vs
Scrapfly
ScraperAPI vs Scrapfly
ScraperAPI and Scrapfly are both flat-plan, credit-based scraping APIs. ScraperAPI is the established, high-volume reliability play with automatic CAPTCHA solving and a structured Google SERP API. Scrapfly is the modern, developer-experience-focused challenger with a lower entry price, strong anti-bot bypass, PDF output and a polished playground.
Key differences.
Cost, side by side.
| Pricing model | ScraperAPI | Scrapfly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 credits (plus a 7-day 5,000-credit trial) | 1,000 credits |
| Entry | $49/mo (100K credits) | $30/mo (200K credits) |
| Mid | $149/mo (volume varies) | $100/mo (1M credits) |
| Business | $299/mo (volume varies) | $250/mo (2.5M credits) |
| Top tier | Scaling $475/mo (volume varies) | Enterprise $500/mo (5.5M credits) |
Both bill in credits, with JS rendering and premium proxies costing more per request. ScraperAPI publishes credit volumes that vary by tier; Scrapfly publishes fixed credit pools. ScraperAPI offers roughly 10% off and Scrapfly roughly 16% off on annual billing. Compare on your real workload.
Feature by feature.
| Feature | ScraperAPI | Scrapfly |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript rendering | Yes | Yes |
| Residential proxies | Yes | Partial |
| Geotargeting | Yes (broad geo gated to higher tiers) | Partial |
| CAPTCHA / anti-bot bypass | Yes (automatic CAPTCHA) | Partial (anti-bot bypass) |
| Google SERP API | Yes (structured data endpoints) | No |
| Article / content extraction | Partial | Yes |
| AI extraction | Partial | Yes |
| Screenshots | Yes | Yes |
| PDF output | No | Yes |
| Interactive playground | No | Yes |
| MCP server | No | Yes |
| Per-success billing | Yes | Not advertised |
An honest look at each.
- Automatic CAPTCHA solving included
- Structured Google SERP API
- Full residential proxy support and a large proxy pool
- High-volume reliability focus
- Per-success billing on all plans
- Higher entry price ($49 vs $30)
- Fewer entry-tier credits (100K vs 200K)
- Only partial article and AI extraction
- No PDF output, playground or MCP server
Scrapfly- Lower entry price ($30/mo) and more entry credits
- Strong anti-bot bypass
- Full article and AI extraction built in
- PDF output, polished playground and MCP server
- Modern, developer-experience-focused design
- No dedicated Google SERP API
- Residential proxies and geotargeting are only partial
- No automatic CAPTCHA solving, only anti-bot bypass
- Per-success billing is not clearly offered
We do our best to keep this comparison accurate and up-to-date. If you notice any discrepancies, please let us know.
Our take: ScraperAPI for SERP and CAPTCHAs, Scrapfly for extraction and DX
ScraperAPI is the stronger pick when you need automatic CAPTCHA solving, a structured Google SERP API and proven high-volume reliability. Scrapfly is the modern challenger: cheaper to start, with built-in extraction, PDF output, a polished playground and strong anti-bot bypass, though it lacks a dedicated SERP API and clear per-success billing. Choose ScraperAPI for SERP work and CAPTCHA-heavy targets, Scrapfly for extraction depth and developer experience.