Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Short answer: Choose Crawlbase for a framework-agnostic URL-to-data stack with pay-per-success positioning, integrated storage, managed scrapers, and an asynchronous crawler for very large queues. Choose Zyte when automatic request tiers, browser actions, session management, automatic extraction, or close alignment with Scrapy Cloud matter more. Both document JavaScript rendering, proxy and geolocation controls, and anti-bot handling, so the decisive test is your target domains, request mix, concurrency, and required fields—not a feature checklist alone.
Prices and limits below are vendor-published for 2026 and can change. Neither vendor’s success-rate or performance statements are an independent head-to-head benchmark.
At a glance: Crawlbase or Zyte?
| Decision factor | Crawlbase | Zyte |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | Framework-agnostic web-data platform: Crawling API, Smart AI Proxy, Enterprise Crawler, Cloud Storage, managed scrapers, and Web MCP Server. | Usage-priced scraping API with automatic proxy rotation and ban handling, plus browser, extraction, data and Scrapy Cloud services. |
| Billing emphasis | Charges only successful requests; failed calls are not charged. | Pay-as-you-go or monthly commitments; target site and request type determine a tier. Unsuccessful responses are free, while some actions and add-ons have separate charges. |
| JavaScript and browser work | JavaScript rendering, anti-bot bypass, geo-routing and scraper helpers in the Crawling API; Enterprise Crawler handles asynchronous queues. | Headless-browser JavaScript execution, browser actions, instant browsers, CAPTCHA solving, session cookies and geolocation. |
| Extraction | Managed scrapers and structured outputs. | Automatic extraction and custom attributes, with separate usage charges for some extraction features. |
| Best ecosystem fit | Plain HTTP or SDK clients, one token across products, integrated storage and high-volume asynchronous crawling. | API or proxy integration, automatic site/request tiers, browser workflows and Scrapy Cloud. |
If you need screenshots rather than crawl responses, ScreenshotNeo is the alternative to try first: it returns clean captures, bills only clean shots, and has a lower paid entry plan. It is a screenshot API, not a replacement for a general web-data crawler.
How Crawlbase is organized
Crawling API for request-to-response jobs
Crawlbase presents its Crawling API as the straightforward URL-in/data-out surface. Its documentation lists JavaScript rendering, anti-bot bypass, geo-routing and scraper helpers. A single token authenticates the platform’s documented products, so a team can begin with HTTP requests and add other surfaces without creating a separate credential model.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
Smart AI Proxy for proxy-shaped integrations
Smart AI Proxy is designed to preserve an existing proxy-style request shape. That can reduce application changes when your current crawler already expects to send traffic through a proxy endpoint rather than call a data-extraction API directly.
Enterprise Crawler for asynchronous queues
Enterprise Crawler is the fit for very large URL sets. Crawlbase says it manages retries, rate and persistence, allowing the client to submit work to a durable asynchronous queue instead of implementing those controls in the application. This is materially different from issuing thousands of independent synchronous HTTP calls.
Storage, managed scrapers and MCP
The broader platform includes Cloud Storage, managed scrapers and a Web MCP Server. Crawlbase comparison material lists 10,000 documents and 14-day retention for its free storage offer. Treat that as a specific free-offer term, not a universal retention promise for every plan or product.
How Zyte is organized
API and proxy modes
Zyte supports direct API requests as well as proxy modes. Automatic proxy rotation and ban handling are part of its positioning, while the target website and request type determine which usage tier applies. Zyte documents five tiers each for HTTP and browser requests; assignment is automatic and reviewed quarterly.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsBrowser execution and actions
For JavaScript-heavy sites, Zyte documents headless-browser execution, browser actions, instant browsers, session cookies, geolocation and CAPTCHA solving. These controls are useful when a page requires interaction or state before the desired content appears, not merely JavaScript execution during initial load.
Automatic extraction and custom attributes
Zyte offers automatic extraction and custom attributes. Additional charges can apply to extraction, custom attributes, actions, captures and screenshots, so estimate the complete request workflow rather than multiplying only the base request price.
Scrapy Cloud alignment
Zyte’s services include Scrapy Cloud, making it a natural candidate when your team already operates Scrapy spiders and wants managed scheduling and execution around the API. A framework-agnostic service can still call Zyte, but the operational advantage is greatest in a Scrapy-centered stack.
