CAPTCHA API or browser extension: which fits your automation?
Choose an API when your code needs to receive a solution and submit it to the target. Consider an extension when a provider explicitly supports the interactive browser flow you need. Browser automation can use either approach; running a browser doesn’t automatically make an extension the better choice.
solvethree offers a REST task API, not a native browser extension. Your application remains responsible for applying the returned solution and checking the target’s response.
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Choose by the workflow you need
| Your workflow | Approach to choose | Work that remains |
|---|---|---|
| A server-side worker sends requests directly to a target. | API. | Create the task, retrieve its solution and include the correct output in the target request. |
| Your automation already controls a browser. | API for explicit control; an extension only if its provider documents that browser flow. | With an API, your browser automation must apply the result and submit it. With an extension, confirm exactly which steps it handles. |
| A person works through an interactive browser session. | Consider an extension with documented support for the target and browser. | Check installation requirements, permissions, credential handling and whether it operates in the intended browser session. |
An API response isn’t a universal browser command. If your requirement is “install something that handles the browser interaction,” solvethree’s API alone doesn’t meet it.
Compare permissions and maintenance before committing
- Credentials: Keep a solvethree API key on your server, not in page scripts. For an extension, inspect the provider’s credential-handling instructions and requested permissions before installing it.
- Session ownership: Identify which component owns the browser profile, proxy and target session, and which component submits the solution. Don’t assume installing an extension connects it to an existing API integration.
- Maintenance: With an API, your code owns task handling and target submission, including any browser-specific steps. For an extension, check browser support, update procedures and how failures are exposed. Treat changes to the target flow as something to test, not something the extension necessarily absorbs.
Use documentation for the integration you intend to run. CapSolver documents API and browser-extension integration separately; an API example doesn’t establish what its extension will do.
Where solvethree fits
First check the product, not just the integration method. solvethree supports reCAPTCHA v3 Enterprise and standard v3, which return tokens; Kasada, which returns headers; and Ticketmaster TMPT, which returns a raw cookie value. These outputs need different submission handling. reCAPTCHA v2, hCaptcha and Turnstile aren’t supported.
For application code, use the REST API or the official JavaScript SDK for Node.js and Python SDK. Both SDKs offer a solve method that creates one task and polls for its result. Neither applies the solution to a browser or target.
For an MCP host, the official local stdio server exposes task tools. It doesn’t drive a browser or fill forms, so it isn’t an extension substitute.
Use the API documentation to implement that handoff. If you’re replacing an existing provider, follow the CapSolver migration guide or 2Captcha migration guide rather than assuming their requests are interchangeable.
Sources and API reference
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