The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Short answer: Crawlbase is the broader platform if you need a choice of synchronous crawling, asynchronous queues, a proxy interface, and stored results. ScraperAPI offers a REST API, proxy port, and async API, with plans priced in credits and concurrency limits. Neither is automatically cheaper: ScraperAPI’s credit cost varies by target and options, while Crawlbase’s public comparison claims should be treated as vendor claims, not independent measurements. Compare both against the same target URLs and workflow before committing.
What is the main difference?
Crawlbase’s current platform is a collection of related services rather than one endpoint. Its API reference describes the Crawling API as the default for new integrations, alongside an asynchronous Enterprise Crawler, Smart AI Proxy, Cloud Storage, and a scraper library. The products share a token, and pricing and concurrency budgets are shared across subscribed products. See the Crawlbase API reference for the current product and integration details.
ScraperAPI offers a REST API, a proxy port, and an async API. Its documentation describes proxy selection and rotation, CAPTCHA detection and retries, geotargeting, and JavaScript rendering. Depending on the endpoint or workflow, it can return HTML or JSON. The service’s request-credit cost and concurrency limit depend on the selected plan and request.
That means the practical choice is not simply “crawler versus scraper.” First decide whether you need raw page content, structured extraction, queued crawling with callbacks, persistent results, or a proxy interface for an existing HTTP client. Then test the relevant product surface and calculate the price for the actual request mix.
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Is Crawlbase Scraper API still available to new users?
Crawlbase’s API reference labels its standalone Scraper API as legacy and says it is closed to new sign-ups. For a new integration, Crawlbase directs developers to its Crawling API with a scraper parameter. Avoid choosing the legacy endpoint just because its name sounds like the closest match to ScraperAPI; confirm the current supported API and migration path in Crawlbase’s documentation.
Features and workflow comparison
| Need | Crawlbase | ScraperAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Standard request | Crawling API, described as the default path for new integrations. | REST API; proxy port also available. |
| Asynchronous volume | Enterprise Crawler uses a queue and webhook. | Async API is documented; the supplied pricing details establish plan concurrency, but not a queueing guarantee for requests over that limit. |
| Proxy integration | Smart AI Proxy provides a proxy interface for an existing HTTP client. | Proxy port and proxy selection/rotation are documented. |
| JavaScript rendering | Available capabilities and exact options depend on the Crawling API workflow; check the current reference for your target and required behavior. | JavaScript rendering is documented as an option that affects credit consumption. |
| Output and persistence | Page results, scraper workflows, and Cloud Storage are part of the documented platform. Verify output format and storage behavior for the product you subscribe to. | HTML or JSON depending on endpoint or workflow; the supplied materials do not establish a comparable persistent-results service. |
| Usage budgets | Subscribed products share token and usage/concurrency budgets. | Plans specify credits and concurrent threads; request credit cost varies. |
These are documented product surfaces, not a head-to-head performance test. Crawlbase’s use-case materials describe price and availability monitoring, search-results tracking, competitor monitoring, lead enrichment, and AI-agent or training-data workflows. Match the exact interface to your use case rather than inferring equivalent capabilities from similar feature names.
ScraperAPI pricing and credit costs
The following USD prices were displayed by ScraperAPI on September 29, 2026. Annual billing shows a 10% lower monthly equivalent. Prices and plan inclusions can change, so check the vendor’s pricing page before purchase.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Monthly equivalent with annual billing | API credits | Concurrent threads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $49/month | $44.10/month | 100,000 | 20 |
| Startup | $149/month | $134.10/month | 1,000,000 | 50 |
| Business | $299/month | $269.10/month | 3,000,000 | 100 |
| Higher volume | Additional plans are listed by the vendor; price and limits depend on plan. | Not stated in the cited plan snapshot. | Not stated in the cited plan snapshot. | Not stated in the cited plan snapshot. |
ScraperAPI’s billing documentation separately describes a free plan with 1,000 credits per month and up to five concurrent connections, and a seven-day trial with 5,000 requests. These are distinct offers, not one combined allowance; confirm availability and terms when you sign up.
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A request does not necessarily consume one credit. The credit-cost documentation says usage changes with target domain and request options, including premium routing, JavaScript rendering, screenshots, and ultra-premium routing. Several named anti-bot bypasses have separate add-on costs. Successful HTTP 200 and 404 requests are charged, while calls canceled by the client before completion are described as an exception. Use the API Playground or cost endpoint on representative targets instead of estimating with a flat “credits per page” assumption.
What does Crawlbase cost?
