Why Web Scraping APIs Exist (and When You Need One)
Building a reliable web scraper in 2026 means solving a stack of hard problems simultaneously: proxy rotation to avoid IP bans, headless browser management for JavaScript-heavy pages, CAPTCHA solving, fingerprint spoofing, retry logic, and infrastructure scaling. A web scraping API abstracts all of that into a single HTTP call. You send a URL, and the service returns the page content, already unblocked and rendered.
The trade-off is cost and control. Managed scraping APIs charge a premium for their convenience, typically $0.0002 to $0.01 per request depending on complexity. If you are scraping millions of pages from heavily protected sites, the costs add up quickly. On the other end, running your own proxy infrastructure with mobile proxies from a provider like Proxies.sx gives you full control at $4-6 per GB, which translates to thousands of pages per dollar for typical scraping workloads.
When to Use a Scraping API
- Small to medium scale (under 500K requests/month)
- No in-house proxy/scraping expertise
- Need structured data output (JSON, CSV)
- Rapid prototyping and POC development
- SERP data or e-commerce monitoring
- You want zero infrastructure management
When to Use Raw Proxies Instead
- Large scale (500K+ requests/month)
- Need bypass for Cloudflare/DataDome/PerimeterX
- Custom scraping logic and browser automation
- Cost optimization is critical
- AI agents that need programmatic proxy access
- Scraping targets with unique anti-bot setups
The landscape in 2026 has also introduced a third option: the x402 pay-per-request model, where you pay for each scraping request individually using USDC stablecoin micropayments. No subscriptions, no API key management, no monthly commitments. This is particularly relevant for AI agents that need autonomous data access. We will cover all three approaches in this guide.
All 10 Web Scraping APIs Profiled
Below is a detailed breakdown of each provider's pricing, capabilities, and ideal use case. Pricing data was verified against each provider's public pricing pages in February 2026. Costs fluctuate with plan tiers and volume discounts; we list the entry-level and typical per-request costs.
1. ScraperAPI
From $49/moScraperAPI is one of the most popular general-purpose scraping APIs, handling proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, and browser rendering in a single endpoint. It uses a credit-based system where simple HTTP requests cost 1 credit, while JavaScript rendering costs 5-10 credits.
Strengths: Simple API, good documentation, geotargeting on higher plans, 20-200 concurrent threads. Limitations: Credit costs multiply fast with JS rendering; no mobile proxy IPs; US/EU only on lower plans.
2. SerpApi
From $75/moSerpApi is a specialized SERP scraping service that extracts structured data from Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, Walmart, Home Depot, and other search engines. It does not scrape arbitrary URLs -- it is purpose-built for search engine results pages. The JSON output is well-parsed with organic results, ads, knowledge panels, and featured snippets clearly separated.
Strengths: Best SERP parsing quality, excellent documentation, real-time results, supports 15+ search engines. Limitations: SERP-only (no general scraping); expensive per-search at lower tiers ($0.015/search); no AI extraction features.
3. Apify
From $49/moApify is a web scraping and automation platform with a marketplace of 3,000+ pre-built scrapers (called "Actors"). Rather than building scrapers from scratch, you can use community-maintained Actors for Amazon, Google, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and virtually any popular site. The platform handles infrastructure, scheduling, and storage.
Strengths: Largest scraper marketplace, beginner-friendly, built-in scheduling and storage, free tier available. Limitations: Credit consumption varies wildly by Actor; proxy costs are separate on some Actors; platform lock-in.
4. Zyte (formerly Scrapinghub)
From $0.13/1K reqZyte is the company behind the Scrapy framework, the most popular Python scraping library. Their commercial offering includes Zyte API (managed scraping with automatic unblocking), Scrapy Cloud (hosted Scrapy deployment), and Smart Proxy Manager. They offer AI-powered extraction that returns structured data from product pages without manual selector configuration.
