CurlShot, a Thum.io alternative
Pick CurlShot if you need more than a picture of a page: PDF, scrolling video, HTML or Markdown as input, element captures, ad and cookie-banner blocking, webhooks and bulk calls, with full-page and device sizes on every plan. Pick Thum.io if you only need thumbnails or website screenshots and want a lower price per hit: it bills pay-as-you-go from $1 a month, can be used in an image tag without signing up for the first 1,000 hits, and streams an animated loader while the page renders.
Facts about Thum.io checked on .
Features, side by side
Show the features table (16 rows)
| Feature | CurlShot | Thum.io |
|---|---|---|
| Free allowance | 100 screenshots a month, with an account | First 1,000 hits a month, no signup |
| How it is billed | Monthly plan with a fixed number of screenshots | Pay as you go per 10,000 hits, with a monthly minimum |
| Screenshots of any public page | Yes | Yes |
| Full-page screenshots | Every plan | Better plan |
| Wait before capture | Every plan | Better plan |
| Device and viewport sizes | Every plan | Better plan |
| PDF of a page | Yes | Not in its documentation |
| Video of the page scrolling | Yes | Not in its documentation |
| HTML or Markdown as input | Yes | Not in its documentation |
| Screenshot of one element (CSS selector) | Yes | Not in its documentation |
| Block ads and cookie banners | Yes | Not in its documentation |
| Webhook when an async render is done | Paid plans | Callback URL on prefetch requests |
| Signed requests | Paid plans | Yes |
| Use as an image address without an account | No | First 1,000 hits a month |
| Animated loader while the page renders | No | Yes |
| Resize images and turn PDF pages into images | No | Yes |
What it costs per month
Monthly plans, billed monthly, before tax. The last column is the plan price divided by the screenshots it includes.
Show the prices (6 rows)
| Product and plan | Per month | Screenshots a month | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CurlShot Free | Free | 100 | Free |
| CurlShot Starter | $19 | 3,000 | $6.33 |
| CurlShot Growth | $79 | 15,000 | $5.27 |
| CurlShot Scale | $249 | 60,000 | $4.15 |
| Thum.io Good ($1 monthly minimum) | $1 | 5,000 | $0.20 |
| Thum.io Better ($20 monthly minimum) | $20 | 200,000 | $0.10 |
Thum.io counts hits, not screenshots. Read the per-1,000 figures as a guide, not an exact match.
Sources: Thum.io pricing, and the CurlShot pricing page.
Pick CurlShot when
- You need PDF, scrolling video, HTML or Markdown input, or element captures from the same API
- You want full-page, wait and device sizes on every plan, not only the higher one
- You prefer a fixed monthly plan, and a plan that stops at its quota unless you turn on prepaid, capped overage in CurlShot
- Failed renders and cache hits do not count against your plan
Pick Thum.io when
- You only need website thumbnails or screenshots and your volume is high: the price per hit is far lower
- You want to try it in an image tag with no signup, within the first 1,000 hits a month
- You want a loader that streams frames while the page renders
- You also resize images or turn PDF pages into images through the same address
Move a request over, parameter by parameter
Every CurlShot option is described in the options reference.
Show the parameters table (9 rows)
| To do this | CurlShot | Thum.io |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail width | image_width | width |
| Whole page | full_page | fullpage |
| Wait before capture | delay | wait |
| Viewport width | viewport_width | viewportWidth |
| Phone sizes | viewport_device | iphone12pro, iphone14promax, galaxys5 |
| Cache lifetime | cache_ttl | maxAge (in hours) |
| Output format | format | png, allowJPG |
| Render in the background | async | prefetch |
| Webhook when done | webhook_url | callbackUrl |
Questions people ask
Is CurlShot a good Thum.io alternative?
If you need PDF, video, HTML input or element captures, or full-page and device sizes on a small plan, yes. If all you need is a cheap thumbnail in an image tag at high volume, Thum.io's price per hit is lower, as the table on this page shows.
How does Thum.io bill?
As of the date on this page, by hits with a monthly minimum: the Good plan is $2 per 10,000 hits with a $1 minimum, and the Better plan is $1 per 10,000 hits with a $20 minimum. The first 1,000 hits a month are free on both. A hit is a request for an image, so repeat views can count, which is not the same as a new render.
Which Thum.io features need the Better plan?
Its documentation marks full-page screenshots, the wait option, the viewport width and the phone emulation presets as available to the Better plan only, as of the date on this page.
Sources: Thum.io pricing, Thum.io URL API documentation. Checked on 9 November 2026; prices and features change, so check them before you decide.
Try it on your own pages
- Website thumbnailGenerate a website thumbnail from its URL: a small preview image of any page for directories, link lists, portfolios and newsletters. Free to try, by API too.
- Screenshot APIA screenshot API for developers. One HTTP request turns a URL, HTML or Markdown into a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. Full page, devices, blocking, cache, MCP.
- URL to imageConvert any URL into an image file. Paste a web address and download a PNG, JPEG or WebP screenshot of the page. Free to try, and one request by API.