# Free screenshot APIs: what the free plans include

> The free plans and trials of seven screenshot services, what 100 free screenshots a month covers, how to stretch it, and when paying makes sense.

Buyer’s guide by Serghei Pogor, founder of CurlShot (https://curlshot.com/about/serghei-pogor). Published 2 November 2026. Page for people: https://curlshot.com/blog/free-screenshot-api

Most screenshot APIs with a free plan give 100 screenshots a month: ScreenshotOne (no card needed), ApiFlash and ScreenshotMachine do, and CurlShot has a free plan too. That is about three a day, enough for a prototype, a few monitored pages or an image for each blog post, but not for link previews in a busy app. Urlbox and ScreenshotAPI.net offer 7-day trials instead of a lasting free plan. Microlink (25 requests a day) and Browserless (1,000 units of browser time) are free too, but they are a broader link API and a hosted browser you program yourself. Figures are from each vendor’s pricing page on 13 October 2026.

## Key facts

- A lasting free plan of 100 screenshots a month is the norm: ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash and ScreenshotMachine.
- Urlbox and ScreenshotAPI.net give a 7-day trial instead; ScreenshotAPI.net’s trial is 100 screenshots.
- 100 screenshots a month is about 3 a day: enough to watch 3 pages daily (90 a month), not enough for 20 link previews a day (600).
- Cached repeats and failed renders are not counted on CurlShot, so a free allowance goes further when requests repeat.
- Microlink’s free plan is 25 requests a day; Browserless gives 1,000 units of up to 30 seconds of browser time, for code you write yourself.

## Free plans and trials, side by side

As listed on each vendor’s own pricing page on 13 October 2026. For CurlShot’s free allowance, see [the pricing page](https://curlshot.com/pricing).

| Service | Free offer | Kind | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Urlbox [1] | No lasting free plan. A 7-day trial on the Hi-Fi and Ultra plans. | Trial | After the trial, from $49 a month for 5,000. |
| ScreenshotOne [2] | 100 screenshots a month, no card needed. HTML and PDF renders included. | Free plan | Then from $17 a month for 2,000. |
| ApiFlash [3] | 100 screenshots a month. | Free plan | Then from $7 a month for 1,000. |
| ScreenshotAPI.net [4] | A 7-day trial with 100 screenshots. No lasting free plan. | Trial | After the trial, from $9 a month for 1,000. |
| ScreenshotMachine [5] | 100 screenshots a month. | Free plan | Then from €9 a month for 2,500. |
| Microlink [6] | 25 requests a day, no card needed. | Free plan, different service | A broader link API (metadata, screenshots, PDF); the screenshot is one of its outputs. Paid from $49 a month. |
| Browserless [7] | 1,000 units a month; a unit is up to 30 seconds of browser time. | Free plan, different service | A hosted browser you drive with your own Puppeteer or Playwright code, not a one-request screenshot API. |

## How far do 100 free screenshots a month go?

One render is one screenshot, whatever its size. 100 a month is about 3 a day.

| Use | Screenshots a month | Fits in 100? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Watch 3 pages for changes, once a day | 3 × 30 = 90 | Yes, just |
| One social image for each new blog post, 8 posts a month | 8 | Yes, many times over |
| A preview for each link people add to your app, 20 a day | 20 × 30 = 600 | No: about 6 times the allowance |
| Watch 10 pages for changes, every hour | 10 × 24 × 30 = 7,200 | No: a paid plan |
| A PDF of each invoice, 40 a month | 40 | Yes |

## How to make a free allowance last

- **Cache repeat requests.** The same page with the same options is the same picture. Where cache hits are not counted, a cached repeat costs nothing.
- **Do not pay for failures.** Prefer an API that does not count a failed render, so a page that times out does not eat the allowance.
- **Capture only what changes.** For monitoring, capture less often and only the part of the page you watch, with an element selector.
- **Make the image once, serve it many times.** Save the file to your own storage or CDN and show that, instead of asking the API again for every visitor.

On CurlShot, a failed render is not counted, and neither is a cache hit when caching is on ([caching](https://curlshot.com/docs/caching), [how usage is counted](https://curlshot.com/docs/usage-and-limits)).

## When to pay

- Your volume passes the allowance in a normal month, not just a busy one.
- You need more than one render at the same moment, or more requests a minute than the free plan allows.
- Screenshots are part of a product your customers rely on, so you need room to grow without hitting a wall.
- You need an option the free plan does not include, such as taller full-page captures or longer videos.

To compare paid plans across vendors, see [the screenshot API comparison](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-api-comparison).

## Free without an API

For a one-off capture, a free online tool is enough: [full-page screenshot](https://curlshot.com/tools/full-page-screenshot) needs no account. For many captures you can run Playwright or Puppeteer yourself at no licence cost; [the cost of running your own headless browser](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-api-vs-headless-browser) shows where that money goes instead.

## Questions

### Is there a completely free screenshot API?

Yes, within a monthly allowance. ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash and ScreenshotMachine give 100 screenshots a month free, and CurlShot has a free plan too. Past the allowance you pay, or wait for next month.

### Do free screenshot APIs need a credit card?

Not the ones in this guide that state it: ScreenshotOne, Microlink and the Urlbox trial say no card is needed, and so does CurlShot. Check the sign-up page of any other service before you rely on it.

### How many screenshots do I get on a free plan?

Usually 100 a month. Microlink counts per day instead (25 a day), and Browserless counts units of browser time (1,000 a month, up to 30 seconds each). Trials from Urlbox and ScreenshotAPI.net last 7 days.

### Can I take screenshots for free without an API?

Yes. For a one-off capture, paste the address into a free online tool such as the CurlShot full-page screenshot page. For many captures, you can run Playwright or Puppeteer yourself for free, and pay in servers and upkeep instead.

### When should I move from a free plan to a paid one?

When a normal month goes past the allowance, when you need several renders at once, or when screenshots are part of a product your customers depend on. Size the plan for your busiest month.

## Sources

1. Urlbox, "Pricing": https://urlbox.com/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
2. ScreenshotOne, "Pricing": https://screenshotone.com/pricing/ (checked 13 October 2026)
3. ApiFlash, "Pricing": https://apiflash.com/#pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
4. ScreenshotAPI.net, "Pricing": https://screenshotapi.net/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
5. ScreenshotMachine, "Pricing": https://www.screenshotmachine.com/pricing.php (checked 13 October 2026)
6. Microlink, "Pricing": https://microlink.io/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
7. Browserless, "Pricing": https://www.browserless.io/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)

## Go deeper

- [Plans and prices](https://curlshot.com/pricing)
- [Screenshot API: one HTTP request](https://curlshot.com/tools/screenshot-api)
- [What the free plan includes](https://curlshot.com/tools/free-screenshot-api)
- [Caching](https://curlshot.com/docs/caching)
- [Free full-page screenshot, no account](https://curlshot.com/tools/full-page-screenshot)

## Read next

- [Screenshot API comparison: prices and free plans](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-api-comparison.md): Urlbox, ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash, ScreenshotAPI.net and ScreenshotMachine side by side: free plans, price at 10,000 a month, formats, MCP and storage.
- [Screenshot API vs headless browser: the real cost](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-api-vs-headless-browser.md): A cost calculator with every assumption editable, the hidden work behind headless Chrome, and an honest checklist for build or buy.
- [Website change monitoring with screenshots](https://curlshot.com/blog/website-change-monitoring-with-screenshots.md): How to get told when a web page changes: the capture and compare loop, three ways to detect a change, a noise checklist, a cron and Node.js setup, and tools.