Co-browsing vs visual assistance: differences

Co-browsing and visual assistance answer two different objects: co-browsing shares a web screen in real time to help a customer navigate or fill in a form; visual assistance opens the customer's camera on the physical world to guide them and produce certified screenshots. The whole difference comes down to what is being observed — a browser screen or a real scene — and where the customer is: already on your site, or anywhere out in the field. Comparing the two is not about ranking two competitors, but about choosing the right tool for the situation. Let's walk through what sets them apart: object, customer location, access, guidance, deliverable and use cases.

What is co-browsing, and what is visual assistance?

Co-browsing — or shared web browsing — lets an agent and a customer see and use the same web page in real time. The agent follows the customer on your site or online application, helps them find information, correct a field, complete an order. The session usually starts from a chat widget or a session code, and runs in the browser. DOM-based solutions commonly mask sensitive fields — password, card number — so the agent cannot access them.

Visual assistance answers a different need: seeing what the customer has in front of them, in the field. The agent opens the customer's camera, guides them step by step and documents the situation with certified screenshots. To frame the vocabulary, our definition of remote visual assistance sets the baseline, and our remote visual assistance guide walks through the method end to end.

What does each one observe: the web screen or the physical world?

This is the central distinction, the one that drives everything else. Co-browsing observes a web screen: the page or application the customer has open in their browser. The agent sees the site content, the forms, the buttons — the DOM, that is, the structure of the page.

Visual assistance observes a physical scene: a leak under a sink, an electricity meter, a crack in a wall, a faulty part. The agent is not looking at a screen, they are looking at the real world, exactly as if they were standing there. That difference in object explains all the rest: access, guidance, deliverable and the sectors involved.

Where is the customer in each case: on your site or in the field?

Co-browsing assumes the customer is already on your site or online application. They browse, hit a snag, and the agent joins them on the page where they are. Outside the web, co-browsing has no object: it does not access the phone camera or the physical world.

Visual assistance reaches the customer where they physically are: on a construction site, in front of a claim, in a room to diagnose. The link arrives by SMS, opens in the browser, and the camera starts. This no-install, no-account visual assistance experience lets you start a session with any customer, wherever they are, without asking them for any technical effort.

How does the session start on the customer side?

On the co-browsing side, the customer clicks in a chat or enters a session code, without leaving the browser. On the visual assistance side, they get an SMS, tap the link, and the video opens straight in their browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. No app to install, no account to create.

How do you guide the customer: on the web page or on the live video?

Co-browsing guides on the web page. The agent moves a pointer, highlights a field, and depending on the solution co-navigates or co-fills the form with the customer. The annotation applies to the web screen: it shows where to click, what to enter, where to fix an error.

Visual assistance guides on the live video from the camera. The agent draws directly on the feed: circles a screw, points at a leak, draws an arrow toward the right joint. The distinction is precise: co-browsing annotates the web screen, not a camera feed of the real world. Each one annotates its own object.

What does each tool produce as output?

Co-browsing produces in-session assistance, ephemeral by nature: once the browsing is done, the help has served its purpose. Producing a certified, geolocated capture of a physical scene is not what it is built for.

Visual assistance produces certified screenshots: each image carries GPS coordinates, a precise UTC timestamp and a unique session ID, consolidated into a session report.

A nuance is needed here. A certified, timestamped and geolocated capture is a solid item in a file, but on its own it is not an absolute "legally binding proof": its weight is assessed case by case, and legal frameworks differ from one jurisdiction to another. We detail the approach on the certified screenshots with metadata page.

Sensitive data: what does each tool see?

When should you choose one or the other?

Co-browsing shines on the web: e-commerce checkout, online form filling, online banking and insurance, software onboarding, website support. Wherever the customer is already in front of a page, it helps them move forward without dropping off.

Visual assistance shines in the field: construction, insurance and loss adjusting, field service and technical support, social housing. Wherever you need to see a real situation and document it.

Co-browsing vs visual assistance: the comparison table

The table below sums up the gaps on the criteria that matter. Read it not as a ranking, but as a grid for choosing the right tool for the situation.

Criterion	Co-browsing	Visual assistance
Object observed	Web screen (page / app)	Physical scene (field)
Where the customer is	Already on your site / app	Anywhere, in the field
Customer-side access	Chat / session code, browser	SMS link, browser, no app or account
Guidance	Pointer / highlight / co-navigation on the page	Live annotation on the camera video
Deliverable	In-session assistance (ephemeral)	Certified screenshots (GPS, UTC, session ID) + report
Context / sectors	Web support: e-commerce, banking/insurance, SaaS	Field: construction, insurance, field service, housing
Getting started	From the site / app in use	Starts in seconds via SMS

Should you choose one or the other — or both?

The answer is rarely "one against the other". To help a customer already on your site, co-browsing is the right tool. To see and document a situation in the field, visual assistance is the answer. The two are complementary: the same team can use co-browsing for its web support and visual assistance for its field interventions. Use each tool where it was designed to excel.

The gap shows up in concrete use. Based on usage observed on GroundCam, a visual assistance workflow helps avoid around 40% of site visits, reach 85% first-contact resolution, and start a session in under 10 seconds, with nothing to install on the customer side. These figures describe visual assistance, not co-browsing. To go further, the how it works page sums up the principle of the step-by-step workflow.