Firecrawl Alternative
ScrapingBee vs Firecrawl
For teams evaluating a Firecrawl alternative for large-scale extraction, ScrapingBee provides higher concurrency, managed proxy rotation, browser rendering, and HTML, Markdown, or structured JSON output.


Pricing assumes one-credit basic requests/pages with monthly billing. JavaScript rendering, premium or stealth proxies, AI extraction, JSON extraction, and other advanced features may consume additional credits.
Comparison based on publicly available pricing and product information as of August 2026. Plan limits, features, and pricing may change over time.

Mike Ritchie
CEO @ SeekWell

ScrapingBee simplified our day-to-day marketing and engineering operations a lot. We no longer have to worry about managing our own fleet of headless browsers, and we no longer have to spend days sourcing the right proxy provider
Built for
Why teams evaluate Firecrawl alternatives
Compare web scraping APIs based on your workflow.
As scraping workloads grow, teams may need different concurrency limits, proxy controls, extraction options, and pricing models than their current setup provides.
Whether you are looking for a cheaper alternative to Firecrawl for web scraping or a Firecrawl alternative for large-scale scraping, the right choice depends on the targets, request volume, and output formats your workflow requires.
ScrapingBee provides configurable proxies, browser rendering, geotargeting, extraction tools, Auto Mode, and dedicated APIs through a standard HTTP API.
Common factors to consider
Support for static and JavaScript-heavy pages
Proxy options and location-based requests
HTML, Markdown, screenshot, and structured data outputs
Browser actions and custom JavaScript
Concurrency limits and credit consumption
APIs for specific platforms or data sources
Collect web data with a few lines of code
Start with a basic request, then enable browser rendering, premium proxies, and geotargeting when the target requires them.
Request
# pip install requests beautifulsoup4
import json
import os
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
response = requests.get(
"https://app.scrapingbee.com/api/v1/",
params={
"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/",
"render_js": "false",
},
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SCRAPINGBEE_API_KEY']}",
},
timeout=60,
)
response.raise_for_status()
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, "html.parser")
stories = [
{
"title": link.get_text(strip=True),
"url": link.get("href"),
}
for link in soup.select(".titleline > a")[:10]
]
print(json.dumps(stories, indent=2))
Response
[
{
"title": "Gpiozero Flow",
"url": "https://bennuttall.com/blog/2026/07/gpiozero-flow/"
},
{
"title": "Azulejo",
"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azulejo"
},
{
"title": "AI's top startups are barely publishing their research",
"url": "https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-s-top-startups-are-barely-publishing-their-research"
},
{
"title": "Carolina Cloud pays SOFR on unused prepaid credits",
"url": "https://docs.carolinacloud.io/organizations/prepaid-interest/"
},
{
"title": "The coolest use for the Vision Pro",
"url": "https://christianselig.com/2026/07/vision-pro-house/"
}
]
Fetch a static Hacker News page without browser rendering, then parse the first ten story titles and links from the returned HTML
Input parameters
Target URL
The webpage you want ScrapingBee to retrieve.

JavaScript rendering
Enable or disable browser rendering for dynamic, JavaScript-heavy websites.

Proxy type
Use the default rotating proxy, or enable premium or stealth proxies for more difficult targets.

Data extraction
Extract structured data using CSS or XPath selectors, or describe the required fields with AI extraction rules.

Geotargeting
Send the request through a proxy in a selected country using a two-letter country code.

Browser actions
Click elements, fill forms, scroll, wait for content, or run custom JavaScript before returning the response.

Everything else
Auto Mode, screenshots, device selection, custom headers, element waits, and other request options.
Full HTML API DocumentationSwitch to a higher-concurrency scraping pipeline
Claim 1,000 free API credits and start testing ScrapingBee with your own scraping requests. No credit card required.

How it works
How to start scraping with ScrapingBee
Use ScrapingBee as a Firecrawl alternative by sending any target URL to the API, choosing the output you need, and scaling without managing proxies, browsers, or retries yourself.
Create your account
Get instant access to your API key and 1,000 free credits. No credit card is required.

Send your first request
Call ScrapingBee from any language or tool that can send HTTP requests, test requests in the dashboard, or connect the API to tools such as Make and n8n. ScrapingBee handles proxy rotation, browser rendering, and retries in the background.

Return the data you need
Retrieve the rendered HTML, return the page as Markdown, define extraction rules for structured JSON, or use AI extraction to identify the required fields.

