AlterLab vs ProxyCrawl: Which Scraping API Is Better in 2026?

TL;DR

Choose AlterLab if you want a no‑subscription, pay‑as‑you‑go API with instant sign‑up and simple per‑request pricing. Choose ProxyCrawl if you need large dedicated proxy pools, enterprise‑grade SLAs, or prefer token‑based billing with separate normal and JavaScript pools. Both provide anti‑bot bypass and JavaScript rendering, but AlterLab eliminates token‑type complexity and never expires your balance.

Introduction

When evaluating a web scraping API, pricing model and ease of use often decide the winner. For a detailed side‑by‑side view, see our comparison page. This post compares AlterLab and ProxyCrawl based solely on their public pricing pages and documentation as of 2026.

Pricing comparison

AlterLab uses a single dollar‑balance model: you add funds, and each request deducts a fraction of a cent based on the tier used. There are no subscriptions, no monthly minimums, and unused balance never expires. ProxyCrawl, by contrast, sells token bundles. Their public pricing page shows separate pools for “normal” tokens (for basic HTTP requests) and “JavaScript” tokens (for headless browser rendering). Example plans include a $29/month tier providing roughly 100,000 normal tokens and 20,000 JavaScript tokens, with higher tiers offering more tokens at a lower per‑token cost. Unused tokens typically reset at the end of the billing cycle.

Below is a quick infographic summarizing the core differences:

For a full breakdown, visit the AlterLab pricing page.

Feature comparison

Both platforms provide automatic proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, and JavaScript rendering via headless browsers. AlterLab’s five‑tier smart routing automatically selects the cheapest tier that can successfully fetch a page, escalating only when needed (e.g., from simple curl to full browser with captcha solving). ProxyCrawl offers a similar escalation but requires you to specify the token type (normal vs. JavaScript) for each request, which adds a small layer of complexity.

AlterLab’s API is intentionally minimal: one endpoint, one authentication header, and a JSON body. ProxyCrawl’s API requires you to track two token balances and choose the correct endpoint based on whether JavaScript rendering is needed.

When to choose ProxyCrawl

ProxyCrawl shines for organizations that:

• Need massive, dedicated proxy pools with geographic targeting.
• Prefer negotiating enterprise contracts with custom SLAs.
• Already operate within a token‑based budgeting system and want to separate normal and JavaScript consumption.
• Require advanced features like built‑in support for specific headless browser configurations (e.g., custom user agents, viewport sizes) without altering request structure.

These strengths come from ProxyCrawl’s focus on large‑scale crawling operations and its long‑history in the proxy market.

When to choose AlterLab

AlterLab is a better fit when you:

• Want to avoid subscriptions and only pay for what you use.
• Are a solo developer, startup, or small team that values instant sign‑up and no commitment.
• Prefer a single balance that never expires, simplifying forecasting.
• Desire straightforward API design—one endpoint, one API key, no token‑type math.
• Need LLM‑powered data extraction (Cortex AI) without implementing your own parsing pipelines.
• Appreciate automatic tier escalation that optimizes cost without manual intervention.

In short, AlterLab wins on self‑serve simplicity and predictable cost structure.

Migration guide

Switching from ProxyCrawl to AlterLab is straightforward because both expose a REST API with JSON payloads. The main change is the endpoint URL and authentication header. Below is a minimal migration example showing a basic scrape call.

# Before: ProxyCrawl
# proxycrawl_client.scrape(url, ...)

# After: AlterLab
import alterlab
client = alterlab.Client("YOUR_API_KEY")
response = client.scrape("https://example.com")
print(response.text)

curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

For a full walkthrough, see the Getting started guide.

Key takeaways

• AlterLab: pay‑as‑you‑go, no subscription, balance never expires, simple REST API, five‑tier smart routing.
• ProxyCrawl: token‑based plans with separate normal/JavaScript pools, large dedicated proxy pools, enterprise‑grade options.
• Choose AlterLab for predictable, low‑friction scraping; choose ProxyCrawl when you need massive proxy pools or prefer token‑based budgeting with enterprise support.

Compare other alternatives

If you’re evaluating other providers, see our other comparison guides:

• AlterLab vs ScraperAPI
• AlterLab vs Bright Data
• AlterLab vs Firecrawl

Ready to try AlterLab with zero commitment? Create your free account at /signup.

AlterLab // Web Data, Simplified.