---
title: "Firecrawl vs ScrapingBee: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder"
description: "Firecrawl vs ScrapingBee compared for 2026 — pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which web scraping & data extraction tool is the better fit for your startup."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/firecrawl-vs-scrapingbee
retrieved: 2026-09-11
---

Web Scraping & Data Extraction

# Firecrawl vs ScrapingBee: Which is Better in 2026?

Choosing between [Firecrawl](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/firecrawl) and [ScrapingBee](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/scrapingbee)? Both are popular web scraping & data extraction tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.

Quick verdict

Firecrawl is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while ScrapingBee does not. Choose ScrapingBee when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Firecrawl rates slightly higher (4.7 vs 4.5 out of 5).

## Firecrawl vs ScrapingBee — Side by Side

|                | Firecrawl                                     | ScrapingBee                                 |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Category       | Web Scraping & Data Extraction                | Web Scraping & Data Extraction              |
| Pricing        | Free · paid from $19/mo                       | From $19/mo                                 |
| Starting price | Free tier available                           | From $19/mo                                 |
| Free tier      | ✓                                             | —                                           |
| Rating         | 4.7                                           | 4.5                                         |
| Best for       | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — crawler, llm | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — api, proxy |

## Pros & Cons

F

[Firecrawl](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/firecrawl)

* ✓Markdown output is genuinely LLM-ready
* ✓Open source and self-hostable (AGPL)
* ✓Handles JS rendering and proxies for you
* ✓Cheap entry tier
* ✗Credits burn fast on JS-heavy sites
* ✗Self-hosting means running your own proxy pool
* ✗Crawl depth limits on lower tiers

S

[ScrapingBee](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/scrapingbee)

* ✓Simplest API in the category
* ✓Proxy rotation and CAPTCHAs included
* ✓Predictable credit pricing
* ✓Good docs and client libraries
* ✗No self-hosted option
* ✗JS rendering costs 5x credits
* ✗No prebuilt scrapers to borrow

## Key Features Compared

### Firecrawl

* ✓5,000 credits / month
* ✓5 concurrent requests
* ✓Pay-as-you-go top-ups

### ScrapingBee

* ✓75,000 API credits
* ✓25 concurrent requests

### Choose Firecrawl if…

* ✓You want to start free — Firecrawl has a free tier and ScrapingBee does not.
* ✓Markdown output is genuinely LLM-ready
* ✓Open source and self-hostable (AGPL)
* ✓Handles JS rendering and proxies for you
[Firecrawl review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/firecrawl)

### Choose ScrapingBee if…

* ✓Simplest API in the category
* ✓Proxy rotation and CAPTCHAs included
* ✓Predictable credit pricing
[ScrapingBee review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/scrapingbee)

## Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firecrawl better than ScrapingBee?⌄

Firecrawl is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while ScrapingBee does not. Choose ScrapingBee when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Firecrawl rates slightly higher (4.7 vs 4.5 out of 5).

What is the difference between Firecrawl and ScrapingBee?⌄

Firecrawl — Turns any site into LLM-ready markdown with one API call — crawl, scrape, search and extract, with JS rendering and proxies handled for you. ScrapingBee — Scraping API that handles headless browsers, proxy rotation and CAPTCHAs behind a single HTTP endpoint. Both are web scraping & data extraction tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.

Firecrawl vs ScrapingBee: which is cheaper?⌄

Firecrawl pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo. ScrapingBee pricing: From $19/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

Which is rated higher, Firecrawl or ScrapingBee?⌄

In our catalog, Firecrawl rates 4.7 out of 5 and ScrapingBee rates 4.5 out of 5, so Firecrawl has a slight edge on reviews.

See more options in our guide to the [best web scraping & data extraction tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/web-scraping).

## Still not sure which to pick?

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