Firecrawl vs Zyte API: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Firecrawl and Zyte API? 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 Zyte API does not. Choose Zyte API when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Firecrawl rates slightly higher (4.7 vs 4.3 out of 5).
Firecrawl vs Zyte API — Side by Side
| Firecrawl | Zyte API | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Scraping & Data Extraction | Web Scraping & Data Extraction |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $19/mo | Usage-based |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Pay-as-you-go |
| Free tier | — | |
| Rating | 4.7 | 4.3 |
| Best for | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — crawler, llm | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — scrapy, api |
Pros & Cons
- 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
- Only successful responses are billed
- Priced by actual resource use per request
- Made by the Scrapy team
- Scrapy itself stays free and open source
- No flat monthly tier to budget against
- Cost per request is hard to predict
- Monthly commitment is use-it-or-lose-it
Key Features Compared
Firecrawl
- 5,000 credits / month
- 5 concurrent requests
- Pay-as-you-go top-ups
Zyte API
- Charged only for successful responses
- $100 default monthly spending limit
- Automatic volume discounts
Choose Firecrawl if…
- You want to start free — Firecrawl has a free tier and Zyte API does not.
- Markdown output is genuinely LLM-ready
- Open source and self-hostable (AGPL)
- Handles JS rendering and proxies for you
Choose Zyte API if…
- Only successful responses are billed
- Priced by actual resource use per request
- Made by the Scrapy team
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Firecrawl better than Zyte API?⌄
Firecrawl is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while Zyte API does not. Choose Zyte API when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Firecrawl rates slightly higher (4.7 vs 4.3 out of 5).
What is the difference between Firecrawl and Zyte API?⌄
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. Zyte API — Usage-priced scraping API from the team behind Scrapy, charging per successful request on a tier that reflects how hard the site was. Both are web scraping & data extraction tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Firecrawl vs Zyte API: which is cheaper?⌄
Firecrawl pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo. Zyte API pricing: Usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Firecrawl or Zyte API?⌄
In our catalog, Firecrawl rates 4.7 out of 5 and Zyte API rates 4.3 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.
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