What is ScrapingBee?
ScrapingBee is a headless-browser scraping API designed for developers who need reliable HTML from JS-heavy public pages without operating browsers themselves. Requests are billed in credits, and the default path often assumes JavaScript rendering.
Credit cost depends on mode: classic without JS, classic with JS, premium proxies with JS, and stealth with JS. The free tier (1,000 credits) does not require a card according to ScrapingBee’s public materials - useful for a smoke test before you model production cost.
Use ScrapingBee when you want an API-shaped scraper with clear mode multipliers. Do not treat headline credit totals as page counts; estimate successful-page cost after the mode you actually need.
Who ScrapingBee is for
Best for
- +JS-heavy public pages where a managed headless stack helps
- +Teams that want a free tier without a card for early tests
- +Scraping API workflows with explicit classic / premium / stealth modes
Skip if
- -You need a full actor marketplace or workflow platform (see Apify)
- -You want LLM-ready markdown crawl pipelines (see Firecrawl)
- -You only need SERP structured results
ScrapingBee pricing
Monthly credit plans from ScrapingBee’s public pricing. JS is commonly the default path - include that in cost models.
| Plan | Billing | Price | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | monthly | $0 | 1,000 credits | 1000 credits, no credit card. Credit multipliers apply. |
| Freelance | monthly | $49 | 250,000 credits | 250k credits. classic no JS=1; classic+JS=5 (default); premium+JS=25; stealth+JS=75. |
| Startup | monthly | $99 | 1,000,000 credits | 1M credits. Same credit multipliers apply. |
| Business | monthly | $249 | 3,000,000 credits | 3M credits. Same credit multipliers apply. |
Features & capabilities
Values from public docs and pricing pages. Unknown means not verified - not “no”.
Limitations
JS is default and costs 5 credits. Premium/stealth multiply further. Success rates not verified here.
FAQ
Does ScrapingBee require a credit card for the free plan?
Public materials indicate a free 1,000-credit tier that does not require a card. Confirm on scrapingbee.com before signing up.
How much does JavaScript rendering cost?
Classic with JS is listed at 5 credits (JS is default). Premium+JS is 25 credits; stealth+JS is 75 credits. Classic without JS is 1 credit.
What type of tool is ScrapingBee?
ScrapingBee is listed as a Scraping API. URL-in, data-out APIs for developers who need programmable extraction without running their own browser fleet.
Is there a free plan or trial?
A free plan is indicated: Free: 1000 credits, no credit card required (public pricing).
How much does ScrapingBee cost?
Public paid plans start at from $49 on our snapshot. Billing units differ by vendor (credits, searches, browser hours).
Does ScraperDB invent success rates?
No. We publish sourced pricing and capability signals and mark unknowns instead of inventing benchmarks.
Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission. Sponsored slots are labeled and do not change organic scores.