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//ZenRows alternative\\

A ZenRows alternative that returns finished data

ZenRows fetches pages through an API billed in credits: 1 for a standard page, 5 with JavaScript, 25 with JavaScript and premium proxies, $10.56 per 1,000 such pages on its Build plan. Scrape.ly runs scrapers that return finished rows, priced per result with proxies and browsers included: the Web Scraper from $0.572 per 1,000 results, Amazon products from $0.75 per 1,000.

Start freeCompare the cost
Pixel-art race day: on one lane a press on treads turning pages into rows, the ZenRows logo in its porthole; on the other the Scrape.ly robot pushes a crate of finished rows toward the checkered finish line, with a crowd in the stands and both logos on the scoreboard
1,000 JavaScript pages on premium proxies
Scrape.ly (Business): $0.572. ZenRows (Build): $10.56.The Web Scraper’s price per result includes Chrome and residential proxies; ZenRows multiplies credits by rendering and proxy type. On Scale billed annually, $2.29.

Scrape.ly Business: $0.572 per 1,000 results · 28 Oct 2026 · ZenRows Build: $19/mo for 45,000 credits, billed monthly; 25 credits a page = $10.56 per 1,000 · 27 Oct 2026 · source

Free credit every month
Scrape.ly (Free): $5. ZenRows (Free): $2.11.ZenRows’ 5,000 free credits a month cover 200 JavaScript pages on premium proxies; Scrape.ly’s $5 covers about 6,900 with the Web Scraper.

Scrape.ly Free: $5 of usage every month · 28 Oct 2026 · ZenRows Free: 5,000 credits a month, valued at Build’s $19/mo for 45,000 = $2.11 · 27 Oct 2026 · source

Creators’ share when they sell a scraper
Scrape.ly: 80%. ZenRows: No marketplace.Publish a scraper as an Actor in the Scrape.ly Store and keep 80% of the event fees users pay for it; ZenRows sells API credits only.

ZenRows prices as listed on 26 Oct 2026 · source

//The short answer\\

Why teams pick Scrape.ly over ZenRows

  • JavaScript pages on residential proxies from $0.572 per 1,000 results, against $10.56 per 1,000 on ZenRows Build and $2.29 even on Scale billed annually.
  • Ready-made scrapers return parsed rows, not pages: Amazon products from $0.75 per 1,000, proxies and browser included.
  • No credit multipliers: a protected page costs the same per result as an easy one.
  • Crawling, storage, schedules and an MCP server come with every run.
//Price calculator\\

What JavaScript pages on residential proxies cost at your volume

Slide to the pages you render a month. Scrape.ly’s side is the Web Scraper’s lowest plan price per result, with Chrome and residential proxies included. ZenRows’ side is its smallest plan, billed annually, whose credits cover the pages at 25 credits each (JavaScript rendering on premium proxies).

500200,000
Scrape.ly, Web Scraper$5.72a month
ZenRows, billed annually$58a month, Launch

At 10,000 JavaScript pages, Scrape.ly costs 90% less than ZenRows’ cheapest option.

How ZenRows’ price is worked out
OptionHow it is pricedA month
BuildCovers up to 1,800 pages (45,000 credits)—
Launch$58 a month, 10,000 pages (250,000 credits)$58
Growth$166 a month, 48,000 pages (1,200,000 credits)$166
Scale$458 a month, 200,000 pages (5,000,000 credits)$458

From price, on Business, per 1,000 results: Chrome and residential proxies included.

Billed monthly, the plans cost $19, $69, $199 and $549. Free allowances are left out on both sides.

ZenRows prices as listed on 27 Oct 2026 · source

//Real run\\

A JavaScript site, rendered and parsed

A site that renders its content with JavaScript, crawled in Chrome for ten pages on 26 Oct 2026 with the Web Scraper (from $0.572 per 1,000 results). The page function returned rows, not HTML.

You ask your AI agent

“Open quotes.toscrape.com/js in Chrome, follow Next for 10 pages, and return every quote with its author and tags.”

Run this input yourself →
{ } The Actor input it runs
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://quotes.toscrape.com/js/"
    }
  ],
  "useChrome": true,
  "linkSelector": "li.next a",
  "maxPagesPerCrawl": 10
}
Web ScraperA JavaScript-rendered site scraped in Chrome, 10 pages
  • “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”Albert Einsteinchangedeep-thoughtsthinking
  • “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”J.K. Rowlingabilitieschoices
  • “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”Albert Einsteininspirationallifelive
  • “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”Jane Austenaliteracybooksclassic
Rows
100
Run time
41 s
Browser
Chrome
Cost
from $0.057
[ ] View raw JSON · 4 of 100 items
[
  {
    "quote": "“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”",
    "author": "Albert Einstein",
    "tags": "change, deep-thoughts, thinking"
  },
  {
    "quote": "“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”",
    "author": "J.K. Rowling",
    "tags": "abilities, choices"
  },
  {
    "quote": "“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”",
    "author": "Albert Einstein",
    "tags": "inspirational, life, live"
  },
  {
    "quote": "“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”",
    "author": "Jane Austen",
    "tags": "aliteracy, books, classic"
  }
]

Real run on Oct 26, 2026 · 100 items in 41 s · from $0.057 at Oct 28, 2026 prices · run b19a21fb9ad94b499

//Billing\\

Per result, or credits per request type

ZenRows prices how a page was fetched. Scrape.ly prices the row you get back.

