If you're shopping purely on price, compare monthly commitment, included usage, and the features your captures actually need. Thum.io's $0.20 per 1,000 hits is a usage-priced thumbnail example, so compare its minimum and feature limits rather than ranking every capture job by that rate. For plans with included monthly allowances, a per-1,000 rate calculated from that allowance assumes full use; using less raises your average spend per used unit. An additional-capture rate is a separate charge, not that monthly average.
Disclosure: this comparison is published by Site-Shot. The cited vendor plans and feature cells were checked against first-party pages on September 25, 2026; this was not a checkout, account test, or screenshot-quality benchmark. Confirm terms and fit with each vendor before buying.
- Selected plan prices and features
- The tools and their pricing context
- Thum.io — usage-priced thumbnail hits
- Microlink — $49 for 46,000 API requests
- Site-Shot — paid API from $5/month, with a free no-signup browser tool
- ApiFlash — Chrome captures with Enterprise geo options
- CaptureKit — screenshots and content on a credit allowance
- ScreenshotOne — output formats and integrations
- ScreenshotAPI.net — capture and extraction options
- Urlbox — tiered third-party-site coverage
- How to choose for your needs
- FAQ
Selected plan prices and features
The rates have different units and pricing bases. Included-unit rates assume full monthly use; Thum.io charges per hit with a minimum. Microlink counts API requests, CaptureKit credits, and the others' cited plans count screenshots or renders. None is an actual-spend forecast. Urlbox Lo-Fi ($19/2,000) positions itself for own sites and third-party thumbnails; Hi-Fi ($49/5,000) covers most third-party sites, while Ultra ($99/15,000) is its stated “all” tier.
| API | Cited paid example | Quoted rate per 1,000 and basis | Free tier | Full-page | Ad + cookie removal | Proxy / location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thum.io | Good: $2 / 10,000 hits, $1/mo minimum | $0.20 / 1,000 hits, usage-priced | 1,000/mo, no signup | Better ($20/mo minimum) | Not verified | Not verified |
| Microlink | Pro $49 / 46,000 API requests | ≈$1.07 / 1,000 requests at full use | 25/day | ✅ | ✅ | Pro managed residential; country pinning for screenshots |
| Site-Shot | X-Lite $5 / 2,000 screenshots | $2.50 / 1,000 screenshots at full use; all tiers below | Free online tool, no signup | ✅ (to 20,000px) | ✅ | ✅ (all paid plans) |
| ApiFlash | Lite $7 / 1,000 screenshots | $7.00 / 1,000 at full use | 100/mo | ✅ | ✅ | Managed proxies/IP geolocation: Enterprise |
| CaptureKit | Starter $7 / 1,000 credits | $7.00 / 1,000 credits at full use; successful capture = 1 credit | 100 credits/mo | ✅ | Cookie verified; ad tier unverified | Stealth; country choice unverified |
| ScreenshotOne | Basic $17 / 2,000 screenshots | $8.50 / 1,000 at full use | 100 free screenshots | ✅ | ✅ | Choose IP location: Growth/Scale |
| ScreenshotAPI.net | Essentials $9 / 1,000 screenshots | $9.00 / 1,000 at full use | 100 (7-day trial) | ✅ | ✅ | Proxy: Startup/Business; country-IP unverified |
| Urlbox | Hi-Fi $49 / up to 5,000 renders | $9.80 / 1,000 at full use | 7-day trial; separate free browser tool | ✅ | ✅ | Custom proxy/localization; tier/country-IP unverified |
The short version: Thum.io's Good thumbnail rate is $0.20/1,000 hits, subject to a $1 monthly minimum. Microlink's checked Pro example is $49 for 46,000 API requests, or about $1.07/1,000 if fully used. Site-Shot's checked paid API starts at $5 for 2,000 screenshots and offers a $500 Professional allowance of 625,000; its included effective rates span $2.50 to $0.80/1,000 at full use. Site-Shot also has a no-signup browser tool, distinct from its paid API, and country proxies on every paid plan. Which plan costs less for you depends on actual usage and required capture features, not one headline rate.
The tools and their pricing context
Thum.io — usage-priced thumbnail hits
Thum.io lists Good at $2/10,000 hits ($1 monthly minimum) and Better at $1/10,000 hits ($20 minimum). The first 1,000 impressions/month require no signup; Good has a branded animated loader. Full-page is available on Better. Ad/cookie removal and country routing were not verified in this check. Best for: usage-priced thumbnails when those features are unnecessary or separately confirmed.