Customize and scale
Add JavaScript scenarios, premium or stealth proxies, geotargeting, screenshots, custom headers, and Auto Mode as your scraping requirements grow.

Our solution
One API for scraping, extraction, and scale
ScrapingBee gives teams evaluating a Firecrawl alternative a direct path from target URLs to usable web data, without maintaining proxy pools, headless browsers, or retry infrastructure.

Adaptive scraping for difficult websites
Render JavaScript, rotate premium or stealth proxies, retry failed requests, or use Auto Mode to find a working configuration automatically.
Explore the HTML API documentation
Data in the format you need
Return raw or rendered HTML, Markdown, screenshots, or structured JSON. Use CSS and XPath rules for precise extraction or AI when page structures vary.
Explore data extraction
Built for high-volume workflows
Run requests in parallel with plan-based concurrency limits, target specific countries, and use dedicated APIs for search engines, marketplaces, and AI platforms as your data pipeline grows.
Compare plans and concurrencySwitching from Firecrawl to ScrapingBee
Move your scraping workflow without rebuilding everything
ScrapingBee uses a straightforward HTTP API, so you can add it to an existing data pipeline without introducing a new framework or changing your entire application.
Keep your existing HTTP stack
Send requests with your current HTTP client and authentication flow. ScrapingBee works with standard REST requests and does not require a dedicated SDK.
Choose the output your workflow expects
Return HTML, Markdown, structured JSON, or screenshots depending on how the collected data is processed downstream.
Add browser and proxy controls when needed
Start with a basic request, then enable JavaScript rendering, geotargeting, premium or stealth proxies, and browser actions for more difficult targets.
Scale through the same API
Increase concurrency, use Auto Mode to find working configurations, and add dedicated APIs as your scraping requirements grow.
Web scraping with and without ScrapingBee
Initial setup
Build and maintain proxies, browsers, retries, and request logic
Send the target URL through one API
JavaScript rendering
Run and scale your own headless browsers
Enable browser rendering with a request parameter
Anti-bot handling
Diagnose blocks and change proxies or browser settings manually
Use premium or stealth proxies, retries, or Auto Mode
Data extraction
Parse and clean page content in your own pipeline
Return HTML, Markdown, structured JSON, or screenshots
Geotargeting
Source and manage proxies for each target country
Select a country with a two-letter code
Time to first result
Infrastructure setup before data collection begins
Make your first scraping request in minutes
Developer experience
Documentation, examples, and support when you need them
Get working code examples, API reference documentation, and technical support to build, test, and troubleshoot scraping workflows from prototype to production.
API documentation
Find request parameters, response formats, authentication details, and working examples across ScrapingBee APIs. Explore the documentation

Ready-to-use code examples
Start with examples for Python, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Java, Go, curl, and other common tools and languages. View code examples


Web scraping guides
Browse detailed tutorials covering proxies, browser automation, data extraction, anti-bot systems, popular websites, and common scraping frameworks. Read the ScrapingBee blog

Engineer-led support
Contact the ScrapingBee team by live chat or email when you need help configuring a request or troubleshooting a target website. Visit the help center
Why choose ScrapingBee for web scraping?
Collect web data for products, research, automation, and AI workflows without maintaining your own proxy and browser infrastructure.

GDPR and CCPA compliant
ScrapingBee does not collect or store personal data from scraped pages unless you explicitly request it as part of your scraping workflow.
Lower blocking risk
ScrapingBee handles proxy rotation, browser rendering, retries, and request configuration to reduce IP-based blocks and make scraping workflows less brittle.
Built to scale
Process more URLs in parallel with plan-based concurrency, rotating proxies, and browser rendering as request volumes grow.
Fast results, flexible output
Retrieve HTML, Markdown, screenshots, or structured JSON. Use extraction rules or AI extraction when you need specific fields from complex or changing pages.
Web scraping plans built for scale
Cancel anytime, no questions asked!
Need more credits or higher concurrency?
Test ScrapingBee on your target URLs
"A reliable scraping backbone for multilingual market analysis."

"ScrapingBee really grew on us! Very good so far and we'll continue using it for a large project coming up as it just provides the consistency we need."


ScrapingBee has filled the void and allowed me to use an API to scrape instead of learning other libraries. "It has helped speed up our route towards complete competitive intelligence.