Scrape.ly

  • Store Actors charge a price per result, with proxies and browser included on the most used.
  • Your own Actors pay for compute and proxy traffic per GB, from one prepaid balance.
  • Crawling, pagination, storage and schedules are part of the run.
  • A free plan with $5 of credit every month, no card.

ZenRows

  • 1 credit for a standard page, 5 with JavaScript, 10 with premium proxies, 25 with both.
  • Residential bandwidth draws 25,000 credits per GB; a browser draws 5 credits a minute.
  • Monthly plans: Build $19 (45K credits), Launch $69 (250K), Growth $199 (1.2M), Scale $549 (5M); 17% less billed annually.
  • A free plan with 5,000 credits a month; failed requests are never charged.

ZenRows prices as listed on 26 Oct 2026 · source

//Switching\\

From a ZenRows call to an Actor run

A ZenRows call returns one rendered page. On Scrape.ly a run renders every page it crawls and returns the rows your page function picks out.

Before · ZenRows
curl "https://api.zenrows.com/v1/?apikey=YOUR_API_KEY&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotes.toscrape.com%2Fjs%2F&js_render=true"
# returns HTML for one page

ZenRows’ request shape is from its public API; prices and credit costs from its pricing page, read on 26 Oct 2026.

After · Scrape.ly
curl -X POST "https://api.scrape.ly/v2/actors/querystone~web-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCRAPELY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://quotes.toscrape.com/js/" }],
    "useChrome": true,
    "linkSelector": "li.next a",
    "pageFunction": "async function pageFunction(context) { const $ = context.jQuery; return $(\".quote .text\").map((i, el) => ({ quote: $(el).text() })).get() }"
  }'
//Features\\

Feature by feature, with sources

For getting data out of protected and JavaScript sites. Every ZenRows cell links to the page it was read on, on 26 Oct 2026.

Scrape.ly and ZenRows compared, with sources read on 26 Oct 2026
FeatureScrape.lyZenRows
Returns parsed rowsStore ActorsExtract on top of Fetchzenrows.com/pricing
Same price on protected pagesYesUp to 25 creditszenrows.com/pricing
JavaScript renderingYesYeszenrows.com/pricing
Residential traffic, per GBFrom $2$10.56 on Build, $2.29 on Scale yearlyzenrows.com/pricing
Runs Apify Actors and Crawlee codeYesNozenrows.com/pricing
Marketplace of ready-made scrapersCreators keep 80%Nozenrows.com/pricing
//Fit\\

When to choose which

ZenRows is a good fit for: Developers who want one API call per page, with anti-bot bypass and rendering handled for them.

Choose Scrape.ly if

  • You want parsed rows from ready-made scrapers instead of pages to parse yourself.
  • You want crawling, pagination, storage and schedules in the same run.
  • You have Apify Actors or Crawlee code you want to keep running.
  • You want managed residential proxies from $2 per GB for your own code.

Choose ZenRows if

  • You only need single pages fetched through one API call and will parse them yourself.
//FAQ\\

Scrape.ly vs ZenRows, answered

Short answers to what people ask. The quick start and MCP docs go deeper.

How much does ZenRows cost per month?

As listed on 26 Oct 2026, billed monthly: Build $19 (45K credits), Launch $69 (250K), Growth $199 (1.2M) and Scale $549 (5M); billed annually $16, $58, $166 and $458. A request costs 1 to 25 credits.

Is ZenRows free?

ZenRows has a free plan with 5,000 credits a month and no card, about $2.11 at its Build plan’s rate. Scrape.ly’s free plan includes $5 of credit every month, also with no card.

What are some alternatives to ZenRows for web scraping?

Scrape.ly for ready-made scrapers and your own code with proxies included; ScrapingBee, ScraperAPI and Scrapfly for other page-fetching APIs. Scrape.ly vs ScrapingBee →

What is the cheapest web scraping API?

It depends on what you count. Per raw page, credit APIs can be cheap until a site needs rendering or premium proxies. Per finished row, a ready-made scraper is often cheaper because there is nothing to parse or retry: Amazon products cost from $0.75 per 1,000 on Scrape.ly.

Why do ZenRows credits vary per request?

ZenRows charges 1 credit for a standard page, 5 with JavaScript rendering, 10 with premium proxies and 25 with both. Scrape.ly Store Actors charge per result, whatever the page took.

Can I render JavaScript pages?

Yes. Actors can run Chrome, either the Web Scraper with its Use Chrome option or your own Playwright or Puppeteer code on the hosted Scrape.ly browser.

Can I run my own scraper code?

Yes. Push JavaScript or Python code as an Actor with the scrapely CLI; it gets proxies, a browser, storage and schedules.

Can AI agents use it?

Yes. The hosted MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other clients run Store scrapers and read the results.

Who operates Scrape.ly?

Scrape.ly is operated by TeraShift GmbH, a Swiss company.

//Sources\\

Sources and method

Every ZenRows price on this page carries the date it was read on ZenRows’s own pages; Scrape.ly prices come from the Store when the page is built. The real run was started on 26 Oct 2026; its cost is shown at Store list price, without any plan discount. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.

ZenRows

Scrape.ly

Disclosure: Scrape.ly and Evomi are sister companies. If you only need proxies, Evomi sells residential proxies from $0.49 per GB on its 100 GB plan. Evomi pricing

ZenRows is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify their product. Scrape.ly is not affiliated with ZenRows.

//More comparisons\\

Compare Scrape.ly with other tools

See every comparison on the compare page, or explore the Store, proxies, and anti-blocking.

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