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Free Alternatives to Microlink and OpenGraph.io in 2026

#webdev #api #opensource #javascript

Need an API to extract Open Graph metadata or generate link previews? Here's a comparison of the main options in 2026, including free alternatives that won't break the bank.

Why You Need a Link Preview API

If you're building any of these, you need link previews:

  • Chat apps (Slack-style URL unfurling)
  • Social feeds (rich link cards)
  • CMS / blog platforms (embed previews)
  • SEO tools (meta tag analysis)
  • Bookmarking apps

You could build your own scraper, but you'll quickly run into:

  • Handling JavaScript-rendered pages
  • Timeout and redirect chains
  • Character encoding issues
  • Rate limiting and caching
  • Maintenance overhead

An API handles all of this for you.

The Comparison

1. Microlink ($20-76/mo)

What it does: URL metadata extraction, screenshots, PDF generation, and more.

Pricing:

  • Free: 50 requests/day
  • Pro: $20/mo (10,000 req/mo)
  • Business: $76/mo (100,000 req/mo)

Pros: Feature-rich, good documentation, screenshot support
Cons: Expensive, limited free tier, complex pricing

2. OpenGraph.io ($12-79/mo)

What it does: Open Graph tag extraction, site info, and content scraping.

Pricing:

  • Free: 100 requests/month (not per day!)
  • Starter: $12/mo (10,000 req/mo)
  • Business: $79/mo (100,000 req/mo)

Pros: Simple API, reliable
Cons: Very limited free tier (100/month), no image generation

3. LinkPeek (Free — $9/mo)

What it does: URL metadata extraction + SVG preview card generation.

Pricing:

  • Free: 100 requests/day (3,000/month!)
  • Pro: $9/mo (5,000 req/day)
  • Business: $29/mo (50,000 req/day)

Pros:

  • Most generous free tier (100/day vs. competitors' 50/day or 100/month)
  • SVG preview cards — unique feature none of the others offer
  • Runs on Cloudflare's edge network (300+ PoPs, sub-50ms)
  • Simple email-only signup

Cons: No screenshot support yet (coming soon), newer service

Try it: linkpeek-api.linkpeek.workers.dev

4. DIY with Puppeteer/Playwright

What it does: Whatever you code it to do.

Pricing: Server costs ($5-50/mo for a VPS)

Pros: Full control, no API limits
Cons:

  • Maintenance headache
  • Memory-hungry (headless browsers eat RAM)
  • Cold start latency
  • You have to handle caching, rate limiting, error handling yourself

5. Open Source Libraries

Options:

  • open-graph-scraper (npm) — Node.js OG tag parser
  • link-preview-js (npm) — Client/server link preview
  • og-image (Vercel) — OG image generation (not extraction)

Pros: Free, self-hosted
Cons: You host and maintain it, no caching, no edge distribution

Quick Comparison Table

Feature LinkPeek Microlink OpenGraph.io DIY
Free tier 100/day 50/day 100/month N/A
Pro price $9/mo $20/mo $12/mo $5-50/mo
SVG cards Yes No No Build it
Screenshots Coming soon Yes No Yes
Edge CDN 300+ PoPs Limited Limited Your server
Setup time 10 seconds Minutes Minutes Hours
Maintenance Zero Zero Zero Ongoing

Code Example: Switching from Microlink to LinkPeek

Before (Microlink):

const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.microlink.io/?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}`,
  { headers: { 'x-api-key': MICROLINK_KEY } }
);
const { data } = await response.json();
// data.title, data.description, data.image.url
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After (LinkPeek):

const response = await fetch(
  `https://linkpeek-api.linkpeek.workers.dev/v1/preview?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}&key=${LINKPEEK_KEY}`
);
const data = await response.json();
// data.title, data.description, data.image
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Almost identical API surface — migration takes minutes.

My Recommendation

  • For side projects and MVPs: Use LinkPeek's free tier (100 req/day is plenty)
  • For production apps needing screenshots: Microlink (until LinkPeek adds screenshot support)
  • For high-volume enterprise: Build your own with Puppeteer on dedicated infrastructure
  • For learning: Start with open-graph-scraper npm package

Getting Started with LinkPeek 

# Get your free API key
curl -X POST https://linkpeek-api.linkpeek.workers.dev/v1/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "you@example.com"}'

# Try it
curl "https://linkpeek-api.linkpeek.workers.dev/v1/preview?url=https://github.com&key=YOUR_KEY"
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No credit card, no OAuth, no setup wizard. Email to API key to start building.

What link preview API are you using? Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments.

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