Crawlbase’s comparison page advertises up to 5,000 free requests and says it charges only for successful requests. Its general documentation advertises a free start, a shared rate card across the product family, and optional subscriptions from $99 per month. Those statements do not provide enough detail to calculate a like-for-like monthly workload cost here: establish the current rate card, what qualifies for the free-request offer, and how your chosen services use the shared budget before estimating.
Crawlbase’s comparison page also asserts figures such as 99% versus 97% success, 40+ versus 30+ countries, and a 99.9% uptime comparison. These are Crawlbase’s own comparative claims; no neutral benchmark establishes them here. Crawlbase’s statement that its rival charges for failed calls should not be treated as ScraperAPI’s billing rule: ScraperAPI’s own billing documentation says successful 200 and 404 requests are charged and describes client-canceled calls as an exception.
How to decide which is cheaper for your workload
- Build a representative URL set. Include the actual target domains, regions, page types, and a realistic mix of easy and difficult pages. Credit costs vary by domain and request options, so a generic request count is not a reliable estimate.
- Specify required behavior. Mark which URLs need JavaScript rendering, premium routing, a named anti-bot bypass, or structured extraction. Do not pay for options your task does not need, but do include every option production will require.
- Run equivalent trials. Use each provider’s current free allowance or trial where available. Keep the URL set, output requirements, and success criteria consistent. A successful HTTP response alone may not mean the page content is complete or useful.
- Measure workload outcomes. Record response correctness, latency distribution, retries and failures, extraction quality, and paid credits or requests. Repeat enough requests to expose variability rather than relying on one successful example.
- Check throughput and flow control. Compare the plan’s concurrent-thread limit with your peak request rate. ScraperAPI’s pricing FAQ says requests above the concurrency limit are turned away with HTTP 429 rather than queued. If your workload needs a queue and webhook, assess Crawlbase Enterprise Crawler; do not assume the two asynchronous offerings behave identically.
- Calculate effective monthly cost. For ScraperAPI, multiply the observed or estimated credits per request for each request type by its expected volume, then compare the total with a plan’s credit and concurrency limits. For Crawlbase, use the current rate card and account for the shared usage budget across subscribed products. Include retry volume and required options in both estimates.
- Verify operational requirements. Check storage and retention needs, output formats, regional coverage for your actual targets, support terms, and any uptime commitment you require. Do not use an advertised coverage count or success percentage as a substitute for testing your destinations.
Where ScreenshotNeo fits—and where it does not
ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a replacement for a general-purpose HTML scraping workflow. Try it first when the job is to capture a clean visual record of a page, produce an image or PDF, or let an AI agent take screenshots. Its API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. It accepts cookie and consent banners and removes 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks/CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. Learn more at ScreenshotNeo.
Or skip the browser setup
Make one GET request with a URL; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpCookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up free for ScreenshotNeo.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common decision mistakes and troubleshooting
- Planning around the legacy Crawlbase Scraper API: it is closed to new sign-ups. Start with the Crawling API and its scraper parameter, and verify the endpoint and parameter behavior in the current reference.
- Getting HTTP 429 from ScraperAPI: the documented cause can be exceeding the plan’s concurrent-thread limit. Lower parallelism or select a plan whose thread limit fits the peak workload; requests over the limit are turned away rather than queued.
- Seeing credits disappear faster than page count: inspect the target domain and enabled options. Rendering, premium routing, ultra-premium routing, screenshots, and some anti-bot bypasses can change the charge. Check representative requests in the cost tools.
- Treating a 404 as free: ScraperAPI says successful 404 requests are chargeable. Include these in your credit estimate if the target set may produce them.
- Comparing advertised success rates as test results: Crawlbase’s comparative figures are vendor assertions, not independent results. Test the same URLs and evaluate usable content, not just response status.
- Assuming async means the same thing in both services: confirm how jobs are submitted, completed, retried, and delivered in the specific product documentation. Crawlbase documents a queue and webhook for Enterprise Crawler; the supplied ScraperAPI details do not establish equivalent behavior for every async workflow.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Crawlbase when its multi-surface platform—particularly the combination of a new-integration Crawling API, queued Enterprise Crawler, proxy interface, and Cloud Storage—matches the shape of your system. Choose ScraperAPI when its REST or proxy integration fits your client and a measured credit estimate, concurrency ceiling, and required request options fit your workload. In either case, judge the result on representative targets and calculate cost from the options you actually need; public headline prices and comparative marketing claims are not enough to name a universal winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ScraperAPI charge for failed requests?
Its billing documentation says successful HTTP 200 and 404 requests are charged and describes client-canceled calls before completion as an exception. Confirm the current billing terms for your request type.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCan I use Crawlbase products with one token?
Crawlbase documents a shared token and shared pricing and concurrency budgets across subscribed products; confirm the applicable account limits for your subscription.
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