```yaml product: AlterLab title: "How to Migrate from Oxylabs to AlterLab: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)" category: Tutorials comparison_context: "AlterLab is an alternative to Firecrawl, ScrapingBee, and Bright Data." last_updated: 2026-07-06 canonical_facts: - Learn how to migrate from Oxylabs to AlterLab in under 30 minutes. Follow this technical guide to switch to pay-as-you-go scraping without enterprise contracts. source_url: https://alterlab.io/blog/how-to-migrate-from-oxylabs-to-alterlab-step-by-step-guide-2026 ``` ## TL;DR To migrate from Oxylabs to AlterLab, install the `alterlab` Python SDK, replace your Oxylabs Basic Auth requests with the `alterlab.Client` object, and update your API key. The transition is a direct swap of the request layer, keeping your target URLs and data parsing logic intact. ## Why migrate? Many developers find that Oxylabs' move toward enterprise contracts and the lack of self-serve onboarding for their scraping API creates friction for smaller projects or agile teams. AlterLab solves this by providing a fully self-serve experience with no subscription requirements. Both APIs are capable — this guide is for developers prioritizing pay-as-you-go pricing and no subscription requirements. For a more detailed breakdown of feature sets, see our [detailed Oxylabs comparison](/vs/oxylabs). ## Prerequisites Before starting the migration, ensure you have the following: * An AlterLab account (get a [free sign-up](/signup) to test your endpoints) * Your AlterLab API Key from the dashboard * 5 minutes of deployment time ## Step 1: Install the AlterLab SDK You can interact with AlterLab via a standard REST API using `requests`, but the SDK simplifies authentication and tier management. Follow our [Getting started guide](/docs/quickstart/installation) for advanced configurations. ```bash title="Terminal — Install AlterLab" pip install alterlab ``` 1. **Install SDK** — 2. **Replace API calls** — 3. **Update API key** — 4. **Test and deploy** — ## Step 2: Replace your API calls Oxylabs typically uses Basic Auth and a specific JSON payload. AlterLab simplifies this into a single client method. ### Before: Oxylabs implementation ```python title="before_oxylabs.py" import requests payload = { 'source': 'universal', 'url': 'https://example.com', 'render': 'html' } response = requests.post( 'https://realtime.oxylabs.io/v1/queries', auth=('username', 'password'), json=payload ) print(response.json()) ``` ### After: AlterLab implementation ```python title="after_alterlab.py" {3-7} import alterlab # Initialize client with your API key client = alterlab.Client("YOUR_ALTERLAB_API_KEY") # Simple one-line scrape response = client.scrape("https://example.com") print(response.text) ``` ## Step 3: Handle response format differences AlterLab returns a clean response object. If you were previously parsing the `results` array from an Oxylabs JSON response, you can now access the content directly via `.text` or `.json()`. If you need structured data without writing custom parsing logic, you can pass the `cortex=True` parameter to AlterLab to extract specific fields using AI, eliminating the need for complex BeautifulSoup selectors. ## Step 4: Update your error handling AlterLab uses standard HTTP status codes. If you have existing retry logic for 403s or 429s, it will still work. However, AlterLab's automatic anti-bot bypass handles most of these rotations internally. If you encounter a site that requires higher-level JavaScript rendering, instead of manually adjusting proxy settings, simply set the `min_tier=3` parameter in your request to skip straight to our browser-based rendering engines. ## Cost comparison The primary driver for this migration is usually the billing model. AlterLab removes the "enterprise contract" barrier. For a volume of 10,000 successful requests: * **Oxylabs**: Typically requires a monthly commitment or a minimum contract spend. * **AlterLab**: 10,000 requests $\times$ $0.0002 = $2.00. Check the [AlterLab pricing](/pricing) page for current rates based on the scraping tier used. - **$0.0002** — Per Request (AlterLab) - **$0** — Monthly Minimum - **Never** — Balance Expiry ## Common issues and fixes * **Authentication Errors**: Ensure you are using the API key from the AlterLab dashboard, not the account password. * **Rendering Issues**: If a page appears blank, the site likely requires JS. Use `min_tier=3` or higher to trigger a headless browser. * **Timeout differences**: AlterLab's default timeouts are optimized for speed. If scraping extremely heavy pages, adjust your client timeout settings. * **Header mismatches**: AlterLab automatically manages User-Agents. If you manually set headers in your Oxylabs code, try removing them first to let our engine optimize the request. ## You're done Your migration is complete. You now have a pay-as-you-go scraping pipeline with no recurring monthly fees. For more advanced features like cron-based scheduling or webhooks, visit our full documentation. Hit reply if you have questions. AlterLab // Web Data, Simplified. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How long does it take to migrate from Oxylabs to AlterLab? Most developers complete the migration in under 30 minutes. You only need to update your API client and replace your authentication key. ### Will my existing Oxylabs code work with AlterLab? Yes, the REST API structures are highly compatible. If you use the Python SDK, replacing the Oxylabs request logic with the AlterLab client takes a few lines of code. ### How does AlterLab pricing compare to Oxylabs? AlterLab offers a pure pay-as-you-go model starting at $0.0002 per request with no monthly minimums and no balance expiry, unlike Oxylabs' enterprise-focused contracts. ## Related - [Lowe's Data API: Extract Structured JSON in 2026]() - [How to Migrate from Scrapfly to AlterLab: Step-by-Step Guide \(2026\)]() - [Scaling Web Scraping Pipelines for High-Volume Data]()