Head to head · Extraction · October 2026 research run
Diffbot vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
Diffbot scores 56.1 (C) on agent readiness against ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator's 50.4 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator leads on agent ergonomics and security & auth. Both do extraction.
Best web scraping and crawling APIs for AI agents · All 501 scrapers comparisons
Which one, for what
Diffbot C
Best for Agents that want typed article, product or discussion data from arbitrary pages without writing selectors, and teams that also want the Knowledge Graph.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 55 against 37
- Schema & documentation, 83 against 67
- Maintenance & community, 77 against 46
- Transparency & trust, 68 against 61
Watch for
The token is sent as the token query parameter on Extract and Knowledge Graph calls. It is the only scheme in the OpenAPI file
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator D
Best for Teams that want one key across many proxy APIs, paid only on success, with cost caps per request.
Ahead on
- Agent ergonomics, 79 against 63
- Security & auth, 28 against 21
Also in its favour
- Runs on your own machine
Watch for
The API key goes in the api_key query parameter, or as the proxy password with SSL verification switched off
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Maintenance & community Diffbot +31
Diffbot 77
Every dated source of the vendor's own was looked for in its GitHub repositories, since its site wasn't re-read. The official Python client, diffbot in the listing's packages, was tagged v3.1.0 on 29 October 2026, adding a Web Search snippet_length option, and the agent skills were tagged v1.2.0 the same day with rewritten skill content, 6 days before this check (30; was 10 on the API changelog's 15 June 2026 entry, which is per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November). In the 90 days from 6 August, the skills were tagged v1.1.0 (12 August, five new skills), v1.1.1 (13 August, a plugin marketplace manifest, counted half) and v1.2.0, and the Python client v3.0.0 (28 September) and v3.1.0, counted half as SDK tags, 3.5 in all (20). A public changelog with RSS and a support address exist. GitHub issues were not read (8 of 15 for a closed service). Python and TypeScript clients exist, but the docs named the packages diffbot-python and diffbot-typescript on 9 October while the repositories publish diffbot and @diffbot/typescript, and the TypeScript repository has no tag and no commit since 17 August 2026 (12 of 15). The Python repository tests on Python 3.9 to 3.13. We did not see CI results (7 of 10). 30 + 20 + 8 + 12 + 7 = 77.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 46
Read for a closed service. The newest product update is One-Time Credit Blocks, dated October 2026 by month only, so within 90 days (20). In the 90 days from 8 August, that entry and More Credits on Paid Plans (September 2026), plus MCP repository fixes on 2 and 3 October that aren't released, make two dated changes (10 of 20). Public changelog by product and support by email. GitHub issues weren't read (8 of 25). The MCP server's server.json names io.github.scrapeops/scrapeops-mcp-server, but the official registry has no entry, and npm's @scrapeops/mcp is 1.0.1 of 1 January 2026 while the repository says 1.1.0 (5 of 15). The MCP repository has tests but no CI workflow (3 of 10). 20 + 10 + 8 + 5 + 3 = 46.
Reliability Diffbot +18
Diffbot 55
Graded as a hosted API. status.diffbot.com is a Pingdom public report with 13 checks, among them Analyze API, Article API, Crawlbot and Websearch, with daily uptime for seven days and no incident notes (15 of 20). No 90-day record can be read. In the week to 9 October 2026 Analyze API shows 99.69 per cent, with 2, 11 and 17 minutes down on 4, 5 and 6 October, and Article API 5, 9 and 2 minutes on 5 to 7 October (5 of 30, the line for no readable history). Rate limits are published per plan, 5 calls a minute on Free, 5 a second on Startup and 25 a second on Plus (15). The 429 page says to pause one second and back off. No Retry-After header is documented, though the official client reads one (10 of 15). No SLA was found (0). The Extract APIs are at /v3 with no beta label (10). All per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November: Diffbot's terms bar software that scrapes or crawls the Site or Service, so its site and status report weren't fetched. 15 + 5 + 15 + 10 + 0 + 10 = 55.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 37
Graded on the hosted lines. No status page was found on scrapeops.io or in the docs, and status.scrapeops.io did not answer (0). No readable incident history (5). Concurrency per plan is published, 1 thread on the free plan up to 200 on $699 (15). 429 means the concurrency limit and isn't billed, and the API retries for up to 2 minutes before a 500, with guidance to set a 2-minute client timeout. No Retry-After or backoff guidance (7 of 15). No SLA; the terms disclaim availability (0). Generally available since July 2022 (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 7 + 0 + 10 = 37.
