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It's a split decision.
YepAPI is a usage-billed API for SEO, scraping, social and commerce data, and 285 AI models. Its $5 signup credit and per-call pricing suit developers who want multiple data services behind one key. ScrapingBee is the more focused scraping service: it handles proxies and browser rendering, and its monthly plans specify credits and concurrency. Choose it when those scraping controls and predictable plan limits matter more than YepAPI’s wider endpoint catalog.
01Side by side
| YepAPI | ScrapingBee | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Prepaid usage billing; no subscriptions or monthly minimums | Monthly plans with credits; unused credits expire |
| Free tier | $5 signup credit; no card required | 1,000 free API credits; no card required |
| API and SDKs | Shared-key JSON API; POST endpoint examples in docs | Scraping API for rendering, extraction, and dedicated scrapers |
| CLI and docs | Docs, llms.txt, MCP server, and agent skills | CLI for AI-agent workflows |
| Integrations | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, MCP-compatible agents | ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Gemini, Make, n8n, Zapier |
| Deployment model | Vendor API; self-hosting option not stated | Vendor API; self-hosting option not stated |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Limits and scaling | No rate limits; failed calls are not charged | Plan-based credits and concurrency; credits expire monthly |
YepAPI Choose YepAPI if
- Choose YepAPI if you want SEO, scraping, social, and AI endpoints behind one key.
- Choose YepAPI if usage-based billing fits better than monthly credit plans.
- Choose YepAPI if you need a broad catalog of endpoints and models.
ScrapingBee Choose ScrapingBee if
- Choose ScrapingBee if you need managed proxy rotation and geotargeting.
- Choose ScrapingBee if your targets require JavaScript rendering or browser interactions.
- Choose ScrapingBee if monthly credit and concurrency plans fit your workload.
02Pricing at real usage
YepAPI bills per call or other metered unit, with no subscription or monthly minimum. The pricing page lists a $5 signup credit and Google SERP at $0.01 per call for 10 results. The homepage lists scraping at $0.01 per call; other endpoint prices vary. Failed calls are not charged, and YepAPI says it has no rate limits.
ScrapingBee offers 1,000 free API credits, then monthly plans: $19 for 75,000 credits, $49 for 250,000, and $99 for 1 million. Credits expire after one month and do not roll over. JavaScript rendering uses five credits per successful request; premium proxies use 10 or 25 credits, depending on whether JavaScript rendering is used. Credit consumption therefore depends on request options, not just request volume. Prices exclude VAT.
03API, SDKs and integration
YepAPI presents a shared-key API with JSON responses across SEO, SERP, scraping, social, commerce, and AI model endpoints. Its homepage shows POST examples, including /v1/scrape and /v1/serp/google. The docs are linked from the homepage, which also points developers to an llms.txt file, an MCP server, and agent skills. It names Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex as tools that can use its API. The homepage does not name language-specific SDKs.
ScrapingBee is a web scraping API with endpoints and workflows for browser rendering, structured extraction, and dedicated scrapers. Its CLI is intended for AI-agent workflows; the homepage lists ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Cursor, Claude Code, and Gemini. It also lists MCP-compatible agents, Make, n8n, and Zapier. ScrapingBee documents headless Chrome rendering, selector waits, browser events, custom scenarios, and screenshots. The homepage does not name language-specific SDKs.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source license or self-hosting path on its homepage. Both products are presented as vendor APIs, so requests depend on each service being available and on its authentication and endpoint behavior remaining compatible with your application.
YepAPI’s shared key and common JSON response format can reduce the number of integrations in an app, but its multiple data categories and model calls still use YepAPI endpoints. ScrapingBee couples scraping workflows to its API, credit system, and proxy and browser options. Neither homepage describes a bulk data export or migration facility. Keep durable copies of results your application needs, and ask each vendor about export formats, retention, and migration support before making either service a critical dependency.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, YepAPI or ScrapingBee?
It depends on the workload. YepAPI has no monthly minimum and lists Google SERP at $0.01 per call, with other endpoint prices varying. ScrapingBee starts at $19 per month for 75,000 credits, but JavaScript rendering and premium proxies consume extra credits. Compare the actual endpoint mix and request options.
Which service is better for scraping sites that need JavaScript?
ScrapingBee explicitly offers headless Chrome rendering, selector waits, browser events, custom interaction scenarios, and screenshots. Its pricing page says JavaScript rendering costs five credits per successful request. YepAPI offers web scraping, but its homepage does not describe comparable browser interaction controls.
Can YepAPI replace ScrapingBee?
YepAPI can cover web scraping alongside SEO, social, commerce, and AI endpoints through one API key. ScrapingBee focuses on scraping controls, including proxy rotation, geotargeting, browser rendering, and dedicated scraper APIs. Whether YepAPI can replace a ScrapingBee workflow depends on the target sites and the controls that workflow needs.
What happens when ScrapingBee credits run out?
ScrapingBee sells monthly plans with fixed credit allocations, and credits expire after one month without rollover. The published plans also specify concurrent-request limits, from 25 on Hobby to 900 on Enterprise 120. Check the account and plan terms for what happens at the credit limit before relying on uninterrupted collection.