Is AlterLab a good Crawlbase alternative?

Yes. AlterLab covers all Crawlbase use cases — HTML scraping, JavaScript rendering, protected site handling, proxy rotation — with simpler pricing and stronger capabilities. No token types to manage, no monthly subscription, and your balance never expires.

How does AlterLab pricing compare to Crawlbase?

AlterLab is up to 80% cheaper. Basic pages cost $0.0002/request (vs Crawlbase ~$0.0010 with normal tokens). JavaScript rendering is $0.0010/request (vs Crawlbase ~$0.0050 with JS tokens). There's no subscription — pay only for what you use, and your balance never resets.

Can I drop Crawlbase's normal token vs. JS token system when switching?

Yes, and that's one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements. AlterLab automatically routes each request to the appropriate tier — Tier 1 for simple static pages, Tier 2+ for JavaScript-heavy SPAs. You send one request; AlterLab figures out the right approach. No more guessing which token type to use.

Does AlterLab handle protected sites better than Crawlbase?

Yes. While Crawlbase has some protected site support, it doesn't escalate automatically when a site blocks the request. AlterLab uses 5 progressive tiers — from basic proxies to full browser emulation with CAPTCHA solving — escalating automatically until the scrape succeeds. Sites that fail on Crawlbase often succeed on AlterLab's higher tiers.

Does AlterLab support the same sites as Crawlbase?

AlterLab supports all the same site types: static HTML, JavaScript SPAs, bot-detection-protected sites, e-commerce, and login-gated pages. The 5-tier approach means you're always using the cheapest viable method — no manual configuration needed.

Crawlbase Alternative

Crawlbase Token Math Is Confusing. AlterLab Isn't.

One simple price per request. No normal tokens vs. JS tokens to manage — AlterLab auto-routes to the right tier. Pay for what you scrape, 80% less.

80%

Cheaper than Crawlbase

Based on average usage across all tiers

99.9% uptime

195+ countries

No credit card

80% cheaper JS rendering ($0.001 vs $0.005/request)

No token types — one API key, one endpoint

5-tier anti-bot routing vs Crawlbase's 2-mode system

Balance never expires (no monthly reset)

No subscription — $10 minimum vs monthly plans

5,000 free requests — no credit card required

See Pricing Comparison

Common frustrations

Why developers leave Crawlbase

Real pain points from developers who switched to AlterLab

Two Token Types, Endless Confusion

Crawlbase requires you to choose between 'normal tokens' and 'JS tokens' for every request. Get it wrong and you either waste expensive JS tokens on simple pages, or fail to render dynamic content. AlterLab's 5-tier routing makes this decision automatically.

5x More Expensive for JavaScript Rendering

Crawlbase charges ~$0.005 per JS token vs AlterLab's $0.001 for JS rendering. At 1M JavaScript-rendered requests per month, that's $4,000 vs $800 — a difference that compounds as you scale.

Weak Anti-Bot Escalation

Crawlbase has limited escalation for protected sites. When a site blocks your request, Crawlbase returns an error. AlterLab automatically escalates through 5 tiers — residential proxies, full browser rendering, CAPTCHA solving — until the scrape succeeds.

Interactive Calculator

See How Much You Save

Drag the slider to calculate your exact savings vs Crawlbase

pricing-calculator

Scraping Mode

Monthly Volume

100K

Best Price

AlterLab

$20.00

$0.0002 per request

Crawlbase

$100.00

$0.0010 per request

Your Monthly Savings

$80.00

80% less every month with AlterLab

That's $960.00 back in your budget annually

No credit card

5,000 free requests

2-min setup

Feature-by-Feature

Every feature, side by side

See exactly how AlterLab compares to Crawlbase across all key features

Feature	AlterLab Winner	Crawlbase
Price per basic request Cost for a standard HTTP scrape	$0.0002	$0.0010
Price per JS-rendered request Cost when JavaScript execution is needed	$0.0010	$0.0050
Token types to manage Number of pricing tiers you must select manually	Auto-routed	2 (normal + JS)
Balance expiry Whether unused balance resets	Never expires	Monthly reset
Minimum spend Minimum amount to start using the API	$10 one-time	Monthly plan
Free tier Free requests to try the API	5,000 requests	Trial available

Save 80% vs Crawlbase

Same features, 80% less

Get the same capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Start with 5,000 free scrapes — no credit card required.

View Detailed Pricing

Live API Preview

See AlterLab in action

One endpoint. Any website. Results in under 2 seconds. No Crawlbase complexity.

AlterLab API Playground

Click Run to see the response

// Response will appear here...

Try it yourself with 5,000 free requests

No credit card required. Get your API key in 30 seconds.

Migration Time: 10 minutes

Switch from Crawlbase in 10 minutes

Simple easy migration process. No downtime, no complex setup.

Migration Steps

Code Migration Example

Before (Crawlbase)

Python

curl "https://api.crawlbase.com/?token=NORMAL_TOKEN&url=https://example.com"

# JS rendering requires a different token:
curl "https://api.crawlbase.com/?token=JS_TOKEN&url=https://example.com"

After (AlterLab)

Python

# One endpoint, one key — AlterLab auto-selects the right tier:
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/scrape \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# Force JS rendering if needed (or let auto-routing decide):
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/scrape \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com", "tier": 2}'

Compatibility Notes

•AlterLab auto-routes to JS rendering when needed — no separate JS token required
•Response format is JSON by default; raw HTML available via the 'formats' parameter
•All Crawlbase-supported site types are supported — static, SPA, bot-detection-protected, e-commerce
•Existing Crawlbase proxy rotation logic can be removed — AlterLab handles rotation internally