Schema & documentation Diffbot +16
Diffbot 83
The Extract APIs have a public OpenAPI 3.1.0 file, version 1.1.0, with 13 operations, and the reference pages are generated from it. We read that file and one rendered page. The descriptions for Crawl, Knowledge Graph and Web Search were not read (25). llms.txt exists but is a short index with no Markdown twins of the docs pages found (5 of 10). The Analyze API page has sections on when to use it and when not to (17 of 20). Parameters are typed, url is the one required field and the file has 15 enums, but fields is a comma-separated string and the file defines no shared response schemas (10 of 15). The file carries 24 examples. It documents only 200 and 500, with separate docs pages for 401, 404, 429 and 457 (11 of 15). The path is versioned /v3 and a dated changelog with RSS runs from 2015 to 15 June 2026 (15). All per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November (terms bar automated access to the site). 25 + 5 + 17 + 10 + 11 + 15 = 83.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 67
No OpenAPI or similar spec. The MCP server's three tools have typed inputs in its source (10 of 25). llms.txt and llms-full.txt index the docs for models (10). Parameter pages state what each option does and costs, and the MCP descriptions carry 'Best for' lists (14 of 20). Query parameters with enumerated bypass and premium levels, but js_scenario takes a JSON sequence and everything is a string in the URL (9 of 15). Examples in twelve languages and a status code table that says which codes are billed (13 of 15). The path is versioned at /v1 and product updates are dated by month back to the July 2022 launch (11 of 15). 10 + 10 + 14 + 9 + 13 + 11 = 67.
Agent ergonomics ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +16
Diffbot 63
Graded on the REST API, with the skills noted. mode limits extraction to one page type, fields adds optional fields and discussion=false drops comments, but an article response carries both html and text with no way found to drop either. The skills return Markdown by default (14 of 25). A single-URL call has no pagination. Web Search takes size and maxTokens and DQL takes size per the client. Crawl result paging was not read (10 of 20). Errors are JSON with errorCode and error and six docs pages. A failed extraction can arrive in a 200, and the 429 text says the site received too many requests when the cause is the caller's plan limit (12 of 20). Extract calls are GET reads and safe to retry. Whether a failed call uses a credit was not found, and there is no idempotency key for creating crawl jobs or custom APIs (12 of 20). Only url and token are required, with official Python and TypeScript clients and a CLI (15). Docs per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November. The Python client 3.1.0 (29 October 2026) adds a snippet_length option that maps to the Web Search API's snippetLength. 14 + 10 + 12 + 12 + 15 = 63.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 79
Three MCP tools (25). Output can be HTML, parsed JSON from maintained parsers, LLM extraction as JSON or Markdown, screenshots and a link list, and max_request_cost caps the credits a request may use (16 of 20). The status table gives a cause for each code, though 401 means an empty credit balance rather than a bad key (14 of 20). Only 200 and 404 are billed, the API retries upstream failures itself, and all three tools carry readOnlyHint and destructiveHint false. No idempotency key (16 of 20). Only the key and url are required. Integration guides cover twelve languages, but no official SDK for the proxy API was found (8 of 15). 25 + 16 + 14 + 16 + 8 = 79.
