Scrape.ly vs ScrapingAnt: from page fetches to full scrapers
ScrapingAnt returns pages through one API, billed in credits per request. Scrape.ly runs complete scrapers (Actors) with managed proxies, a hosted browser, and storage, billed by usage from a prepaid balance. Here is how they compare.
Competitor facts and prices as listed on Oct 14, 2026. Sources
The short answer
ScrapingAnt is a simple, low-entry-price fetch API: send a URL, get rendered HTML or Markdown, with a generous free tier of 10,000 credits a month. Scrape.ly fits when you want the whole scraper to run in the cloud, with crawling logic, storage, schedules, and ready-made Store Actors, or when you already have Apify code. Its managed proxy is $2–$4 per GB residential and $0.75–$1 per GB datacenter, paid as you use it.
Apify-compatible
$2–$4/GB residential, $0.75–$1/GB datacenter
Creators keep 80% of paid fees
Scrape.ly vs ScrapingAnt, side by side
ScrapingAnt: Web scraping API that fetches pages through headless Chrome and rotating proxies, with AI extraction, Markdown output, and an MCP server; also sells residential proxies per GB.
| Feature | Scrape.ly | ScrapingAnt |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Apify-compatible platform that runs scrapers (Actors) | Scraping API with headless Chrome and rotating proxies |
| Pricing model | Plans raise limits; usage from a prepaid USD balance | Monthly plans with API credits; 1 to 125 credits per request |
| Free tier | Monthly usage credit, no credit card to start | 10,000 API credits per month, no credit card |
| Entry paid plan | See the pricing page | $19/mo for 100,000 API credits |
| Residential proxy | $2–$4 per GB, used per run | $6/GB (5 GB for $30/mo) down to $3.50/GB (500 GB plan) |
| Datacenter proxy | $0.75–$1 per GB | 1 credit per simple API request |
| Hosted browser | Scrapely browser: anti-bot fingerprints, Turnstile solving | Fresh headless Chrome per request |
| AI output | Hosted MCP server for agents | AI Data Scraper, Markdown output, MCP server |
| Runs Apify Actors | Yes, most run unchanged | No |
| Marketplace | Scrape.ly Store, 80% to creators | None found |
Pricing compared
ScrapingAnt prices as listed on Oct 14, 2026 on their public pricing pages; check their site for current figures. Scrape.ly's current plans are on the pricing page.
Scrape.ly
- Free plan
- Monthly usage credit, no credit card to start
- Paid plans
- Raise concurrency, memory, and other limits, and can add a Store discount
- Usage
- Compute, storage, transfer, proxy, and browser usage from a prepaid USD balance
- Residential proxy
- $2–$4 per GB
- Datacenter proxy
- $0.75–$1 per GB
- Spending control
- Optional maximum charge per run; the run stops when it is reached
ScrapingAnt
- Pricing model
- Monthly plans with API credits; each request costs 1 to 125 credits depending on browser rendering and proxy type. Residential proxies are sold separately per GB.
- Free tier
- 10,000 API credits every month, no credit card required.
ScrapingAnt plans
| ScrapingAnt plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Enthusiast | $19/mo | 100,000 API credits/mo, email support |
| Startup | $49/mo | 500,000 API credits/mo, priority email |
| Business | $249/mo | 3,000,000 API credits/mo, custom proxy pools, dedicated account manager |
| Business Pro | $599/mo | 8,000,000 API credits/mo |
| Custom | $699+/mo | 10M+ API credits/mo |
ScrapingAnt usage and proxy pricing
| ScrapingAnt product | Price as listed on Oct 14, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Residential proxies | $6.00/GB at entry tier (Micro: 5 GB for $30/mo), down to $3.50/GB (Business: 500 GB for $1,750/mo) |
| Residential (via API) | 25 credits per request without browser, 125 credits with headless browser and JS rendering |
| Datacenter (via API) | 1 credit per simple request, 10 credits with headless browser and JS rendering |
- ScrapingAnt bills per request in credits: a simple datacenter request is 1 credit, a residential request with a headless browser 125. The cost of a job depends on how many requests need a browser and residential IPs.
- Scrape.ly bills what a run uses: compute, storage, and proxy traffic per GB. A residential request costs whatever bandwidth it transfers, at $2–$4 per GB.
Feature by feature
Where Scrape.ly and ScrapingAnt overlap, and where they take different approaches.
Fetching vs running scrapers
An Actor is a full program that runs in its own container: it can crawl, paginate, log in, and write results to a dataset you export as JSON, CSV, Excel, and more. Use one from the Store or push your own.
ScrapingAnt fetches one page per API request, each in a fresh, isolated headless Chrome instance, and returns the result. Crawling logic stays in your code.
Proxies and anti-blocking
Every run can use the managed residential ($2–$4 per GB) or datacenter ($0.75–$1 per GB) proxy with per-run credentials. The Scrapely browser adds anti-bot fingerprints and Cloudflare Turnstile solving.