Pricing compared
| Item | Crawlbase | Zyte |
|---|---|---|
| Free start | Up to 5,000 free requests: 1,000 on signup plus additional onboarding amounts. | Standard plans include $5 initial credit; Enterprise includes $200 initial credit. |
| Published starting price | Homepage says optional subscriptions start at $99 per month. The reviewed page did not show an exact pay-as-you-go rate card. | From $0.06 per 1,000 successful responses. |
| Success billing | Vendor states that only successful requests are charged, never failed calls. | Unsuccessful responses are free; actions, captures, screenshots, extraction, custom attributes and residential-network use can add charges. |
| Standard rate limit | Not stated in the reviewed material. | 3,000 requests per minute. |
| Enterprise rate limit | Enterprise Crawler is described as a high-throughput asynchronous queue; a numeric RPM limit was not stated. | 10,000 requests per minute. |
| Request tiers | Not presented as an automatic five-tier HTTP/browser system. | Five HTTP tiers and five browser tiers; assignment is automatic and reviewed quarterly. |
The prices are not directly interchangeable. Zyte’s $0.06 figure is a starting price per 1,000 successful responses, while the applicable tier depends on the site and request type. Crawlbase publishes a free-start allowance and a $99 monthly subscription reference but not the exact pay-as-you-go rate in the reviewed homepage. Obtain a current quote or rate card for your expected domains and rendering mode before comparing monthly totals.
Recommended Free Tools
Billing details that change the calculation
Define what counts as a billable success
Both vendors describe protection against paying for unsuccessful responses, but you still need to define success in your own pipeline. A HTTP 200 response can contain an interstitial, incomplete HTML or an application error. Record status, body validation, extraction-field presence and vendor billing headers or usage records so accounting reflects usable data.
Separate HTTP, browser and add-on workloads
Make separate estimates for plain HTTP, JavaScript/browser requests, browser actions, screenshots or captures, and extraction features. Zyte’s tier system and add-on charges make one blended “requests per month” number misleading. Crawlbase users should likewise distinguish synchronous Crawling API traffic from Enterprise Crawler queue volume and storage.
Model retries and cache behavior
Count application retries, vendor retries and cache hits independently. Ask each vendor how a retry, a blocked response, a timeout and a cached response appear in usage reporting. Run the same representative URL set through the intended settings before committing to a monthly volume.
Rendering, anti-bot and geography
JavaScript rendering
Crawlbase documents JavaScript rendering in the Crawling API. Zyte documents headless-browser JavaScript execution and instant browsers. Test pages that load content after scrolling, require a click, or depend on client-side API calls; “supports JavaScript” does not guarantee identical behavior on every framework.
CAPTCHAs, bans and consent flows
Both vendors describe anti-bot capabilities. Zyte specifically documents CAPTCHA solving, while Crawlbase documents anti-bot bypass. Results vary by domain and challenge type. Include login, consent, rate-limit and CAPTCHA cases in a controlled test and ensure your use complies with the target site’s terms and applicable law.
Proxy rotation and geo-routing
Crawlbase lists geo-routing; Zyte lists automatic proxy rotation and geolocation. Validate the country, ASN or city requirement you actually need. A request routed through the right country can still receive a different page because of cookies, account state or language headers.
Extraction and data operations
When managed extraction saves engineering time
Crawlbase managed scrapers and structured outputs are useful when a supported site or data shape matches your project. Zyte automatic extraction and custom attributes are useful when you want the service to identify fields rather than maintain all selectors yourself. Compare field coverage, update workflow, validation and per-field charges—not just whether a product advertises “automatic extraction.”
When raw HTML is safer
For a small number of stable page types, retrieving rendered HTML and owning parsing can be easier to test and version. It also lets you keep one parser across vendors during a migration. The trade-off is that you own selector changes, pagination, retries and data-quality monitoring.
Storage and retention
Crawlbase’s reviewed free storage offer lists 10,000 documents with 14-day retention. The reviewed Zyte pricing pages did not state an equivalent storage-retention promise. If retention is part of your compliance or replay plan, request the exact region, duration, deletion behavior and export format in writing.
Which product fits common stacks?
Choose Crawlbase when
- You want a plain HTTP or SDK integration that is not tied to a particular crawler framework.
- Pay-per-success positioning and a free start of up to 5,000 requests are important.