Used by more than 4,500 customers
Teams around the world use ScrapingBee for web scraping, data extraction, browser automation, and large-scale data collection.


Test a Firecrawl alternative on your own target sites
Get 1,000 free API credits and see how ScrapingBee handles the websites, data formats, and scraping workflows that matter to you.

Frequently asked questions
Yes. ScrapingBee and Firecrawl both cover core web data collection use cases, including JavaScript rendering, geotargeting, structured extraction, Markdown, screenshots, CLI access, and MCP integration.
As of August 2026, ScrapingBee's public pricing page lists up to 400 concurrent requests on its Business+ plan, while Firecrawl lists up to 150 on its Scale plan. Both platforms also offer custom options for larger workloads.
ScrapingBee also provides Auto Mode, configurable proxy and browser controls, and dedicated APIs for Google, Amazon, Walmart, YouTube, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Which platform suits your workflow depends on your target websites, request volume, required outputs, and other technical requirements.
ScrapingBee focuses on retrieving individual pages through configurable proxies and browser rendering, extracting data, and providing dedicated APIs for popular platforms.
Firecrawl also provides broader website-level features such as Crawl and Map, along with Search, browser sessions, and agentic data collection. Your choice depends on whether your workflow is centered on controlled page scraping or crawling and processing entire websites.
On basic single-credit requests, ScrapingBee offers a lower calculated cost per 1,000 requests across the selected monthly plans.
Actual credit usage depends on the features enabled. ScrapingBee requests can cost more when you use JavaScript rendering, premium or stealth proxies, or AI extraction. Firecrawl also charges additional credits for some endpoints and advanced features.
ScrapingBee is free to test, but it does not offer a permanent free monthly plan. New accounts receive 1,000 free API credits with no credit card required.
Firecrawl currently offers a free plan with 1,000 credits per month. Teams looking for free alternatives to Firecrawl should therefore distinguish between a free trial and an ongoing free plan.
Yes. ScrapingBee provides plan-based concurrency, millions of monthly API credits, and custom plans for workflows that need more credits or parallel requests.
Its publicly listed plans provide up to 400 concurrent requests, while custom plans can be configured for higher-volume requirements.
Yes. ScrapingBee provides a remote MCP server that gives compatible AI tools access to web pages, screenshots, files, search results, and structured data.
MCP requests use the same ScrapingBee credits as the underlying API call, with no additional MCP surcharge. Firecrawl also provides its own MCP server, so the choice depends on which scraping APIs and controls better match your agent workflow.
Yes, but ScrapingBee is not a drop-in replacement for the Firecrawl API. You will need to update the endpoint and authentication, map the response format your application expects, and replace any Firecrawl-specific actions or crawling logic.
Because ScrapingBee works through standard HTTP requests, you can keep your existing HTTP client, application framework, and most downstream data processing. Test your main target websites and credit usage before moving a production workload.
There is no single best option for every workflow. Compare alternatives based on the websites you need to access, required output formats, browser interaction, proxy and geotargeting controls, crawling requirements, concurrency, credit costs, MCP support, and technical support.
ScrapingBee is a strong fit when your priority is configurable page scraping, difficult or location-dependent targets, high request concurrency, and dedicated platform-specific APIs.
Notice Regarding Third-Party Specifications & Trademarks: All feature comparisons, pricing details, and technical specifications (including concurrency limits, proxy management, and output formats) concerning Firecrawl are based on publicly available documentation accessible as of August, 2026. Product specifications and features are subject to change by their respective owners over time.
Firecrawl is a trademark of its respective owner.
ScrapingBee and Firecrawl are separate, independent companies with no corporate relationship, common ownership, partnership, or other affiliation between them. ScrapingBee is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Firecrawl.
All third-party product names and trademarks referenced on this page remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification purposes under nominative fair use, to describe and compare publicly available product capabilities.
Purpose and Accuracy Statement: This comparison is intended to provide an objective, factual overview of publicly documented product capabilities to help readers evaluate available options. It is not intended to disparage, discredit, or misrepresent Firecrawl or its products in any way. We recognise Firecrawl as a capable platform serving its own use cases, and we encourage readers to consult Firecrawl's official website for the most current information.
Comparisons reflect publicly available information as of August, 2026 and are made in good faith. If you believe any statement on this page is inaccurate or outdated, please contact us by email contact@scrapingbee.com and we will review and correct it promptly.