Requests rotate through a residential pool described as 3M+ IPs in 100+ countries. Residential proxies are also sold on their own, from $6 per GB on the entry bundle down to $3.50 per GB on the largest.
AI and LLM output
A hosted MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, VS Code, and other clients search the Store, run Actors, and read results.
The AI Data Scraper turns a plain-English description into structured JSON, pages can come back as LLM-ready Markdown, and an MCP server exposes HTML, Markdown, and text tools.
Store and ready-made scrapers
The Scrape.ly Store lists ready-made scrapers, crawlers, and automations. Developers set pay-per-event prices and keep 80% of what users pay with purchased credits.
No scraper marketplace was found on the public site.
How to switch from ScrapingAnt
Moving from a fetch API to Scrape.ly means running your scraping logic as an Actor, or picking one from the Store.
- 01
Find an Actor or start from a template
Search the Store for a scraper that already handles your site, or create an Actor from a template with the scrapely CLI.
Find Actors →Quick start → - 02
Turn on the managed proxy
Use the residential or datacenter group from your Actor code. Credentials are injected per run, with nothing to configure.
Proxy docs → - 03
Use the Scrapely browser for hard sites
Turn it on per Actor for anti-bot fingerprints and Turnstile solving. Playwright and Puppeteer code connects without changes.
Scrapely browser → - 04
Call it from your backend
Start runs and read datasets with the JavaScript or Python API client, or let agents do it through MCP.
JavaScript client →MCP server →
When to choose which
ScrapingAnt is a good fit for: Developers who want a low-entry-price fetch API with headless rendering and no concurrency limits.
Choose Scrape.ly if
- You want to run whole scrapers, with crawling logic, storage, and schedules, not just fetch pages.
- You have Apify Actors or apify-client code you want to keep using.
- You prefer pay-per-GB proxy traffic ($2 residential, $1 datacenter) over monthly bandwidth bundles.
- You want ready-made Store Actors, or to sell your own and keep 80% of fees.
Choose ScrapingAnt if
- You want a low-entry-price fetch API with headless rendering.
- No stated concurrency cap on any plan matters to you.
- A free tier of 10,000 API credits a month covers your volume.
- You want an AI extractor that turns a plain-English description into JSON.
Worth knowing before you decide
- ScrapingAnt charges credits per request, multiplied for browser and residential use. Scrape.ly charges compute and proxy traffic per GB, plus any per-event price an Actor sets.
- Scrape.ly runs most Apify Actors, Apify SDK code, and apify-client code with few or no changes; ScrapingAnt uses its own API.
- Scrape.ly has a Store of ready-made scrapers with an 80% creator share; no marketplace was found at ScrapingAnt.
- ScrapingAnt's residential proxy plans are monthly bandwidth bundles; Scrape.ly's managed proxy is pay-per-GB usage on each run.
Need something custom, such as volume pricing or a managed scraper? Talk to us.
Scrape.ly vs ScrapingAnt, answered
Is Scrape.ly an alternative to ScrapingAnt?
Yes, for most scraping jobs. ScrapingAnt returns pages through an API; Scrape.ly runs complete scrapers with managed proxies, a hosted browser, and storage, and it is Apify-compatible.
Does ScrapingAnt have a free plan?
Yes. As listed on Oct 14, 2026, it includes 10,000 API credits per month without a credit card. Scrape.ly also has a free plan with a monthly usage credit.
How do residential proxy prices compare?
Scrape.ly's managed residential proxy is $2–$4 per GB, billed as each run uses it. As listed on Oct 14, 2026, ScrapingAnt sells residential bundles from $6 per GB (5 GB for $30 a month) down to $3.50 per GB on its 500 GB plan.
Can I keep using a request-per-page workflow on Scrape.ly?
Yes. Start an Actor run from your code with the API clients and read its dataset when it finishes. The difference is that the scraping logic, retries, and proxies run inside the Actor on Scrape.ly.
Who operates Scrape.ly?
Scrape.ly is operated by TeraShift GmbH, a Swiss company.
Sources and method
Every ScrapingAnt fact on this page comes from their public website and docs, read on Oct 14, 2026. Prices change, so check the linked pages before you buy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
ScrapingAnt (accessed Oct 14, 2026)
Scrape.ly
- Proxy groups and per-GB prices
- Plans, prepaid credits, and billing
- Creator earnings (80%) and payouts
- Maximum charge per run
- JavaScript SDK (API-compatible with the Apify SDK)
- Python SDK
- Migrating from apify-client (JavaScript)
- Migrating from apify-client (Python)
- Scrapely browser
- MCP server
- CLI reference
- Store
- Pricing
ScrapingAnt is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify their product. Scrape.ly is not affiliated with ScrapingAnt.
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