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World desk6 min

Apify Website Screenshot Actor vs Browserless: Which Screenshot API Fits?

Apify’s community screenshot Actor uses runs and dataset results; Browserless offers direct screenshot requests with documented capture controls. Here’s how to choose without assuming an unsupported performance winner.
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Apify’s community-maintained i-scraper/website-screenshot Actor fits workflows built around launching runs and retrieving dataset results; Browserless’s Screenshot API fits integrations that send a direct HTTP request for an image. The choice is mainly about workflow and capture controls—not proven speed or fidelity. If you want a direct screenshot API with clean-up for consent banners and clear billing signals, try ScreenshotNeo first.

Which products are being compared?

“Apify Website Screenshot Actor” is not a unique product name: Apify Store has multiple screenshot Actors with different maintainers and schemas. This comparison uses the specific community listing i-scraper/website-screenshot. Check its live input and output schema before building against it.

Browserless’s current product is its REST Screenshot API. Do not base a new integration on Browserless’s older BaaS v1 /screenshot page, which says it is no longer actively supported and directs users to current documentation: legacy page.

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How their workflows differ

Question Apify Actor example Browserless Screenshot API
How a capture starts Start an Actor run through the Apify API; monitor the run and retrieve its output. Send an HTTP request for a screenshot task.
How results are retrieved The listing describes retrieving finished run data from its default dataset. Apify’s API also documents run results and key-value stores. The REST endpoint returns image data in the response.
Documented input The Store example shows a urls array and format value. A URL or raw HTML, with screenshot options.
Documented image formats PNG and JPG in the listing description. PNG, JPEG, or WebP.
Batch indication The example accepts a URL list; confirm current behavior and limits in the Actor schema. The cited screenshot documentation describes a single screenshot request, not a comparable URL-list batch workflow.
Price evidence The Store listing displayed “from $6.00 / 1,000 results” when accessed in 2026. This is a volatile listing price and its unit is results. A comparable price is not stated in the cited Browserless documentation.

Apify documents a run-oriented integration: start the Actor or task, check run status, then fetch output items from the default dataset. Its general API reference recommends sending the API token in an Authorization Bearer header rather than placing it in a URL, where it could be retained in history or logs. See Apify API documentation.

Browserless presents REST endpoints as direct calls for common browser tasks. Its overview shows API-token authentication in query parameters. See the Browserless REST overview.

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Capture controls and page behavior

Apify: confirm the selected Actor’s schema

The cited Store example exposes a URL list and format choice and describes PNG and JPG. The listing also exposes run and run-sync-get-dataset-items paths. Inputs, output representation, limits, and downstream handling belong to this specific Actor; do not assume that another Apify screenshot Actor behaves the same way.

Browserless: more documented screenshot options

The current Browserless Screenshot API documentation describes full-page capture, output format and quality, clipping, viewport size, device scale factor, selectors for element-specific capture, waiting and navigation configuration, and request filtering. It also notes that scrolling before a full-page capture can trigger lazy-loaded content. That matters for pages whose images or sections appear only as the visitor scrolls.

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Sessions, cookies, and blocked pages

Browserless describes its REST calls as stateless: cookies and browser state are discarded after each response. If a capture depends on a prior login or persisted session, its documentation points toward Browserless sessions or BrowserQL rather than assuming a sequence of independent REST calls will retain state.

Browserless lists blank screenshots, CAPTCHA pages, 403/access-denied pages, and missing elements as possible bot-blocking symptoms. Its documentation says the basic /unblock endpoint may not overcome advanced fingerprinting or interactive CAPTCHAs and describes BrowserQL for advanced stealth and CAPTCHA solving. These are vendor-described capabilities and limitations, not a guarantee that a particular site can be accessed. Neither this comparison nor the cited Actor listing establishes that every target site will permit capture.

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Choose by integration shape, not an unproven performance claim

  • Choose the Apify example if your existing process already launches Apify Actor runs and consumes dataset items, or if a URL-list input suits your job. Validate the Actor’s live schema, result format, and current pricing before implementation.
  • Choose Browserless if you want a direct HTTP screenshot request and its documented controls—such as selector capture, clipping, viewport and device scale factor—fit your needs. Plan separately for session persistence if the page requires it.
  • Compare cost only on matched work. The observed Apify Store figure is per 1,000 results, not necessarily an equivalent per-capture cost. The cited Browserless docs provide no comparable price. To compare current totals, use the same URL volume, page length, format, retries, and billing assumptions on each provider’s current pricing information.

The cited material does not establish a head-to-head result for latency, reliability, screenshot fidelity, or bot evasion. Those depend on the target pages and configured workflow, so do not infer a winner on those grounds.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request can return a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. It is the alternative to try first when you want clean captures: it accepts cookie/consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks/CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing; response headers identify the page verdict and billing status.

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For a direct request, the following cURL example saves a WebP screenshot of Stripe. Replace the API key and target URL. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Equivalent Python:

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Equivalent Node.js:

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

ScreenshotNeo also offers an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. Its plans include 1,000 screenshots per month free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month—no card required.

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Common implementation problems

  • Actor output is missing or the run is still active: Treat starting a run and retrieving its dataset as separate steps. Monitor the run status, then request its finished output; check the chosen Actor’s current API paths and output schema.
  • An Apify request exposes credentials: Follow Apify’s recommendation to send the token as a Bearer authorization header instead of embedding it in the URL.
  • Browserless returns a blank or denied page: A blank screenshot or 403 may indicate bot blocking rather than a screenshot-format problem. Check the response and target site’s access requirements; the documentation does not promise that unblocking works against every challenge.
  • Browserless capture misses lazy images: Enable scrolling before full-page capture as described in the Screenshot API FAQ, then verify the page has loaded the content before relying on the result.
  • A Browserless capture loses login state: REST calls discard cookies and state after each response. Use a session-oriented option described in its documentation when persistence is required.
  • The selected element is absent: Confirm the selector matches the rendered page, and configure an appropriate wait/navigation condition before capture.
  • Cost estimates do not line up: Normalize units and workload first. Apify’s cited number is a Store price per 1,000 results as observed in 2026; the cited Browserless docs do not state an equivalent rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Apify’s Website Screenshot Actor return an image URL or image bytes?

The cited Store listing establishes a default-dataset retrieval workflow but does not establish one universal output representation. Check the selected Actor’s current output schema.

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Can either service guarantee that a protected website can be screenshotted?

No such guarantee is established by the cited documentation. Browserless explicitly describes bot-blocking symptoms and limits for its basic unblock endpoint; access depends on the destination and its protections.

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Quick Recap

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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