Strengths: Cheapest HTTP-only requests ($0.00013 each), Scrapy ecosystem, AI extraction, pay-for-success pricing. Limitations: Complex pricing tiers; browser rendering costs 7-8x more; learning curve for non-Scrapy users.
5. Bright Data
From $499/mo (Growth)Bright Data is the largest proxy and scraping infrastructure provider, offering 72M+ residential IPs, a Web Scraper IDE for custom scrapers, pre-built datasets, a Scraping Browser (headless browser with built-in unblocking), and SERP APIs. Their platform is enterprise-grade with the broadest feature set, but pricing reflects that positioning.
Strengths: Largest IP pool, most features, enterprise SLAs, Scraping Browser with auto-unblocking, SERP + dataset APIs. Limitations: Complex pricing that can lead to unpredictable bills; high entry point ($499/mo Growth); steep learning curve.
6. Oxylabs
From $49/moOxylabs provides a Web Scraper API, SERP Scraper API, and E-Commerce Scraper API alongside their proxy products (100M+ residential IPs, datacenter, and mobile proxies at $12/GB). Their Scraper APIs handle unblocking, parsing, and data delivery with per-result pricing starting at $1.60 per 1,000 results.
Strengths: Massive IP pool, dedicated e-commerce and SERP APIs, competitive per-result pricing, real-time crawler. Limitations: Mobile proxy pricing ($12/GB) is expensive compared to specialists; custom pricing for most plans requires sales call.
7. ScrapingBee
From $49/moScrapingBee focuses on stealth scraping with features like premium proxies, stealth mode, and custom headers. Their credit system is variable: a simple request costs 1 credit, but rotating proxy with JavaScript rendering (the default) costs 5 credits. Premium proxies for hard targets cost 10-75 credits per request, which significantly affects the effective per-request cost.
Strengths: Clean API, good stealth features, reasonable pricing at volume, screenshot capability. Limitations: Variable credit costs make budgeting hard; premium proxy requests (10-75 credits) are expensive; no SERP parsing.
8. Crawlbase (formerly ProxyCrawl)
From $29/moCrawlbase is the budget option in this comparison. At $29/month for their Developer plan, it is 26% cheaper than most competitors. The service handles proxy rotation and JavaScript rendering with a simple API. They also offer a Crawling API, Scraper, Leads API, and Storage API for more complex workflows.
Strengths: Lowest entry price, simple API, good for startups and side projects. Limitations: Smaller proxy pool; lower success rates on heavily protected sites; fewer advanced features than competitors.
9. DataForSEO
Pay-as-you-goDataForSEO is a specialized API provider for SEO data. With 60+ API endpoints covering SERP data, keyword research, backlinks, on-page analysis, and business data, it is the most comprehensive SEO data API available. Their pay-as-you-go pricing is among the cheapest for SERP data at $0.0006 per SERP via the standard queue and $0.002 per SERP for real-time results.
Strengths: Cheapest per-SERP pricing, 60+ specialized endpoints, no monthly commitment, unlimited trial period. Limitations: SEO-focused only (no general web scraping); no JavaScript rendering; standard queue has latency (minutes vs seconds).
10. Proxies.sx x402 Marketplace
Pay-per-requestThe Proxies.sx x402 marketplace offers a fundamentally different model: pay per request using USDC stablecoin micropayments with no subscription, no API key, and no signup required. Built on the x402 protocol, it enables AI agents and developers to access SERP data, web scraping, and mobile proxy services with cryptographic payment authorization per request. Traffic routes through real 4G/5G mobile devices.
Strengths: Zero friction onboarding, real mobile IPs for highest anti-bot bypass, AI agent compatible, no subscription lock-in, USDC payments. Limitations: Requires USDC wallet setup; newer marketplace with growing service catalog; per-request pricing higher than bulk subscription APIs for very high volume.
