Looking for a Scrapfly Alternative?
CrawlForge replaces Scrapfly's weighted credit system with flat per-tool pricing and 20 MCP-native tools for AI agents.
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Overview
If Scrapfly's weighted credit system (browser +5, residential +25 per call) is hard to forecast, CrawlForge offers a flat alternative: every tool call costs between 1 and 10 credits regardless of the infrastructure used. Free tier is 1,000 credits on both platforms, but CrawlForge has no per-feature surcharges.
CrawlForge is also MCP-native, which matters if you are building AI agents on Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf. Instead of wrapping REST endpoints, agents discover tools through the Model Context Protocol automatically.
Scrapfly will still be the better tool for sites with elite anti-bot defenses (Cloudflare Enterprise, DataDome) where their ASP shield shines. For general AI-agent scraping across typical content sites, CrawlForge is easier to forecast, simpler to integrate, and covers more primitives (research, monitoring, structured extraction) out of the box.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CrawlForge | Scrapfly | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Model | Flat 1-10 credits per call | Weighted (browser +5, residential +25) | |
| Architecture | MCP-native | REST API | |
| Tool Count | 20 purpose-built tools | Single scrape endpoint with modifiers | |
| Deep Research | Multi-source with conflict detection | Not available | |
| Change Tracking | Built-in track_changes | Not built-in | |
| Anti-Bot Bypass | stealth_mode | ASP shield (best in class) | |
| Screenshot API | Via scrape_with_actions | Dedicated screenshot API with more options | |
| Free Tier | 1,000 credits | 1,000 credits |
Pricing Comparison
| Tier | CrawlForge | Scrapfly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 credits (one-time) | 1,000 API credits/mo |
| Starter | $19/mo — 5,000 credits | check vendor for latest |
| Professional | $99/mo — 50,000 credits | check vendor for latest |
| Business | $399/mo — 250,000 credits | check vendor for latest — Enterprise available |
Why Choose CrawlForge
- Flat per-tool credit pricing — no weighted surcharges
- MCP-native architecture for AI agent workflows
- 20 specialized tools vs a single scrape endpoint
- Built-in deep_research and change tracking
- Simpler forecasting for mixed-workload scraping
- Full AI discoverability via llms.txt surfaces
Where Scrapfly Shines
- +Industry-leading anti-bot shield (ASP) for hardest sites
- +Richer screenshot and session APIs
- +Longer developer track record and broader SDK coverage
- +Dedicated residential proxy pool with fine-grained controls
- +Established community and third-party integrations
The Verdict
CrawlForge is the best Scrapfly alternative for AI-agent development and mixed-workload scraping. Flat credit pricing, 20 tools, and MCP-native architecture make it easier to forecast, easier to integrate, and broader in scope.
If your workload is dominated by elite anti-bot bypass, Scrapfly remains the specialist choice. For everything else — typical content sites, research, monitoring, structured extraction in AI agents — CrawlForge is the simpler, more predictable option.
Which one should you pick?
- You want flat per-tool credits instead of Scrapfly's weighted browser/residential surcharges.
- You are building AI agents via MCP and want native protocol support.
- Your workload is mixed — fetch, extract, research, monitor — and you want one API for all of it.
- You are scraping typical content sites where stealth_mode is enough.
- You value built-in deep_research and change tracking without add-ons.
- You scrape sites protected by Cloudflare Enterprise, DataDome, or PerimeterX where ASP is best in class.
- Screenshots, session persistence, or scraper marketplace are core to your workflow.
- You have existing Scrapfly SDK integrations and the weighted pricing works for your mix.
- Your stack is REST/SDK-first and you do not need MCP.
Migration example
Replace a Scrapfly scrape call with a CrawlForge extract_content call. (Check Scrapfly docs for latest SDK signature.)
Before — Scrapfly
typescript// Before: Scrapfly
import { ScrapflyClient, ScrapeConfig } from 'scrapfly-sdk';
const client = new ScrapflyClient({ key: process.env.SCRAPFLY_KEY });
const result = await client.scrape(new ScrapeConfig({
url: 'https://example.com',
render_js: true,
asp: true,
}));After — CrawlForge
typescript// After: CrawlForge
const res = await fetch('https://www.crawlforge.dev/api/v1/tools/extract_content', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.CRAWLFORGE_API_KEY}`, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({ url: 'https://example.com' }),
});Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I switch from Scrapfly to CrawlForge?
The main reasons are flat per-tool credits (easier to forecast than Scrapfly's weighted model), MCP-native integration for AI agents, and broader tool coverage (20 tools including research and monitoring). If those matter more than Scrapfly's ASP anti-bot shield, CrawlForge is the better fit.
Does CrawlForge handle Cloudflare-protected sites?
CrawlForge's stealth_mode handles most Cloudflare and common anti-bot defenses. For sites with Cloudflare Enterprise or DataDome bot management, Scrapfly's ASP shield is still the more capable specialist.
Is CrawlForge cheaper than Scrapfly?
It depends on your traffic mix. For standard content sites, CrawlForge's flat 1-10 credit pricing is typically cheaper and more predictable. For heavy browser+residential traffic, Scrapfly's weighted model can work out lower if you use raw HTML fetching most of the time.
Can I use both services together?
Yes. A common setup is to route most traffic through CrawlForge and fall back to Scrapfly for the small fraction of sites that need ASP-level bypass. Billing is independent on each side.
Does CrawlForge have a residential proxy option?
stealth_mode uses residential proxies and rotates fingerprints. The residential pool is production-grade but smaller and less configurable than Scrapfly's dedicated residential offering.
Related resources
Getting started
Install CrawlForge MCP and run your first scrape in under a minute.
Browse all 20 tools
See every scraping, extraction, and research tool with credit costs.
Use cases
Lead enrichment, price monitoring, RAG pipelines, and more.
Pricing
Free 1,000 credits, then $19/mo Starter. Compare every plan.
All comparisons
See how CrawlForge stacks up against every major scraping API.
MCP web scraping guide
Why MCP-native scraping outperforms REST for AI agents.
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