ScraperAPI review: Web scraping API that handles proxies, browsers and CAPTCHAs for developers

What ScraperAPI does

ScraperAPI is a web scraping API for collecting data from public websites without managing your own proxies, browsers or CAPTCHA handling. You send requests through the API and the service deals with that infrastructure for you.

Beyond the core API, the product includes structured endpoints that turn pages from Amazon, Google and Walmart into JSON, an async scraper for sending very large volumes of requests and getting results back by webhook, and DataPipeline, which automates data collection without code. Geotargeting uses a global proxy pool of over 40M proxies across more than 50 countries. JavaScript rendering is included with all plans.

Pricing is credit based. A free plan gives 1,000 API credits with a maximum of 5 concurrent connections, and a 7-day trial offers 5,000 credits with no credit card required. Paid plans start with Hobby at $49 per month billed monthly ($44.10 per month billed yearly), with 100,000 credits and 20 concurrent threads. Advanced, the top listed plan, costs $1,975 per month billed monthly ($1,777.50 per month billed yearly) and includes 21,500,000 credits and 500 concurrent threads. Startup, Business, Scaling and Professional sit in between. Scaling, Professional and Advanced are listed as pay as you go.

Credit use depends on the target: a standard page costs 1 credit, Amazon 5, Google and Bing 25, and LinkedIn 30. Unused credits do not roll over, because the balance resets on renewal. Going over your concurrency limit returns a 429 response rather than an extra charge.

• Web scraping API with proxy and CAPTCHA handling
• JavaScript rendering on all plans
• Structured JSON endpoints for Amazon, Google and Walmart
• Async scraper with webhook results
• DataPipeline for no-code automation
• Geotargeting across 50+ countries
• Pay-as-you-go on higher plans

Our take

ScraperAPI fits developers and data teams who want to hand proxies, browsers and CAPTCHA handling to one API instead of maintaining that infrastructure themselves. The structured JSON endpoints and the async scraper with webhook delivery suit teams that collect data from Amazon, Google or Walmart, or that submit very large job volumes. It is a weaker fit if you need predictable costs on Google, Bing or LinkedIn targets, since each request uses many more credits than a standard page. Unused credits also vanish at renewal, so uneven usage can waste spend. The facts describe an API product only, with no apps or extensions, so non-developers would lean on DataPipeline. The free plan and the 7-day trial let you check fit before paying.