Feature Comparison Table
This table compares all 10 providers across the features that matter most: pricing model, entry cost, per-request cost, JavaScript rendering, proxy infrastructure, AI support, SERP capability, and payment flexibility. Scroll horizontally on mobile to see all columns.
| Provider | Starting Price | Per Request | JS Render | Proxy Type | AI Extract | SERP | Free Tier | Payment | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | $49/mo | ~$0.0005-0.01 | Datacenter + Residential | 5K credits free | Card, PayPal | General scraping | |||
| SerpApi | $75/mo | $0.005-0.015 | Managed (hidden) | 100 searches free | Card | SERP data only | |||
| Apify | $49/mo | Varies by actor | Datacenter + Residential | $5/mo free tier | Card | Pre-built scrapers | |||
| Zyte | $0.13/1K req | $0.00013-0.001 | Managed + Residential | $5 free credit | Card | Scrapy ecosystem | |||
| Bright Data | $499/mo | $0.003-0.008 | All types (72M+ IPs) | Pay-as-you-go trial | Card, Wire, PayPal | Enterprise scale | |||
| Oxylabs | $49/mo | $0.00135-0.0016 | Residential + DC (100M+ IPs) | Free trial available | Card, Wire | E-commerce scraping | |||
| ScrapingBee | $49/mo | ~$0.0002-0.001 | Residential + DC | 1K free calls | Card | Stealth scraping | |||
| Crawlbase | $29/mo | ~$0.001-0.003 | Managed proxies | 1K free requests | Card, PayPal | Budget scraping | |||
| DataForSEO | Pay-as-you-go | $0.0006-0.003 | Managed (hidden) | $1 free credit | Card, Wire | SEO data pipelines | |||
| Proxies.sx x402 | Pay-per-request | $0.003-0.01 | Real mobile 4G/5G | No signup needed | USDC (x402), Card | AI agents, no-sub scraping |
When to Use Which: Decision Matrix
The right API depends entirely on what you are scraping and at what scale. This matrix maps 10 common use cases to the best provider for each, along with a runner-up and the reasoning behind the recommendation.
| Use Case | Recommended | Runner-Up | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| General web scraping (moderate protection) | ScraperAPI or ScrapingBee | Crawlbase | Credit-based plans scale well for mixed-difficulty targets |
| Google/Bing SERP data | SerpApi or DataForSEO | Oxylabs SERP API | Purpose-built SERP parsers with structured JSON output |
| E-commerce price monitoring | Oxylabs or Bright Data | Apify (pre-built actors) | Large IP pools and dedicated e-commerce endpoints |
| Pre-built scraper marketplace | Apify | Bright Data datasets | 3,000+ community actors for common targets |
| Scrapy-based pipelines | Zyte | Crawlbase | Native Scrapy Cloud and Smart Proxy Manager integration |
| Enterprise (500K+ req/day) | Bright Data or Oxylabs | Custom Zyte plan | Dedicated account managers, SLAs, and massive IP pools |
| AI agent autonomous scraping | Proxies.sx x402 | Apify + API key | x402 protocol enables pay-per-request without API keys or subscriptions |
| Cloudflare/DataDome bypass | Proxies.sx mobile proxies | Bright Data mobile | Real 4G/5G CGNAT IPs have highest anti-bot bypass rates |
| SEO rank tracking | DataForSEO | SerpApi | Cheapest per-SERP pricing at $0.0006/task with 60+ endpoints |
| Budget-conscious startups | Crawlbase or Zyte | ScrapingBee | Lowest entry price with pay-as-you-go flexibility |
The Hybrid Approach
Many production scraping operations use multiple APIs simultaneously. For example, a price monitoring team might use DataForSEO for SERP rank tracking ($0.0006/query), Oxylabs Web Scraper API for product page extraction ($0.0016/result), and Proxies.sx mobile proxies for Cloudflare-protected competitor sites ($4-6/GB). Mixing providers based on their strengths gives you the best cost-to-success ratio across your entire scraping pipeline.
