# Screenshot API comparison: prices and free plans

> Urlbox, ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash, ScreenshotAPI.net and ScreenshotMachine side by side: free plans, price at 10,000 a month, formats, MCP and storage.

Comparison by Serghei Pogor, founder of CurlShot (https://curlshot.com/about/serghei-pogor). Published 1 November 2026. Page for people: https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-api-comparison

The screenshot APIs differ less in what they capture than in price shape and extras. As listed on 13 October 2026: ApiFlash is cheapest to start ($7 for 1,000 a month), ScreenshotAPI.net lists the lowest price at 10,000 a month ($29 in its plan table, though its plan card also shows $35, the same as ApiFlash), Urlbox has the widest outputs and official SDKs but no lasting free plan, ScreenshotOne puts most features (S3 upload, webhooks, MCP) on every plan, and ScreenshotMachine has the lowest price per screenshot on an entry plan (2,500 for €9). CurlShot is the pick when you want HTML or Markdown in, PDF or video out, an MCP server, and failed renders that are not counted; it has an n8n community node, but no S3 upload or Zapier and Make apps yet.

## Key facts

- ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash and ScreenshotMachine have a lasting free plan of 100 screenshots a month; Urlbox and ScreenshotAPI.net offer a 7-day trial instead.
- Entry plans for capturing any site run from $7 (ApiFlash, 1,000 screenshots) to $49 (Urlbox Hi-Fi, 5,000) a month; Urlbox’s $19 Lo-Fi plan gives only thumbnails of sites you do not own.
- For 10,000 screenshots a month the smallest covering plan costs from $29 (ScreenshotAPI.net’s plan table; its plan card also shows $35) to $79 (ScreenshotOne); Urlbox’s smallest covering plan is $99 for 15,000.
- ScreenshotOne, Urlbox and CurlShot offer an MCP server for AI agents; ApiFlash, ScreenshotAPI.net and ScreenshotMachine do not mention one.
- Every vendor fact here was read on the vendor’s own pricing page or docs on 13 October 2026. Prices change: check before you buy.

## Prices and free plans

As listed on each vendor’s own pricing page on 13 October 2026. "For 10,000 a month" is the smallest listed plan that covers 10,000 screenshots a month. For CurlShot, see [the pricing page](https://curlshot.com/pricing).

| API | Free | Entry plan | For 10,000 a month | Per 1,000 on that plan |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Urlbox [1] | No lasting free plan. A 7-day trial on the Hi-Fi and Ultra plans. | $49 for 5,000 (Hi-Fi) | $99 for 15,000 (Ultra) | $6.60 |
| ScreenshotOne [3] | 100 screenshots a month, no card needed. HTML and PDF renders included. | $17 for 2,000 (Basic) | $79 for 10,000 (Growth) | $7.90 |
| ApiFlash [4] | 100 screenshots a month. | $7 for 1,000 (Lite) | $35 for 10,000 (Medium) | $3.50 |
| ScreenshotAPI.net [5] | A 7-day trial with 100 screenshots. No lasting free plan. | $9 for 1,000 (Essential) | $29 for 10,000 (Startup) | $2.90 |
| ScreenshotMachine [6] | 100 screenshots a month. | €9 for 2,500 (Basic) | €59 for 20,000 (Pro) | €2.95 |

## Formats, storage, MCP and integrations

| API | Formats | Upload to your storage | MCP for AI agents | No-code |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Urlbox | PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF, MP4 and WebM video, plus HTML, Markdown and page metadata | Yes, from the Hi-Fi plan | Yes, an official MCP server on GitHub | Zapier, n8n |
| ScreenshotOne | PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF; video and scrolling screenshots from the Growth plan | Yes, on all plans | Yes, on all plans | Zapier, Make, n8n, Clay |
| ApiFlash | PNG, JPEG, WebP | Yes, export to S3 | Not mentioned | None listed |
| ScreenshotAPI.net | PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF; MP4, WebM and GIF from the Startup plan | Yes: S3, Google Cloud, Azure | Not mentioned | Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets |
| ScreenshotMachine | JPG, PNG, GIF; PDF through a separate Website to PDF API | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | None listed |
| CurlShot | PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF; MP4, WebM and GIF video | Not yet | Yes, an MCP server, plus OpenAPI and llms.txt | n8n community node |

## Where each one is strong, and what to check

### Urlbox

- The widest range of outputs of the APIs here, from video to Markdown and metadata.
- Official SDKs for JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, C#, Elixir, Go and Rust, and a WordPress plugin.
- Sync and async rendering with webhooks, and upload to your own S3-compatible storage on the higher plans.
- Moves you to the next tier instead of cutting you off when you pass your quota.

Check first: There is no lasting free plan: you test on a trial. The cheaper Lo-Fi plan ($19 for 2,000) is for sites you own: other sites come out as thumbnails only, so Hi-Fi is the real entry plan. The smallest plan that covers 10,000 screenshots a month is the 15,000 one, the most expensive at that volume here. [1]

### ScreenshotOne

- Most features are on every plan: blocking of ads and cookie banners, signed links, webhooks, upload to S3 and an MCP server.
- SDKs for C#, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python and Ruby.
- No-code integrations with Zapier, Make, n8n and Clay.
- Overage is opt-in, with a hard cap you set, so a bill cannot run away.

Check first: Video output starts on the Growth plan. At about 10,000 screenshots a month it is among the higher listed prices here. [3]

### ApiFlash

- The lowest entry price here, and a low price per screenshot at 10,000 a month.
- Blocks ads and cookie banners, and exports to S3.
- A short, simple API with code examples in seven languages.

