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It's a split decision.
YepAPI is a hosted, usage-billed API for developers who need SEO, SERP, scraping, social, commerce and AI model endpoints behind one key. ScrapingAnt is a hosted scraping API for teams that need JavaScript-rendered pages, rotating proxies, parallel requests and structured extraction. YepAPI is the better fit for mixed data sources and variable call volumes; ScrapingAnt fits recurring scraping workloads that can use monthly credit plans. Compare endpoint costs and credit consumption before committing.
01Side by side
| YepAPI | ScrapingAnt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Prepaid usage; no subscriptions or monthly minimums | Monthly plans with fixed API-credit allowances |
| Free tier | $5 signup credit; no card required | 10,000 API credits monthly; no card required |
| API and SDKs | POST endpoints; shared key; consistent JSON responses | Scraping API; curl, Python and Node examples |
| CLI and docs | Docs, llms.txt and agent skills | API documentation and curl, Python, Node examples |
| Integrations | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and MCP server | Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf and MCP server |
| Deployment model | Hosted API | Hosted API |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Limits and scaling | No rate limits, per pricing page | One free concurrent request; paid plans list unlimited concurrency |
YepAPI Choose YepAPI if
- Choose YepAPI if you need SEO, SERP, social or commerce data.
- Choose YepAPI if you want 285 AI models through one API.
- Choose YepAPI if per-call billing suits variable workloads.
ScrapingAnt Choose ScrapingAnt if
- Choose ScrapingAnt if pages need headless Chrome rendering.
- Choose ScrapingAnt if you need rotating proxies and geographic targeting.
- Choose ScrapingAnt if monthly credits fit predictable scraping workloads.
02Pricing at real usage
YepAPI uses prepaid, per-call or other metered billing, with no subscription or monthly minimum. The pricing page lists a $5 signup credit and Google SERP calls from $0.01; the homepage lists web scraping at $0.01 per call. Endpoint prices vary, failed calls are not charged, and YepAPI lists no rate limits. ScrapingAnt starts with a free plan offering 10,000 API credits monthly and one concurrent request. Paid plans begin at $19 per month for 100,000 credits; the page lists $49 for 500,000, $249 for 3 million and $599 for 8 million. Its Custom plan is listed at $699 monthly for 10 million or more credits. Credits do not roll over. Overage and seat costs are not published, so ask how your request mix consumes credits before estimating production spend.
03API, SDKs and integration
YepAPI exposes endpoints for SEO, SERP, scraping and media generation. Its examples use POST requests, such as /v1/seo/keywords/overview and /v1/serp/google, with a shared API key and JSON responses. The docs and llms.txt support agent-oriented setup; the homepage names Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, an MCP server and agent skills. The sources do not name language-specific SDKs. ScrapingAnt’s general scraping endpoint is /v2/general, called with an API key in the x-api-key header. Its examples cover curl, Python and Node, rather than named SDK packages. It also offers Markdown or JSON output, AI extraction and an MCP server with HTML, Markdown and text tools for Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf. The documented integrations give both services an agent path; ScrapingAnt provides more explicit language examples, while YepAPI’s single key spans more endpoint categories.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source licence, self-hosting option or data-export mechanism. Treat both as hosted dependencies and keep your own copy of any results your application must retain; do not assume an account-level export will cover a migration. YepAPI’s shared key and JSON format simplify calls across its endpoint catalog, but code that relies on its SEO, social or model-specific fields will need replacements if you move. ScrapingAnt’s integration is narrower: scraping requests, proxy options and extraction behavior are the main dependencies to isolate. Put either provider behind an internal client, store credentials outside application code and normalize returned data at your boundary. Before adopting either for critical workloads, ask about export formats, retention, deletion and migration support.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper for a small scraping project?
It depends on request volume and what each request costs in credits. ScrapingAnt has a free plan with 10,000 monthly credits, then a $19 monthly plan with 100,000 credits. YepAPI offers $5 in signup credit and lists scraping from $0.01 per call. Compare your expected request mix before choosing.
Which API can render JavaScript-heavy pages?
ScrapingAnt explicitly offers isolated headless Chrome rendering for JavaScript-heavy pages. YepAPI offers web scraping and returns Markdown, HTML or screenshots, but its homepage does not specify browser-rendering behavior. If pages depend on client-side JavaScript, confirm YepAPI’s handling with the vendor before relying on it.
Does YepAPI have a recurring free tier?
YepAPI lists $5 in signup credit, no card required, and usage-based billing without subscriptions or monthly minimums. That is different from ScrapingAnt’s free plan, which provides 10,000 API credits monthly. Check each service’s current pricing before building a cost estimate around a free allowance.
Can ScrapingAnt run requests in parallel?
Yes. ScrapingAnt says paid plans have unlimited concurrency, while its free plan includes one concurrent request. The homepage describes horizontal scaling and parallel requests. YepAPI’s pricing page lists no rate limits, but that is not the same as a documented concurrency guarantee; confirm expected throughput with either vendor.