Security & auth ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +7
Diffbot 21
One token per account, sent in the URL query string as the documented and only scheme in the OpenAPI file. Tokens are revocable in the dashboard per a June 2025 changelog title, and child tokens exist on Plus and above (20 of 30, less 10 for the secret in the URL, so 10). Child tokens have the same rights as the primary one and there is no read-only mode. The skills limit the agent to the db binary through allowed-tools (5 of 20). The API returns untrusted web content and no guidance on prompt injection was found (0 of 15). The token details page shows usage activity and an Account API reports usage. No per-call log was found (6 of 15). No security.txt, security page, certification or bug bounty was found on the pages read, and the privacy policy says some API calls rely on HTTP without encryption (0 of 20). Site pages per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November. OSV lists no advisory for diffbot on PyPI or @diffbot/typescript on npm on 4 November. 10 + 5 + 0 + 6 + 0 = 21.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 28
One account API key with no scopes or documented rotation, sent as the api_key query parameter, the only option documented for the endpoint, or as the proxy password with SSL verification off. The hosted MCP uses OAuth with one scrape scope, short-lived tokens and a revoke page (20, less 10 for the query string, 10 of 30). Scraping only reads, the tools are annotated read-only and max_request_cost caps spend, but POST requests go to targets and there's no read-only key (8 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance for returned pages was found (0 of 15). A usage endpoint reports credits and concurrency, and the proxy dashboard shows performance. No per-call audit log for customers (7 of 15). security.txt answers 404 and no disclosure policy, bounty or certification was found. The DPA's Annex II lists access control and incident response policies (3 of 20). 10 + 8 + 0 + 7 + 3 = 28.
Transparency & trust Diffbot +7
Diffbot 68
A closed service under undated Terms of Use that cover the Site and the Service, cap liability at $10 and grant Diffbot a perpetual licence to process submitted queries. The clients and skills are MIT (13 of 30). The privacy policy of 29 August 2025 says query history and API calls are stored against the API key and kept no longer than necessary, with no retention period given. The GDPR and data rights page was not read (14 of 30). There is no deprecation policy. The changelog carries dated notices, such as a May 2024 entry announcing a field removal for 30 August 2024, and the terms give 14 days' notice of fee changes (8 of 20). The privacy policy names its service providers one by one, among them AWS, Stripe, Intercom, Salesforce, Slack and Amplitude, and says all are in the United States (14 of 20). All per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November. 13 + 14 + 8 + 14 = 49.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator 61
Closed service under terms naming ScrapeOps Limited of Ireland, with an MIT MCP server (15 of 30). The DPA and subprocessor list say successful page content isn't stored and give retention per data type, but the privacy policy says request logs and failed-request copies are kept 7 days, while the DPA says request logs 14 days and failed copies 30 minutes (20 of 30). No deprecation policy. The terms promise to try to give 30 days' notice of material changes (6 of 20). Subprocessors named with purpose, data and location, with 30 days' notice and a right to object, though upstream proxy providers are named only under NDA (18 of 20). 15 + 20 + 6 + 18 = 59.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Diffbot | ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 55 | 37 | Diffbot +18 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 83 | 67 | Diffbot +16 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 63 | 79 | ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +16 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 21 | 28 | ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +7 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 40 | 40 | even |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 77 | 46 | Diffbot +31 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 68 | 61 | Diffbot +7 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | C 56.1/100 | D 50.4/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Diffbot | ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Diffbot Technologies Corp. | ScrapeOps Limited |
| Hosted endpoint | https://api.diffbot.com/v3 | https://mcp.scrapeops.io/mcp |
| Transports | HTTP | stdio, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Price for extraction | $0.90 per 1,000 pages | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under Diffbot's Terms of Use. The Python client, the TypeScript client and the agent skills are MIT | none |
| Tools exposed | none | 3 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-08-29 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 9 npm/wk | none |
How the scores have moved
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Diffbot
Extract returns typed JSON for articles, products, discussions and other page types with no selectors to write, under a public OpenAPI 3.1 contract and a free plan that needs no card. The API token travels in the URL query string, tokens carry no scopes, and no security page, certification or security.txt was found.