Code Examples: Top 3 APIs + x402
Below are working code examples for the four most common approaches to web scraping APIs. Each example fetches a page and returns the content, demonstrating the developer experience of each platform.
ScraperAPI (Python)
ScraperAPI uses a simple URL parameter approach. Pass your API key and the target URL, and it handles proxy rotation and rendering automatically.
import requests
API_KEY = "your_scraperapi_key"
TARGET_URL = "https://example.com/products"
# Simple HTTP request (1 credit)
response = requests.get(
f"http://api.scraperapi.com",
params={
"api_key": API_KEY,
"url": TARGET_URL,
}
)
print(response.text) # Raw HTML
# With JavaScript rendering (10 credits)
response = requests.get(
f"http://api.scraperapi.com",
params={
"api_key": API_KEY,
"url": TARGET_URL,
"render": "true",
"country_code": "us",
}
)
print(response.status_code) # 200 if successfulOxylabs Web Scraper API (Python)
Oxylabs uses a JSON payload approach with authentication. Their API returns structured data with parsed content alongside raw HTML.
import requests
import json
# Oxylabs Web Scraper API
payload = {
"source": "universal",
"url": "https://example.com/products",
"render": "html",
"geo_location": "United States",
}
response = requests.post(
"https://realtime.oxylabs.io/v1/queries",
auth=("username", "password"),
json=payload,
)
data = response.json()
html_content = data["results"][0]["content"]
status = data["results"][0]["status_code"]
print(f"Status: {status}, Length: {len(html_content)}")Apify Actor (JavaScript)
Apify uses Actors -- pre-built or custom scrapers that run on their platform. This example runs a web scraping Actor and retrieves the results from the dataset.
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'your_apify_token' });
// Run a pre-built web scraping Actor
const run = await client.actor('apify/web-scraper').call({
startUrls: [{ url: 'https://example.com/products' }],
pageFunction: async function pageFunction(context) {
const { request, log, jQuery } = context;
const $ = jQuery;
// Extract product data from the page
const title = $('h1').text().trim();
const price = $('.price').text().trim();
const description = $('meta[name="description"]').attr('content');
return { url: request.url, title, price, description };
},
maxRequestsPerCrawl: 100,
});
// Fetch results from the dataset
const { items } = await client
.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId)
.listItems();
console.log(`Scraped ${items.length} products`);
items.forEach(item => console.log(item.title, item.price));Proxies.sx x402 Marketplace (cURL / Python)
The x402 approach requires no API key and no signup. You send a request, receive a 402 Payment Required response with the price, authorize the USDC micropayment, and get your data. This is the model designed for AI agents. See the x402 protocol docs for full details.
import requests
from x402.client import X402Client
# Initialize x402 client with your USDC wallet
client = X402Client(
wallet_private_key="your_private_key",
network="base", # Base network for USDC
)
# SERP query -- pay $0.003-0.01 per query, no subscription
serp_result = client.get(
"https://agents.proxies.sx/marketplace/serp",
params={"q": "best web scraping tools 2026", "num": 10}
)
print(serp_result.json()) # Structured SERP data
# Web page scraping via mobile proxy
scrape_result = client.get(
"https://agents.proxies.sx/marketplace/scrape",
params={
"url": "https://example.com/products",
"render_js": True,
"proxy_type": "mobile_4g",
}
)
print(scrape_result.json()["content"]) # Page HTML
# Direct mobile proxy access ($4-6/GB bandwidth)
# Use standard proxy configuration
proxies = {
"http": "http://user:pass@gate.proxies.sx:port",
"https": "http://user:pass@gate.proxies.sx:port",
}
response = requests.get(
"https://example.com",
proxies=proxies
)
print(response.text)Key Difference: API Key vs. x402
Traditional scraping APIs require you to sign up, generate an API key, configure billing, and manage rate limits. The x402 approach eliminates all of that: your USDC wallet is your identity, and each request is authorized cryptographically. This matters for AI agents that need to autonomously acquire data without human intervention. Explore the full marketplace at agents.proxies.sx/marketplace.