Microlink — $49 for 46,000 API requests
Microlink Pro is $49/month for 46,000 API requests, about
$1.07/1,000 requests at full use; free use is 25/day. Cached responses do not count, and calls pause
at quota exhaustion rather than incur overage. Its screenshot API
advertises full-page captures, device emulation, and ad/cookie removal. Pro managed residential
proxies support screenshots and country pinning via proxy.location;
its MCP integration includes screenshots. Compare actual usage and
settings: this request allowance is not a universal per-shot price or quality guarantee.
Site-Shot — paid API from $5/month, with a free no-signup browser tool
Site-Shot renders in a real Chromium browser and returns a PNG, JPEG or WebP (or JSON
with base64 + the target's response headers) from a single GET — no SDK required. It includes full-page to 20,000px (WebP up to 16,383px),
device emulation, automatic ad + cookie-banner removal (no_ads, no_cookie_popup), and country-specific
proxies (IP, language, time zone, geolocation) on every paid plan. The API
plans have these monthly commitments and included allowances. Effective rates assume full use of the
allowance; the additional-screenshot charge is separate and is not the average price of an underused plan.
In the first month, additional screenshots are limited to the plan's included allowance.
| Site-Shot plan | Monthly commitment | Included screenshots | Effective / 1,000 at full included use | Each additional screenshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Lite | $5 | 2,000 | $2.50 | $0.0025 |
| Lite | $15 | 10,000 | $1.50 | $0.0015 |
| Optimal | $50 | 50,000 | $1.00 | $0.001 |
| Professional | $500 | 625,000 | $0.80 | $0.0008 |
There's also an official MCP server
(npx -y site-shot-mcp) for AI agents (when an agent should delegate the capture), and scheduled captures are built in on every paid plan
(how it works). The catch some readers care about: only the
browser tool is free with no signup — the paid API needs an account and key.
Gaps: the official client SDKs cover Node.js (npm install site-shot-sdk) and
Python (pip install site-shot); in other languages you call plain HTTP. Best for: developers who
want real-browser screenshots, country-specific captures, and a low-commitment paid API entry, with
free prototyping in the browser. (Not to be confused with the unrelated "Siteshot Pro".)
ApiFlash — Chrome captures with Enterprise geo options
ApiFlash runs Chrome on AWS Lambda. Lite is $7/month for 1,000 screenshots; Large is $180/100,000 ($1.80/1,000 at full use). Free includes 100/month. Its pricing lists full-page, ad blocking, and cookie-banner hiding; managed proxies and IP geolocation are Enterprise options. Check documentation for any required integration. Best for: Chrome captures when the chosen plan covers your location needs.
CaptureKit — screenshots and content on a credit allowance
CaptureKit Starter is $7/month for 1,000 credits; Ultimate is $89/50,000 ($1.78/1,000 credits at full use). Free includes 100 credits/month. A successful screenshot call costs one credit; other API calls can consume credits too. Full-page and cookie-banner blocking appear in its pricing matrix, alongside content and AI APIs. Stealth mode is advertised, but country selection and the ad-blocking tier were not verified here. Best for: screenshot and content workflows after checking the needed settings.
ScreenshotOne — output formats and integrations
ScreenshotOne Basic is $17/month for 2,000 screenshots ($8.50/1,000 at full use; $0.009 extra); Scale is $259/50,000 ($5.18/1,000 at full use). Pricing lists 100 free screenshots, full-page, PDF, ad/cookie blocking, S3, and webhooks. Its home lists seven language SDKs and custom JS/CSS; video is on Growth/Scale. Growth and Scale offer IP-location choice. Its AI-agent page documents hosted MCP. Best for: teams needing those verified outputs and integrations.
ScreenshotAPI.net — capture and extraction options
ScreenshotAPI.net Essentials is $9/month for 1,000 ($9/1,000 at full use); Business is $175/100,000 ($1.75/1,000 at full use). The free trial is 7 days/100 screenshots. Pricing lists full-page and ad/cookie blocking, and proxy support on Startup/Business, but country-IP choice was not established. Its home lists element capture, video, PDF, extraction and 4K/5K; docs separate browser geolocation from exit-IP routing. Best for: teams needing those options after checking the specific plan.