- You need integrated storage, managed scrapers or a Web MCP Server alongside crawling.
- You are queuing millions of URLs and prefer an asynchronous service to manage retries, rate and persistence.
Choose Zyte when
- Your workloads need browser actions, session cookies, CAPTCHA solving or instant browsers.
- You want automatic HTTP/browser tiers based on the target site and request type.
- Automatic extraction or custom attributes are central to the pipeline.
- Your team already uses Scrapy and benefits from Scrapy Cloud alignment, enterprise support and governance options.
Use both during a migration
Keeping an abstraction around fetch, render, extract and usage events lets you trial both services against the same URL corpus. Normalize response status, final URL, render duration, extracted-field completeness, retry count and billed outcome. This produces a decision based on your workload rather than a vendor feature list.
A practical evaluation plan
- Build a representative corpus. Include static pages, JavaScript apps, infinite scroll, login-gated pages, consent banners, regional variants, deliberate 404s and known bot challenges.
- Define acceptance tests. Specify required fields, maximum stale age, allowed missing values, screenshot or HTML evidence, and what constitutes a billable success for your team.
- Run each request mode separately. Test HTTP, browser rendering, actions, extraction and geolocation as distinct workloads.
- Measure operational outcomes. Capture usable-record rate, challenge rate, median and tail latency, retry volume, concurrency behavior, storage needs and reported charges.
- Review governance. Confirm data residency, retention, deletion, support response, SLA language and permitted use for your domains.
- Recheck live pricing. Zyte tiers are workload dependent, and Crawlbase rates or free-tier terms can change.
Troubleshooting common failures
Rendered page is empty
Confirm that the content is not behind login or a consent action, increase the wait condition, and verify that the required API calls are not blocked. Compare a raw HTTP request with a browser-rendered request before changing parsers.
Requests are challenged or banned
Lower concurrency, use the documented proxy or geo controls, preserve a session where required, and test whether the target’s challenge appears only after a threshold. Do not assume a new IP alone fixes account, cookie or fingerprint signals.
Costs are higher than the headline rate
Break usage into HTTP versus browser tiers, retries, actions, captures, screenshots, extraction and residential-network traffic. For Zyte, confirm the automatically assigned tier and quarterly review. For Crawlbase, distinguish free onboarding requests, subscription commitments, storage and queue volume.
Extraction fields are inconsistent
Save the source response and parser version, test multiple templates and languages, and define a fallback when automatic extraction returns a partial record. A successful transport response is not proof that every business field was extracted.
Queue throughput is lower than expected
Check your own producer rate, downstream storage, per-domain limits and retry storms. For Enterprise Crawler or any asynchronous service, monitor queue age and completion rate instead of only request rate.
ScreenshotNeo as a separate screenshot option
If your requirement is a reliable website screenshot rather than scraped records, try ScreenshotNeo first. It accepts cookie and consent banners like a visitor, removes more than 60 known consent platforms plus newsletter popups and chat widgets, and bills only clean shots. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and each response identifies the page verdict and billing result in headers.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
ScreenshotNeo is separate from Crawlbase and Zyte’s crawling workflows. It offers an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools. Its capture options include full-page lazy-image loading, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, device presets, custom viewport and retina scale, PDF controls, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, wait conditions, request blocking, headers, cookies, user agent, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, configurable cache TTL, signed image links, asynchronous webhooks, bulk capture for 100 URLs per call, usage API and OpenAPI support.
Best Value
One-call example
See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for parameter details. This cURL request writes a WebP screenshot to shot.webp:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython:
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)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}`);The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; yearly billing gives two months free, and every feature is on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to try it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I compare the vendors using only requests per minute?
No. Browser work, retries, extraction actions, geography and per-domain limits can dominate both cost and completion time. Compare a representative URL corpus and record usable records, tail latency and billed outcomes.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIs Crawlbase’s free allowance the same as a permanent monthly quota?
The published offer describes up to 5,000 free requests made up of 1,000 on signup plus additional onboarding amounts. Confirm current eligibility and expiry terms before budgeting it as recurring capacity.
Should I choose a browser API or a proxy API for a JavaScript site?
Use a browser-capable mode when content requires execution or interaction; use a proxy-shaped request when your existing client already handles rendering and only needs traffic routing. Test both against the target domain.
Quick Recap
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.