Honest Assessment: Strengths and Trade-Offs
No single scraping API is best for every situation. Each provider has made deliberate trade-offs in their product design. Here is our honest take on each, acknowledging both where they excel and where they fall short. We publish this as a Proxies.sx blog, so we are transparent about our perspective while being fair to competitors.
ScraperAPI
The most straightforward API in the space. If you want "send URL, get HTML" simplicity, this is it. Great documentation and a generous free tier.
JS rendering and premium proxies consume credits fast. A 100K credit plan may only yield 10K-20K JavaScript-rendered pages. No mobile proxy IPs.
SerpApi
Best SERP parsing quality with the cleanest JSON output. Supports 15+ search engines. Documentation is excellent.
Expensive for high volume ($0.015/search on Developer plan). Only handles SERP data, not general web scraping. No AI extraction.
Apify
Unmatched marketplace of 3,000+ pre-built Actors. A non-developer can scrape Amazon, Google, or TikTok in minutes without writing code.
Credit consumption is unpredictable across different Actors. Some community Actors are poorly maintained. Platform lock-in is real.
Zyte
Cheapest per-request for simple HTTP scraping ($0.00013). Scrapy integration is seamless. AI extraction on product pages is genuinely useful.
Browser rendering is 7-8x more expensive. The pricing tier system is confusing. Non-Scrapy users face a learning curve.
Bright Data
The most complete platform: 72M+ IPs, Scraping Browser, Web Scraper IDE, datasets, SERP API. If a feature exists, they probably have it.
Pricing complexity leads to unpredictable bills. The $499/mo Growth plan is a high barrier. The platform has a steep learning curve.
Oxylabs
Strong e-commerce focus with dedicated APIs. Real-time crawler is fast. 100M+ residential IPs give excellent coverage.
Most plans require a sales call for pricing. Mobile proxies at $12/GB are expensive compared to specialized mobile providers.
ScrapingBee
Good stealth features for protected sites. Clean API design. Reasonable pricing at the Business tier and above.
Variable credit costs (1-75 credits per request) make budgeting extremely difficult. Premium proxy requests are expensive.
Crawlbase
The cheapest entry point at $29/month. Simple, no-frills API. Good for startups and side projects with modest scraping needs.
Smaller proxy pool and lower success rates on heavily protected sites. Feature set is limited compared to premium providers.
DataForSEO
Cheapest SERP data available ($0.0006/SERP). 60+ specialized endpoints. Truly pay-as-you-go with no monthly commitment.
Standard queue has latency (results in minutes, not seconds). No general web scraping capability. No JavaScript rendering.
Proxies.sx x402
Zero-friction pay-per-request model. Real mobile 4G/5G IPs for highest anti-bot bypass. No signup, no API keys, no subscriptions. Built for AI agents.
Requires USDC wallet setup (unfamiliar for some developers). Newer marketplace with growing catalog. Per-request pricing is higher than bulk subscription APIs at very high volume.
AI Agents and the Future of Web Scraping APIs
The rise of autonomous AI agents in 2026 is changing how we think about web scraping infrastructure. LLM-powered agents need to gather web data as part of their reasoning loops, but traditional scraping APIs create friction: the agent cannot sign up for an account, manage API keys, or handle subscription billing. This is where the x402 payment protocol becomes relevant.
With x402, an AI agent with a USDC wallet can autonomously discover available scraping services on the Proxies.sx marketplace, pay for exactly the data it needs (a single SERP query for $0.003, a single page scrape for $0.005), and incorporate the results into its workflow -- all without human intervention. The HTTP 402 Payment Required status code makes the payment flow a native part of the web protocol.
Agent-Native Access
No API keys, no OAuth, no signup forms. The agent's wallet is its credential. Request data, pay per-use, get results. The protocol handles authentication cryptographically.
