0 lines of code. That's what I wrote to scrape 500 pages. With Firecrawl's MCP server integrated into Claude Code, I just describe what I need in plain English, and the AI handles the rest. When I discovered this workflow combined with Firecrawl's free tier, my entire approach to web scraping changed forever.
Firecrawl's Generous Free Tier
Before diving into the technical setup, let me highlight why Firecrawl stands out. Most scraping APIs require a credit card or offer crippled free tiers. Firecrawl is different:
| Plan | Price | Credits | Credit Card Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| FREE | $0 | 500 (one-time) | No |
| Hobby | $16/mo | 3,000/mo | Yes |
| Standard | $83/mo | 100,000/mo | Yes |
| Growth | $333/mo | 500,000/mo | Yes |
500 credits to start, completely free, no strings attached. That's enough to scrape an entire e-commerce category, extract data from dozens of documentation sites, or test your scraping workflow before upgrading.
The Magic Stack
| Component | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Firecrawl Free Tier | 500 credits to start, $0, full API access |
| Firecrawl MCP Server | Exposes Firecrawl API to AI assistants |
| Claude Code | AI that calls MCP tools autonomously |
The result? You talk to Claude, Claude talks to Firecrawl, you get structured data back. No Postman, no curl commands, no boilerplate code.
Setting Up Firecrawl MCP Server
1. Get Your Free API Key
Go to firecrawl.dev and sign up. You get 500 free credits to start, no credit card required.
2. Add MCP Server to Claude Code
In your Claude Code configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"firecrawl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"],
"env": {
"FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "fc-your-key-here"
}
}
}
}
3. Start Scraping with Natural Language
Now just ask Claude:
- "Scrape this URL and extract the main content"
- "Map all links on this website"
- "Extract product names and prices from this page"
- "Crawl this documentation and summarize each section"
Claude automatically uses Firecrawl MCP tools to fulfill your request.
Why I Also Built a Visual UI
While MCP + Claude Code is incredibly powerful for ad-hoc scraping, I built Firecrawl Power App for cases where I need:
- Visual feedback on what's being scraped
- Persistent history of past scrapes
- Quick access without opening Claude Code
- Sharing results with non-technical teammates
fracabu
/
firecrawl-power-app
Powerful web UI for Firecrawl API + MCP Server docs. Scrape, Crawl, Map, Search, Extract & AI Agent. Built with React 18 + Vite + Claude Code.
🔥 Firecrawl Power App
A sleek, powerful UI to harness the full potential of Firecrawl API
Features • Demo • Quick Start • Deployment • Italiano
✨ Features
Feature
Description
Plan
📄 Scrape
Extract content from any webpage (Markdown, HTML, Screenshots)
Free
🗺️ Map
Discover all URLs on a website
Free
🕷️ Crawl
Crawl entire websites with depth control
Free
🔍 Search
Search the web with advanced operators
PRO
📊 Extract
Extract structured data using AI and JSON schemas
PRO
🤖 Agent
Autonomous AI agent for complex data gathering
5/day free
🌙 Dark Mode
Beautiful dark/light theme toggle
Free
🔑 BYOK
Bring Your Own Key - use your personal Firecrawl API key
Free
Note: PRO features require a paid Firecrawl plan. Free tier includes 500 credits (one-time).
🎨 Design
Built with the official Firecrawl design system:
--primary: #FF4C00; /* Firecrawl Orange */
--background: #…
The app complements the MCP workflow. Use Claude Code for complex, one-off extractions. Use the UI for repetitive tasks and visual exploration.
App Features
The Power App provides dedicated panels for every Firecrawl operation:
| Feature | Description | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Scrape | Extract content from single pages | Free |
| Map | Discover all links on a website | Free |
| Crawl | Systematically index entire sites | Free |
| Search | Find specific content across the web | PRO |
| Extract | AI-powered structured data extraction | PRO |
| Agent | Autonomous AI agents for complex tasks | 5/day free |
| Category | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React, Vite, Custom Design System |
| Backend | Express, Vercel Serverless Functions |
| AI | Firecrawl API (Extraction, Agent) |
My Results After 3 Months
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first scrape | 30+ minutes | 30 seconds |
| Lines of code written | 100+ per project | 0 |
| Monthly pages scraped | ~200 | 480+ |
| Cost | $0 (but hours of work) | $0 (and minutes of work) |
Pro Tips
Use Claude Code for complex extractions: When you need to scrape + transform + analyze, let Claude chain the operations. Ask: "Scrape this page, extract the data, and create a CSV file."
Combine Map + targeted Scrape: First ask Claude to map a site, then selectively scrape only the pages you need. This maximizes your free credits.
Leverage JSON Schemas for precision: Use the Extract feature with a defined JSON schema to get perfectly structured, machine-readable data without parsing.
What Would You Scrape with AI + Free Credits?
The combination of MCP servers and free API tiers is opening up possibilities that didn't exist a year ago. What would YOU build? A research assistant? A content aggregator? An automated monitoring system? Share your ideas below!
👤 Francesco Capurso (@fracabu)
Self-taught dev | AI agents & Fastify plugins
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