I've been testing scraping APIs for months. The pricing pages are designed to confuse you. Let me break down what you'll actually pay.
The Pricing Models
Scraping APIs use three pricing models:
- Per-request — You pay for each URL you scrape. Simple but expensive at scale.
- Credit-based — Each request costs a variable number of "credits" based on difficulty. A basic HTML page might cost 1 credit, but a JavaScript-rendered page with anti-bot bypass costs 10-25 credits.
- Bandwidth-based — You pay per GB of data transferred. Less common but can be cheaper for high-volume scraping.
The credit-based model is where most APIs hide the real cost. When they say "100,000 API credits/month for $49," that might mean 100,000 simple pages or 4,000 JavaScript-rendered pages. Big difference.
Real Cost Per 1,000 Pages
I calculated the actual cost of scraping 1,000 pages across different scenarios:
Scenario 1: Simple HTML Pages (no JavaScript)
Think: news articles, blog posts, product listings on simple sites.
| Service | Plan | Cost per 1K pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | Hobby ($49/mo) | $0.49 | 100K credits, 1 credit/request |
| Scrape.do | Starter ($29/mo) | $0.58 | 50K credits, 1 credit/request |
| ScrapeOps | Growth ($75/mo) | $0.75 | 100K credits, 1 credit/request |
| ScrapingBee | Scale ($99/mo) | $0.66 | 150K credits, 1 credit/request |
| Bright Data | Pay-as-you-go | $1.00 | $1/1K requests |
Scenario 2: JavaScript-Rendered Pages
Think: SPAs, dynamically loaded content, React/Angular sites.
| Service | Plan | Cost per 1K pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | Hobby ($49/mo) | $4.90 | 10 credits/request for JS render |
| Scrape.do | Starter ($29/mo) | $2.90 | 5 credits/request for JS render |
| ScrapeOps | Growth ($75/mo) | $3.75 | 5 credits/request for JS render |
| ScrapingBee | Scale ($99/mo) | $3.30 | 5 credits/request for JS render |
| Bright Data | Pay-as-you-go | $5.00 | Premium proxy required |
Scenario 3: Anti-Bot Protected Sites (Amazon, LinkedIn, etc.)
Think: CAPTCHA-protected, Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX.
| Service | Plan | Cost per 1K pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | Business ($149/mo) | $5.96 | 25 credits/request + residential proxy |
| Scrape.do | Pro ($89/mo) | $4.45 | 10 credits + anti-bot module |
| ScrapeOps | Business ($150/mo) | $6.00 | 10 credits + stealth mode |
| ScrapingBee | Scale ($99/mo) | $6.60 | 10 credits + stealth proxy |
| Bright Data | Custom | $8-15 | SERP API or Web Unlocker |
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
1. Failed requests still count
Most APIs charge you even when the request fails (timeout, CAPTCHA not solved, site down). ScraperAPI refunds failed requests on most plans. Others don't.
2. Retries multiply your costs
If a site has a 70% success rate, you'll need ~1.4 requests per page. That 40% overhead adds up.
3. Bandwidth limits
Some plans have hidden bandwidth caps. If you're scraping image-heavy pages, you might hit these before your credit limit.
4. Concurrency limits
Cheaper plans limit concurrent requests (5-20 threads). If you need to scrape 100K pages in an hour, you need higher-tier plans.
Which API Should You Pick?
Best for beginners: ScraperAPI — Generous free tier (5,000 requests/month), simple API, good documentation. Start here if you're not sure what you need.
Best for JavaScript-heavy sites: Scrape.do — Lower credit multiplier for JS rendering means better value when most of your targets need browser rendering.
Best for monitoring and analytics: ScrapeOps — Built-in monitoring dashboard, proxy aggregator that routes through multiple providers for better success rates. Also publishes transparent benchmark data so you can compare providers objectively.
Best for enterprise scale: Bright Data — Most expensive but handles the highest volumes with the most proxy types (residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter).
The Free Tier Comparison
Every service offers a free tier. Here's what you actually get:
| Service | Free Credits | Equivalent Pages | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | 5,000 | 5,000 simple / 500 JS | Monthly |
| Scrape.do | 1,000 | 1,000 simple / 200 JS | Monthly |
| ScrapeOps | 1,000 | 1,000 simple / 200 JS | Monthly |
| ScrapingBee | 1,000 | 1,000 simple / 200 JS | One-time |
ScraperAPI's free tier is the most generous by far. If you're evaluating options, start there.
DIY vs. API: When to Build Your Own
Sometimes a scraping API isn't the right choice:
Build your own when:
- You're scraping Level 1 sites (open APIs, no anti-bot)
- You have a small, stable set of targets
- You have the time to maintain proxy infrastructure
- Budget is near zero
Use an API when:
- Sites actively block scrapers (Level 3)
- You need high reliability (>95% success rate)
- Your time costs more than the API subscription
- You're scraping at scale (>10K pages/day)
For Level 1 sites (Hacker News, Bluesky, Wikipedia), using a scraping API is literally throwing money away. requests.get() works fine.
For Level 3 sites (Amazon, LinkedIn, Google), building your own anti-detection system will cost you more in time and proxy bills than any API subscription.
Bottom Line
At small scale (<5K pages/month), all services are roughly equivalent. Pick based on free tier and documentation quality.
At medium scale (5K-100K pages/month), the pricing differences matter. Calculate your actual cost based on the credit multiplier for your specific use case.
At large scale (>100K pages/month), negotiate custom pricing. Listed prices are starting points, not final numbers.
For the full breakdown of scraping 8 specific platforms with code examples and tool recommendations, see The Complete Web Scraping Playbook 2026.
Need help choosing the right scraping setup for your project? Email me at hustler@curlship.com — I'll give you an honest recommendation based on your specific needs.
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