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It's a split decision.
YepAPI is a metered API for developers who want SEO and SERP data, scraping, social and e-commerce data, and AI models behind one key. Zyte is the better fit when the core job is collecting website data, especially when you need browser access, structured extraction, managed delivery or Scrapy Cloud. Both offer $5 in credit, but their billing differs: YepAPI charges per call, while Zyte prices requests by access type and website tier.
01Side by side
| YepAPI | Zyte | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-call usage; no subscriptions or monthly minimums | Per 1,000 requests; optional monthly commitments |
| Free tier | $5 signup credit; no card required | $5 trial credit; 30-day free trial |
| Open source and licence | API source status and licence unpublished | Scrapy is open source; licence unpublished |
| API and SDKs | Shared key; JSON responses across endpoints and models | Extraction API; examples in multiple languages |
| CLI and docs | API docs and llms.txt for agent workflows | CLI and language-specific request examples |
| Integrations | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, MCP server, agent skills | MCP server for MCP clients |
| Deployment model | Hosted API for data and model calls | API, managed data service, and Scrapy Cloud |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
YepAPI Choose YepAPI if
- Choose YepAPI if you need SEO, scraping, social data, and AI models under one key.
- Choose YepAPI if per-call billing and no monthly minimums fit your workload.
- Choose YepAPI if your agents use Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.
Zyte Choose Zyte if
- Choose Zyte if you need a scraping API that selects website access strategies.
- Choose Zyte if you want structured extraction or managed data delivered to a warehouse.
- Choose Zyte if you want cloud hosting for Scrapy crawlers.
02Pricing at real usage
Both products offer $5 in credit, but neither has a free plan. YepAPI says signup needs no card; its pricing is per call or other metered unit, with no subscription or monthly minimum. The homepage lists Google SERP at $0.01 per call for 10 results, scraping at $0.01 per call, and keyword overview from $0.03 per call. Failed calls are not charged, and YepAPI says it has no rate limits.
Zyte lists a 30-day free trial and $5 trial credit. Pay-as-you-go HTTP access costs $0.13–$1.27 per 1,000 requests; browser access costs $1.01–$16.08. The ranges reflect five website pricing tiers. Monthly commitments of $100, $200, or $500 lower the listed per-1,000-request rates. Zyte says usage above a commitment is billed at its discounted rate without an overage penalty. Compare equivalent request types and target sites before estimating spend.
03API, SDKs and integration
YepAPI exposes endpoints for SEO, SERP, scraping, media generation, and other data products through one API key. Its homepage shows POST requests and JSON responses, including /v1/serp/google, /v1/scrape, and /v1/media/queue. It advertises docs and an llms.txt file for agent-generated API calls, plus a shared response format across endpoints and models. The homepage names Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, an MCP server, and agent skills. It does not list SDKs or client libraries.
Zyte's API uses a POST request to https://api.zyte.com/v1/extract. The homepage shows examples for Python, C#, cURL, Java, PHP, CLI, Node.js, Scrapy, and Ruby; these are listed examples, not a claim that every language has an SDK. The API can return raw HTTP responses, browser-rendered content, structured fields, product data, screenshots, and geolocation options. Zyte also offers an MCP server for MCP clients. Its product set extends beyond the API to managed data delivery and Scrapy Cloud.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Zyte maintains Scrapy, an open-source framework for building crawlers. The framework is separate from Zyte's hosted API and Scrapy Cloud; Zyte's homepage describes Scrapy Cloud as hosting crawlers without teams owning servers. The licence for Scrapy is not published on the cited product pages, and they do not specify a Zyte self-hosting option.
YepAPI's source status and self-hosting options are not published. Its API returns JSON, while Zyte's managed data service delivers deduplicated, schema-ready data to a warehouse on a chosen cadence. That destination can make the delivered data available in a customer's data stack, but the vendors do not publish a common export format or migration procedure. In either case, plan for application changes when switching: endpoints, response schemas, access methods, and billing units differ.
Questions people ask
Is YepAPI cheaper than Zyte?
It depends on the workload and endpoint. YepAPI lists Google SERP at $0.01 per call and scraping at $0.01 per call. Zyte lists HTTP access from $0.13 per 1,000 requests and browser access from $1.01 per 1,000 requests on pay-as-you-go, with rates varying by website tier. Compare equivalent tasks and access modes.
Does YepAPI or Zyte charge for failed requests?
YepAPI says failed calls are not charged. Zyte's homepage says its API bills on success. Check the applicable product terms and request type when estimating costs, especially if a workflow uses browser access or managed data rather than a simple API extraction request.
Can I self-host either product?
The vendors do not publish self-hosting options for YepAPI or Zyte's hosted API. Zyte maintains Scrapy, an open-source framework for building crawlers, and separately offers Scrapy Cloud hosting. The product pages do not specify Scrapy's licence or a self-hosting support arrangement.
Which is better for an AI agent?
YepAPI is a fit when an agent needs one key for SEO, scraping, social and e-commerce data, and AI models; its homepage names Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, MCP, and agent skills. Zyte offers an MCP server for MCP clients and focuses on website access, extraction, and managed scraping.