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[ARTICLE · art-111351] src=rtrvr.ai ↗ pub= topic=ai-agents verified=true sentiment=↑ positive

Show HN: Launched free browser agent (the catch: ads)

Retriever AI launched a free browser agent that performs tasks like lead generation, exam completion, job applications, and connection requests, funded by ads. The company reports 35K+ users and 7M+ workflows, and optimized costs via DeepSeek Flash, Code Mode, and 80%+ token cache hits to make the agent free.

read1 min views1 publishedAug 26, 2026

No one’s got money for another AI subscription. So we made our browser agent totally FREE.

What's the catch? Just ads while Retriever AI fetches you leads, does your exams, applied to jobs, and sends connection requests.

Think like a Claude Code or Clay level tool in your browser, but free for everyone!

After 35K+ users and 7M+ workflows, we spent the last few months attacking the cost of every agent step: - switching to DeepSeek Flash - Code Mode to one shot complex workflows - optimizing for 80%+ token cache hits

So that now just an ad impression covers the entire cost of the agent (LLM inference included), so we can now offer the entire agent for free!

More important than an agent that can scale with users, is an agent that gets better with every workflow. Retriever now continuously: → learns global skills for every website, so no mistake repeats twice → writes learnings from user tasks as personalized skills

Curious to hear how others are tackling consumer agents and excited for the new era of free agentic apps!

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444628](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444628)

Points: 1

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