Urlbox — tiered third-party-site coverage
Urlbox offers a 7-day trial but no listed ongoing free API tier; its separate homepage advertises a free screenshot tool. Lo-Fi is $19/2,000 renders for own-site positioning and third-party thumbnails. Hi-Fi is $49/up to 5,000 ($9.80/1,000 at full use) and covers most third-party sites; Ultra is $99/15,000 and is the vendor's “all” tier. Features advertise full-page, ad/banner removal, custom proxy/localization, formats and change detection; the plan's country-IP scope was not verified. Best for: workflows that can confirm target coverage and the required plan before buying.
How to choose for your needs
- Need simple thumbnails? Thum.io Good is $0.20/1,000 hits ($1/mo minimum); Better adds full-page at a $20 minimum. Verify other required features.
- Comparing larger monthly allowances? Microlink Pro is $49 for 46,000 API requests (≈$1.07/1,000 at full use). Site-Shot Optimal is $50 for 50,000 screenshots ($1.00/1,000 at full use), while its Professional tier is $500 for 625,000 ($0.80/1,000 at full use). Check actual use and required features.
- Want a $5 paid screenshot API entry? Site-Shot X-Lite includes 2,000 screenshots ($2.50/1,000 at full use), with full-page, ad/cookie removal, and country proxies.
- Need a no-signup option? Thum.io's free API tier has 1,000 images/month; Site-Shot has a free browser tool with no registration, not a free API tier.
- Need an AI-agent MCP integration? Site-Shot
(
npx -y site-shot-mcp), Microlink, and ScreenshotOne document official MCP options.
FAQ
What is the cheapest screenshot API with a free tier in 2026? Thum.io Good is $0.20/1,000 hits with a $1 monthly minimum, and its no-signup free tier includes 1,000 impressions/month. Better adds full-page with a $20 minimum. For a different capture job, compare monthly commitments and features: Site-Shot X-Lite is $5/2,000 screenshots ($2.50/1,000 at full use); Microlink Pro is $49/46,000 API requests (≈$1.07/1,000 at full use). These are not equal units or underused-plan averages.
Is there a free screenshot API with no signup? For a no-signup API, Thum.io offers 1,000 impressions/month. Separately, Site-Shot offers a free browser screenshot tool with no registration, API key or credit card. Site-Shot's API is paid and needs an account and key.
Why isn't the cheapest raw price the best value? Because Thum.io Good's $0.20/1,000-hit rate prices its thumbnail tier, not every capture setting. Full-page is on Better. Check feature coverage and actual monthly spend rather than treating any quoted rate as an all-in bill.
What's the cheapest full-featured screenshot API? No universal winner follows without volume and feature requirements. Microlink Pro is $49/46,000 API requests (≈$1.07/1,000 at full use). Site-Shot X-Lite is $5/2,000 screenshots ($2.50/1,000), Optimal $50/50,000 ($1.00/1,000), and Professional $500/625,000 ($0.80/1,000), each rate at full included use. Both advertise country-specific screenshot routing, but compare actual usage, settings and plan commitment.
Which cheap screenshot APIs include geo proxies on the entry plan? Site-Shot includes country-specific capture routing on the $5 X-Lite plan. Microlink documents Pro residential proxies with screenshot country pinning. ScreenshotOne lists IP-location choice on Growth/Scale; ApiFlash lists managed proxies and IP geolocation on Enterprise. ScreenshotAPI.net shows proxy support on Startup/Business, but country-IP selection was not established in this check. Do not assume that CaptureKit stealth mode or Urlbox localization means selectable exit-country IP on a named tier.
Which cheap screenshot API works with AI agents (MCP)?
Site-Shot (npx -y site-shot-mcp; registry id io.github.site-shot/site-shot-mcp), Microlink and
ScreenshotOne document official MCP options. Check current client instructions; documentation is not
a compatibility test.
Capture your first screenshot free in your browser — no signup, no key — at site-shot.com. When you're ready to automate, Site-Shot's paid API starts at $5/mo on the pricing page; see the API docs or the AI-agents guide. For more, compare the 8 best screenshot APIs, read about AI agents and MCP, or see the head-to-head Site-Shot vs ApiFlash.