Micropayment Economics
Pay $0.003 for one SERP query instead of committing to $75/month. Agents pay for exactly what they use, making data acquisition cost-proportional to value created.
Real Mobile IPs
AI agents scraping through real 4G/5G mobile proxies get the same 92% success rate as human-operated scrapers. CGNAT IPs are trusted by anti-bot systems regardless of who operates them.
For a deeper dive into the x402 protocol, read our Python Web Scraping with Mobile Proxies Guide and the x402 Protocol Documentation. For Cloudflare-specific bypass strategies with mobile proxies, see How to Bypass Cloudflare with Mobile Proxies in 2026.
Cost Comparison at Scale: 100K, 500K, and 1M Requests
The cheapest API at 100 requests may not be the cheapest at 1 million. Below is an estimated monthly cost comparison at three volume tiers, assuming a mix of simple HTTP and JavaScript-rendered pages (70/30 split). Costs are approximate based on published pricing and typical credit consumption.
| Provider | 100K req/mo | 500K req/mo | 1M req/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScraperAPI | $49-149 | $299-475 | $475-800 |
| SerpApi | $750-1,500 | $3,750+ | $7,500+ |
| Apify | $49-199 | $199-999 | $999+ |
| Zyte | $13-100 | $65-500 | $130-1,000 |
| Bright Data | $400-800 | $1,500-3,000 | $2,500-5,000 |
| Oxylabs | $49-160 | $160-800 | $800-1,600 |
| ScrapingBee | $49-99 | $249-599 | $599-1,200 |
| Crawlbase | $29-100 | $249-500 | $500-1,000 |
| DataForSEO | $60-200 | $300-1,000 | $600-2,000 |
| Proxies.sx x402 | $300-1,000 | $1,500-5,000 | $3,000-10,000 |
Reading This Table
SerpApi appears expensive because it is designed for SERP data, not general scraping -- comparing it on raw request volume is misleading. Zyte looks cheapest because their HTTP-only requests are $0.00013, but browser-rendered pages cost significantly more. Proxies.sx x402 has higher per-request costs because you are getting real mobile 4G/5G IPs, which provide the highest anti-bot bypass rates -- making it the best choice when success rate matters more than per-request cost.
For high-volume scraping where you control your own infrastructure, consider Proxies.sx mobile proxy bandwidth at $4-6/GB instead of per-request APIs. At 100KB average page size, $6/GB gives you roughly 10,000 pages per dollar, which is significantly cheaper than any per-request API at scale.
Getting Started: Our Recommendations
Based on our analysis of all 10 providers, here are our specific recommendations for the most common scenarios. We have tried to be fair to all providers while acknowledging where each truly excels.
For Beginners
Start with Apify if you want no-code scraping, or ScraperAPI if you prefer to write your own code. Both have generous free tiers and straightforward APIs. Graduate to Oxylabs or Bright Data when you need enterprise-scale infrastructure.
Read: Python Web Scraping GuideFor SEO Teams
Use DataForSEO for bulk SERP tracking at $0.0006/query and SerpApi for real-time SERP analysis where parsing quality matters. Supplement with Proxies.sx x402 for ad-hoc queries where you do not want a subscription.
Explore: x402 Service MarketplaceFor AI Agent Developers
Use the Proxies.sx x402 marketplace for autonomous data acquisition. The pay-per-request model with USDC micropayments is purpose-built for agents that need web data without human-managed API keys or subscriptions.
Read: x402 Protocol DocumentationFor Anti-Bot Bypass
When you need to scrape Cloudflare, DataDome, or PerimeterX-protected sites, real mobile 4G/5G IPs deliver the highest success rates. Use Proxies.sx mobile proxies at $4-6/GB with your own scraping infrastructure.
Read: Bypass Cloudflare in 2026Frequently Asked Questions
Try Pay-Per-Request Scraping with x402
No subscription. No API key. No signup. Pay per request with USDC micropayments and get real 4G/5G mobile proxy access for the highest anti-bot bypass rates in the industry.