Free Web Scraping API
AlterLab's Explorer tier includes a $1 signup grant (~5,000 requests) — no credit card required. Includes automatic website compatibility, JavaScript rendering, and datacenter proxy rotation. Signup grant never expires; paid usage from $0.0002/request.
Simple API, Powerful Results
Get started in minutes with our intuitive API. One request gives you structured data, screenshots, PDFs, and more. No browser management, no infrastructure headaches.
Multi-Format Output
Markdown, JSON, HTML, text
Adaptive Rendering
JS, SPAs, shadow DOM
3 Lines to Integrate
Any language, any stack
Up to 5,000 free scrapes included. No credit card required.
What Is Included in the Free Tier?
AlterLab's free tier is a full-featured Explorer account — not a limited demo.
5,000 Free Requests at Signup
Every account receives a one-time $1 signup grant (~5,000 requests). No credit card, no trial expiration.
JavaScript Rendering Included
Free tier includes JS rendering for standard dynamic websites — no manual browser setup needed.
Datacenter Proxy Rotation
Automatic proxy rotation is included in the free tier. Residential proxies are available on paid tiers.
Paid Balance Never Expires
When you upgrade, your balance stays until you use it — no monthly subscription required.
What Can You Build with 5,000 Free Requests?
5,000 requests goes further than you might expect.
Prototype Projects
Build and test scrapers without any upfront cost — 5,000 requests covers most proof-of-concept workloads.
Academic Research
Collect datasets for research projects at zero cost. The free tier supports most academic scraping needs.
Personal Projects
Run small scrapers for personal use indefinitely on the free tier with no expiration.
Testing & Evaluation
Evaluate AlterLab's full feature set — JavaScript rendering, proxy rotation, and structured extraction — before committing to paid usage.
Free Tier Comparison
See how AlterLab's free tier compares to other scraping APIs on the market.
Why Teams Switch to AlterLab
Smart routing, no subscriptions, balance that never expires
| Feature | AlterLab You are here | ScraperAPI | Bright Data | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Avg cost (real workload) Smart routing vs flat rate | ~$0.001 | $0.00049/credit | $0.0015 | $0.0063 |
Simple scrape Basic HTTP request | $0.0002 | $0.00049 | $0.0015 | $0.0063 |
JS rendering Full browser render | $0.004 | $0.0049 | $0.0015 | $0.0063 |
Free tier Free requests to start | Up to 5,000 scrapes | 5,000 credits | None | 500 scrapes |
Minimum Smallest purchase | $10 one-time | $49/month | $0 (PAYG) / $499/mo (subscription) | $19/month |
Balance expires? Does unused balance expire | Never | Monthly | Never (prepaid) / Monthly (subscription) | Monthly |
CAPTCHA solving Built-in CAPTCHA bypass | $0.02/solve | Extra cost | Extra cost | Not available |
Avg cost based on typical content/SEO workload (75% simple, 25% protected). Competitor prices from public pricing pages, March 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Python Web Scraping API
Official Python SDK with async support and 5,000 free scrapes.
Your first scrape.
Sixty seconds.
$1 free balance. No credit card. No SDK.
Just a POST request.
No credit card required · Up to 5,000 free scrapes · Balance never expire