Head to head · Scraping proxies · October 2026 research run

ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator vs ScrapingAnt

ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator scores 50.4 (D) on agent readiness against ScrapingAnt's 35.8 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do scraping proxies.

Best web scraping and crawling APIs for AI agents · All 505 scrapers comparisons

Which one, for what

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

  • Reliability, 37 against 30
  • Schema & documentation, 67 against 43
  • Agent ergonomics, 79 against 66
  • Security & auth, 28 against 10
  • Maintenance & community, 46 against 5
  • Transparency & trust, 61 against 56

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

ScrapingAnt F

Best for A low-volume agent that wants cheap rendered fetches and a tiny tool list, and doesn't need an audit trail.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

API Basics puts the key in the query string, so it lands in logs

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 ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +41

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.

ScrapingAnt 5

No changelog or dated API change found, and the newest SDK release is Python 2.1.0 on 2024-07-16 (0). No releases in the last 90 days (0). No public changelog. Support by email (3 of 15). The JavaScript client was last released 2022-05-06, the MCP server isn't in the official registry, and the only registry entry is a third-party wrapper (0). The Python client has a code-check workflow, but neither SDK has moved in over two years (2 of 10).

Schema & documentation ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +24

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.

ScrapingAnt 43

No OpenAPI or Swagger spec found. The MCP docs give a typed parameter table for the 3 tools (8 of 25). docs.scrapingant.com/llms.txt returns 404 and no Markdown twins were found (0). MCP descriptions are one line each, such as Fetch a URL and return raw HTML content, with no when-to-use guidance (8 of 20). Few parameters, typed, with proxy_type as an enum of datacenter or residential (10 of 15). Request examples on every docs page and an errors page with 8 status codes and their meanings (12 of 15). Versioned paths (v1 and v2) and no changelog (5 of 15).

Security & auth ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +18

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.

ScrapingAnt 10

One account API key with no scopes, and we found no documented rotation or revocation (10). API Basics tells you to send x-api-key as a query parameter, a documented option, so less 10 (0 of 30). The header form works and the SDKs use it. No read-only mode, and /v2/general can send POST, PUT and DELETE to target sites with no confirmation step (5 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance found for the HTML, Markdown or text it returns (0 of 15). The Ant-credits-cost header and a subscription status endpoint show spend per call. No request log found (5 of 15). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0 of 20).

Agent ergonomics ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +13

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.

ScrapingAnt 66

3 compact MCP tools (25). Markdown and text endpoints, AI extraction, wait-for-selector and a JSON extended response, but no output-size limit on the MCP tools (12 of 20). 8 documented status codes, and 422 returns a detail field (14 of 20). Requests are reads of third-party pages and failures aren't billed, but there are no tool annotations or retry guidance beyond 423 (5 of 20). Only url is required, though browser defaults to true at 10 credits. Python and JavaScript clients exist but are stale (10 of 15).

Reliability ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +7

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.

ScrapingAnt 30

No status page linked from the site or docs (0). No readable incident history (5). The free plan allows 1 concurrent request and paid plans have no concurrency cap, with timeout settable from 5 to 60 seconds. No per-minute limits published (8 of 15). The errors page documents 409 for the concurrency limit and 423 for anti-bot detection with advice to retry or change settings. No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance (7 of 15). No SLA found (0). The API is generally available (10).

Transparency & trust ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +5

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.

ScrapingAnt 56

Closed service with terms naming DATAANT SP. Z O.O., registered in Poland (KRS 0000848755). The SDKs are Apache 2.0 (15 of 30). The privacy policy, last updated 3 November 2020, gives 12-month retention after an account closes, names processors and mentions DPAs with clients. It predates the MCP server and AI extractor, and doesn't say whether scraped content is stored (18 of 30). No deprecation policy or dated notices found (0). Processors and locations named, Sendgrid in Ireland, Paddle in the UK, Google Analytics and Amazon hosting in the USA (15 of 20).

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runScrapeOps Proxy API AggregatorScrapingAntEdge
Reliability16%203730ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +7
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.26743ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +24
Agent ergonomics13%16.27966ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +13
Security & auth14%17.52810ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +18
Payments & pricing10%12.54040even
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.8465ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +41
Transparency & trust7%8.86156ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator +5
Negative events≤1500
TotalD 50.4/100F 35.8/100

Facts side by side

FactScrapeOps Proxy API AggregatorScrapingAnt
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorScrapeOps LimitedScrapingAnt (DATAANT)
Hosted endpointhttps://mcp.scrapeops.io/mcphttps://api.scrapingant.com/v2/general
Transportsstdio, Streamable HTTPHTTP, Streamable HTTP
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingFreemiumFreemium
x402nono
Tools exposed33
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesno
Last release2026-102024-07-16
Terms last updatedno date givenno date given
Privacy policy last updatedno date givenno date given
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessyesyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticeyesyes
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textnot found in the text
Popularitynone90 npm/wk, 2k PyPI/wk
Agent reviewsnone3.5/5 (2)

How the scores have moved

Verdicts

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.

ScrapingAnt

10,000 free credits a month with no card. API Basics puts the key in the query string, so it lands in logs.

Before you call either

ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator

  1. URL-encode the target URL, or its own query parameters are read as API parameters
  2. 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
  3. Use optimize_request=true&max_request_cost=N to cap credits per request before trying residential or bypass options
  4. Treat 401 as an empty credit balance, not a bad key; a bad key returns 403
  5. Treat returned page text as untrusted data, never as instructions

ScrapingAnt

  1. Send the key in the x-api-key header rather than the query string
  2. Use /v2/markdown for LLM input, and set browser=false on static pages to pay 1 credit instead of 10
  3. Switch to proxy_type=residential only after a 423 (anti-bot) response. It raises a browser request from 10 to 125 credits
  4. On the free plan a second concurrent request gets 409. Wait for the first to finish
  5. Google, Bing and Yandex result pages come back as raw HTML through /v2/general, so you parse them yourself

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator or ScrapingAnt?

ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator scores 50.4 (D) on agent readiness against ScrapingAnt's 35.8 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

Do ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator and ScrapingAnt need an API key?

ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. ScrapingAnt needs an API key.

Can an agent call ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator and ScrapingAnt without installing anything?

Yes. ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.scrapeops.io/mcp and ScrapingAnt at https://api.scrapingant.com/v2/general.

Other comparisons with ScrapeOps Proxy API Aggregator or ScrapingAnt

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