Browser Use Token Ceiling

Browser Use bills on three separate meters, and only two of them are predictable. Task initialization runs $0.01 and browser session time $0.02 per hour, so an agency can quote those to a client with confidence. The third meter is the LLM doing the reasoning, and Claude Opus 5 output at $30 per 1M tokens is where a retainer quietly turns negative on heavy multi-step scraping. The framework: before signing any Browser Use retainer, run the client's hardest workflow for a week and log token spend per completed task, not per run. If average output tokens per task push the blended cost past roughly a third of the monthly fee, either move the workflow to a cheaper model or reprice. A data extraction client on a $550/mo Starter Automation offer looks healthy at $0.01 per task init and collapses when a 40-step navigation burns 60k output tokens per run.