 MB on our run | No warm-up |
| MCP | Local stdio server, one tool: `google_search(query, pages)` | Remote server, nine tools, any MCP client |
| Concurrency over HTTP | One request at a time on one held identity | Search and open fetch unlimited; 1–3 full-browser slots by plan |

## Where each fits

- **google-browser-scraper** fits SEO rank tracking and SERP monitoring: you
  need Google's own positions, ads and People Also Ask, by country, at volume,
  and you already pay for residential proxies. Its failures are labelled
  (`captcha`, block) rather than returned as empty results.
- **Levirge Search** fits agents that research: find sources, then read them in
  full, through a browser when a site refuses plain requests, with no proxy to
  run.

## Method

- Run on 27 Oct 2026 from one machine. google-browser-scraper 0.0.6.2
  (README at commit `c9a7cb0`; it marks the project "Early") with default
  settings and `--no-proxy`, so every query used that machine's own connection. With
  the residential proxy it is built for, results and link resolution may
  differ.
- Levirge through its MCP `search` tool, `limit: 10`.
- Results move day to day. Run the same queries yourself.