# Scrape.do vs ScraperAPI

> ScraperAPI scores 52.1 (D) to Scrape.do's 43.7 (E) for scraping. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi.md (~2,450 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

ScraperAPI scores 52.1 (D) on agent readiness against Scrape.do's 43.7 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do scraping.

- Scrape.do: grade E, 43.7/100, rank #880 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/scrape-do.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/scrape-do.json
- ScraperAPI: grade D, 52.1/100, rank #739 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/scraperapi.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/scraperapi.json
- Best web scraping and crawling APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/web-scrapers/index.md
- All 167 scrapers comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/web-scrapers/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Scrape.do (E)

Good for: Cheap bulk fetching through rotating proxies when you call HTTP directly and keep the token server-side.

Watch for: Token travels in the query string on the main API

### ScraperAPI (D)

Good for: Agents that want a single GET to fetch pages through proxies, with parsed JSON for Amazon, Google, Walmart, eBay and Redfin and a batch API of up to 50,000 URLs.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 45 against 40
- Schema & documentation, 67 against 57
- Agent ergonomics, 74 against 62
- Security & auth, 29 against 23
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 61 against 45
- Transparency & trust, 54 against 46

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: No status page is linked from the home, pricing, support or docs pages, although the pricing page lists a 99.9% uptime guarantee


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Scrape.do | ScraperAPI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 40 | 45 | ScraperAPI +5 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 57 | 67 | ScraperAPI +10 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 74 | ScraperAPI +12 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 23 | 29 | ScraperAPI +6 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 40 | ScraperAPI +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 61 | ScraperAPI +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 46 | 54 | ScraperAPI +8 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **43.7 · E** | **52.1 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Scrape.do | ScraperAPI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Scrape.do | ScraperAPI (saas.group) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.scrape.do/` | `https://api.scraperapi.com` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Tools exposed | none | 28 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-07-31 | 2026-08-07 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | 2 npm/wk | 5 stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Scrape.do.** $29 for 250,000 basic credits, and 429s, 502s and most failures aren't billed. Token travels in the query string on the main API.

**ScraperAPI.** One GET request with a key and a URL returns a page, and the MCP server's 28 tools carry read-only and destructive hints. No status page, OpenAPI file, security.txt or certification was found, and the documented default puts the API key in the URL query string.

## Before you call either

### Scrape.do

1. Start with the default data centre request (1 credit). Add `super=true` or `render=true` only after a block, since they cost 10 and 5
2. Pass `output=markdown` to get LLM-ready text instead of raw HTML
3. Read `Scrape.do-Request-Cost` from the response headers. Some domains cost 10 to 200 credits whatever you pass
4. Treat a 429 as too many concurrent requests and wait for one to finish
5. Keep URLs with `token=` out of logs and shared traces

### ScraperAPI

1. Set the client timeout to 70 seconds. The API retries for that long before it returns 500, and a request cancelled earlier is still charged
2. Send the key as the `x-sapi-api_key` header to keep it out of URLs and logs
3. Pass `max_cost` on each request, or call `/account/urlcost` first, because domain and anti-bot surcharges vary from 1 to 75 credits
4. Use `output_format=markdown` or `text` to cut response size, and `autoparse=true` only on supported domains
5. On 429 reduce concurrency to the plan limit (5 on Free, 20 on Hobby). The request is rejected, not queued

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Scrape.do or ScraperAPI?

ScraperAPI scores 52.1 (D) on agent readiness against Scrape.do's 43.7 (E), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Scrape.do and ScraperAPI need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call Scrape.do and ScraperAPI without installing anything?

Yes. Scrape.do has a hosted endpoint at https://api.scrape.do/ and ScraperAPI at https://api.scraperapi.com.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scraperapi.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "scrape-do", "b": "scraperapi"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare scrape-do scraperapi`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/scrape-do.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/scraperapi.json

## Other comparisons with Scrape.do or ScraperAPI

- [Apify MCP Server vs Scrape.do](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apify-mcp-vs-scrape-do.md)
- [Bright Data vs Scrape.do](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bright-data-vs-scrape-do.md)
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- [Oxylabs Web Scraper API vs Scrape.do](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/oxylabs-web-scraper-vs-scrape-do.md)
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- [Scrape.do vs ScrapingBee](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrape-do-vs-scrapingbee.md)
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- [Scrapeless vs ScraperAPI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scrapeless-vs-scraperapi.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs Scrapfly](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-scrapfly.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs ScrapingAnt](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-scrapingant.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs ScrapingBee](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-scrapingbee.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs Scrapingdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-scrapingdog.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs Spider](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-spider-cloud.md)
- [ScraperAPI vs ZenRows](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/scraperapi-vs-zenrows.md)
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