Scraping API PricesScrapingBee vs ZenRows
The request-mode boundary between lower-cost standard credits and lower-credit protected results.
ScrapingBee
ZenRows
The difference
Both paths, one ruler
ScrapingBee
Successes you want
100,000 pages
Your stated workload. Every vendor on this site is priced against this same number.
- × 1
Attempts you are billed for
100,000 requests
ScrapingBee does not bill failed fetches, so failures cost nothing here.
- × 5
What the meter counts
500,000 credits
One attempt is not one billed unit here: this workload multiplies by 5 before any money is involved.
- =
Cash per month
$99.00 /mo
Startup. Cheapest of every eligible purchase option, not the first plan that fits.
Bars share one linear scale across the 3 counted stages, so a multiplier shows as length. Units differ by stage and are labelled. Cash is not on that scale.
ZenRows
Successes you want
100,000 pages
Your stated workload. Every vendor on this site is priced against this same number.
- × 1
Attempts you are billed for
100,000 requests
ZenRows does not bill failed fetches, so failures cost nothing here.
- × 5
What the meter counts
500,000 credits
One attempt is not one billed unit here: this workload multiplies by 5 before any money is involved.
- =
Cash per month
$129.99 /mo
Startup. Cheapest of every eligible purchase option, not the first plan that fits.
Bars share one linear scale across the 3 counted stages, so a multiplier shows as length. Units differ by stage and are labelled. Cash is not on that scale.
Both ladders share one linear scale, topping out at 500,000 counted units, so a longer bar means more billed work rather than a different drawing.
These figures are for one stated workload: 100,000 JavaScript-rendered pages a month at a 95% success rate. The comparison below names where the answer changes.
The boundary
After one-time trial allowances are excluded, ScrapingBee’s paid bundles are lower for basic and JavaScript-only pages throughout the shared self-serve range tested to one million pages. The answer flips when the workload requires the vendors’ strongest published protection modes. For that protected-page baseline, ScrapingBee is lower through 3,333 pages, ZenRows is lower from 3,334 through 10,000, ScrapingBee is lower from 10,001 through 13,333, and ZenRows is lower from 13,334 through 106,666. Beyond that point ScrapingBee’s public self-serve allowance is exhausted for this high-multiplier workload while ZenRows still has published protected-result tiers. (ScrapingBee pricing, retrieved 2026-07-26; ScrapingBee credit rules, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
The mode must be chosen before the comparison. ScrapingBee calls its highest-cost mode stealth and includes JavaScript in that mode. ZenRows defines protected results as sites behind firewalls or heavy JavaScript. Those descriptions overlap, but they are not a benchmark proving equal delivery on every target. The calculator can compare their published billing units only after the buyer confirms that both modes are eligible for the same target. (ScrapingBee credit rules, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
How the billing models differ
ScrapingBee sells monthly credits. A classic call, JavaScript call, premium-proxy call, stealth call, additive AI query, and dedicated target API can consume different credit amounts. JavaScript is enabled by default on the HTML API, so the integration must disable it to receive the classic-request economics. ZenRows sells monthly result capacity. Basic, JavaScript, premium-proxy, and protected modes replace one another at published ratios; Scraping Browser adds a separate browser-time and bandwidth model within the same account. (ScrapingBee FAQ, retrieved 2026-07-26; ScrapingBee credit rules, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
Both vendors publish success-oriented billing with exceptions for specific terminal response classes. ScrapingBee lists the response statuses that consume credits. ZenRows says internal retries and failed requests are free but treats documented not-found and gone responses as successful. This page does not assign a delivery rate to either vendor. (ScrapingBee FAQ, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
What each offers that the other does not
ScrapingBee publishes dedicated Google, Amazon, YouTube, and Walmart APIs, AI data extraction, extraction rules, screenshots, and a request API with target-specific billing. ZenRows publishes a remote Scraping Browser and a named protected-result capacity at every documented paid tier. ScrapingBee is the direct fit when a supported dedicated API replaces general scraping or when extraction rules belong in the request. ZenRows is the direct fit when a team needs browser protocol control or wants a plan stated in protected-result capacity. (ScrapingBee pricing, retrieved 2026-07-26; ScrapingBee credit rules, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
Who should pick which
Pick ScrapingBee for ordinary HTML and JavaScript workloads when its public plan ladder stays lower and its dedicated APIs or extraction features match the job. Pick ZenRows when the target actually needs protected mode and the monthly volume falls in a ZenRows segment, or when Scraping Browser is a requirement. Near 10,000 and 13,333 protected pages, calculate against the exact expected count because the lower plan changes twice in a relatively narrow interval. (ScrapingBee pricing, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)
ScrapingBee’s AI-query examples do not fully reconcile with its stated additive rule, and ZenRows’ largest named plan differs across its first-party pages. Neither uncertainty is used to fill a missing number in this comparison. (ScrapingBee credit rules, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing page, retrieved 2026-07-26; ZenRows pricing documentation, retrieved 2026-07-26)