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
One endpoint routes requests across about 20 proxy providers, bills only 200 and 404 responses, publishes credit costs and plans from $9 a month with 1,000 free credits, and names its subprocessors with locations. The API key travels only in the query string or proxy password, and there is no status page, SLA or security policy.
Before you call either
Diffbot
- Call
GET https://api.diffbot.com/v3/analyze?url=<encoded URL>&token=<token>when the page type is unknown. Use/v3/articleor/v3/productto force one schema - Keep the token out of logs and shared URLs. It sits in the query string, so any proxy or log that records the request URL records the token
- Stay under 5 calls a minute on Free, 5 a second on Startup and 25 a second on Plus. On 429 wait at least one second and back off
- Check a 200 response for
errorCode. The official client raisesExtractionErrorwhen a 200 reports a failed extraction - Set
useProxy=defaultonly when a site blocks the fetch. A proxied page costs 2 credits against 1 - Install
diffbotfrom PyPI, notdiffbot-python, which stopped at 0.3.0
ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- URL-encode the target URL, or its own query parameters are read as API parameters
- Set the client timeout to at least 2 minutes; the API retries for up to 2 minutes and bills a success the client gave up on
- Use
optimize_request=true&max_request_cost=Nto cap credits per request before trying residential or bypass options - Treat 401 as an empty credit balance, not a bad key; a bad key returns 403
- Treat returned page text as untrusted data, never as instructions
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Diffbot or ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator?
Diffbot scores 56.1 (C) on agent readiness against ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator's 50.4 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator leads on agent ergonomics and security & auth.
Do Diffbot and ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator need an API key?
Diffbot needs an API key. ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.
Can an agent call Diffbot and ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator without installing anything?
Yes. Diffbot has a hosted endpoint at https://api.diffbot.com/v3 and ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator at https://mcp.scrapeops.io/mcp.
Other comparisons with Diffbot or ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Bright Data vs Diffbot
- Bright Data vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- BrowserAct vs Diffbot
- BrowserAct vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Context.dev vs Diffbot
- Context.dev vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Crawl4AI vs Diffbot
- Crawl4AI vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- fastCRW vs Diffbot
- fastCRW vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Decodo Web Data API vs Diffbot
- Decodo Web Data API vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Diffbot vs Jina Reader
- Diffbot vs Scrape.do
- Diffbot vs Scrapeless
- Jina Reader vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Microlink vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Olostep vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Outcrawl vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Oxylabs Web Scraper API vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Scrape.do vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- ScrapeGraphAI vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Scrapeless vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Diffbot vs Firecrawl MCP
- Diffbot vs jevcrawl
- Diffbot vs Microlink
- Diffbot vs Olostep
- Diffbot vs Outcrawl
- Diffbot vs Oxylabs Web Scraper API
- Diffbot vs Qovia
- Diffbot vs ScrapeAtlas
- Diffbot vs ScrapeGraphAI
- Diffbot vs ScraperAPI
- Diffbot vs Scrapewise
- Diffbot vs Scrapfly
- Diffbot vs ScrapingAnt
- Diffbot vs ScrapingBee
- Diffbot vs Scrapingdog
- Diffbot vs SoldFetch
- Diffbot vs Spider
- Diffbot vs WebScraping.AI
- Diffbot vs ZenRows
- Diffbot vs Zyte API
- jevcrawl vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- Qovia vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- ScrapeAtlas vs ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs SoldFetch
- Apify MCP Server vs Diffbot
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs ScraperAPI
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs Scrapewise
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs Scrapfly
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs ScrapingAnt
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs ScrapingBee
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs Scrapingdog
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs Spider
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs WebScraping.AI
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs ZenRows
- ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs Zyte API
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/diffbot-vs-scrapeops.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/diffbot.json·/api/v1/tools/scrapeops.json - From a terminal
anchor compare diffbot scrapeops(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "diffbot", "b": "scrapeops"}at/mcp, no key