Check first: Its pricing does not list PDF output, HTML input or webhooks. No MCP server or no-code integrations are mentioned. [4]

### ScreenshotAPI.net

- The lowest price at 10,000 screenshots a month of the APIs here, if the $29 in its plan table is the one you pay.
- Saves to S3, Google Cloud Storage or Azure.
- Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets and viaSocket integrations.

Check first: There is no lasting free plan after the trial. Its plan cards show two unlabelled prices for each plan ($9 and $20 for 1,000; $29 and $35 for 10,000), and its plan table lists the lower ones. Confirm the price at checkout. Its site lists no webhooks and no MCP server. [5]

### ScreenshotMachine

- The lowest price per screenshot on an entry plan here: 2,500 for €9 a month.
- A plain URL API with code examples on GitHub.

Check first: Prices are in euros. Nothing between 2,500 and 20,000 screenshots a month. Its pages do not mention blocking, HTML input, signed links, webhooks or MCP. [6]

### CurlShot

- A failed render is not counted, and neither is a cache hit when caching is on. ([How usage is counted](https://curlshot.com/docs/usage-and-limits))
- URL, HTML or Markdown in; image, PDF or scrolling video out, on every plan. ([HTML and Markdown](https://curlshot.com/docs/html-and-markdown))
- Blocking of ads, cookie banners, trackers and chat widgets. ([Blocking](https://curlshot.com/docs/blocking))
- Signed links, async renders with webhooks, and up to 100 screenshots in one bulk call. ([Async and webhooks](https://curlshot.com/docs/async-and-webhooks))
- An MCP server with a take_screenshot tool, so AI agents can look at a page. ([For AI agents](https://curlshot.com/docs/guides/ai-agents))

Check first: No upload to your own storage bucket yet. ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash, ScreenshotAPI.net and Urlbox have it. No packaged SDKs: there are complete samples for cURL, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go and Ruby instead. Urlbox and ScreenshotOne ship SDKs. No Zapier or Make app yet (there is an n8n community node). ScreenshotOne and ScreenshotAPI.net have both, Urlbox has Zapier.

## Which one to choose

| If you need | Choose |
| --- | --- |
| The lowest bill at about 10,000 screenshots a month | ScreenshotAPI.net ($29 in its plan table, $35 on its plan card) or ApiFlash ($35). |
| The widest set of outputs and official SDKs | Urlbox, if a trial instead of a free plan and a higher price are fine. |
| Every feature on every plan, plus no-code tools | ScreenshotOne. |
| Files saved straight into your S3 bucket | ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash, ScreenshotAPI.net, or Urlbox from Hi-Fi. |
| Screenshots for an AI agent through MCP | CurlShot, ScreenshotOne or Urlbox. |
| HTML or Markdown in, PDF or video out, and an MCP server, on every plan | CurlShot. |

Compare on your own volume: take the plan that covers your busiest month, divide its price by its screenshots, and check whether failed renders and cache hits count against you.

## Questions

### What is the cheapest screenshot API?

It depends on volume. On the vendors’ own pricing pages on 13 October 2026, ApiFlash had the lowest entry plan ($7 for 1,000 a month). At 10,000 a month, ScreenshotAPI.net listed $29 in its plan table but also showed $35 on its plan card; ApiFlash is $35. ScreenshotMachine had the lowest price per screenshot on an entry plan: 2,500 for €9.

### Which screenshot APIs have a free plan?

ScreenshotOne, ApiFlash and ScreenshotMachine have 100 free screenshots a month (ScreenshotOne says no card is needed). CurlShot has a free plan too. Urlbox and ScreenshotAPI.net offer 7-day trials rather than a lasting free plan.

### What is a good Urlbox alternative?

ScreenshotOne if you want a similar feature set with a free plan, ScreenshotAPI.net or ApiFlash if price at volume matters most, and CurlShot if you need HTML or Markdown input, PDF and video output and an MCP server with failed renders not counted.

### Which screenshot APIs work with AI agents through MCP?

ScreenshotOne lists an MCP server on every plan, Urlbox publishes an official MCP server on GitHub, and CurlShot has an MCP server with a take_screenshot tool. The other APIs here did not mention MCP on their sites.

### Do screenshot APIs charge for failed screenshots?

Several do not. Urlbox, ScreenshotOne and CurlShot say failed requests are not charged, and ScreenshotOne and CurlShot do not count cache hits either. Check the usage rules of any API before you compare prices per screenshot.

## Sources

1. Urlbox, "Pricing": https://urlbox.com/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
2. Urlbox on GitHub, "screenshot-mcp-server": https://github.com/urlbox/screenshot-mcp-server (checked 13 October 2026)
3. ScreenshotOne, "Pricing": https://screenshotone.com/pricing/ (checked 13 October 2026)
4. ApiFlash, "Pricing": https://apiflash.com/#pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
5. ScreenshotAPI.net, "Pricing": https://screenshotapi.net/pricing (checked 13 October 2026)
6. ScreenshotMachine, "Pricing": https://www.screenshotmachine.com/pricing.php (checked 13 October 2026)

## Go deeper

- [Screenshot API: one HTTP request](https://curlshot.com/tools/screenshot-api)
- [Plans and prices](https://curlshot.com/pricing)
- [What the free plan includes](https://curlshot.com/tools/free-screenshot-api)
- [How usage is counted](https://curlshot.com/docs/usage-and-limits)
- [For AI agents](https://curlshot.com/docs/guides/ai-agents)

## Read next

- [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 screenshot code examples in 8 languages](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshot-code-examples.md): The shortest working code to save a full-page screenshot of a website in curl, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Ruby, Java and C#, side by side.
- [Screenshots for AI agents: let a model see a page](https://curlshot.com/blog/screenshots-for-ai-agents.md): When to give an AI agent a screenshot, HTML, markdown or the accessibility tree, what a screenshot costs in tokens on each vendor, and how to wire it up.