Site-Shot vs Urlbox in 2026: Pricing, Features & MCP Compared

Site-Shot and Urlbox are both real-Chromium screenshot APIs that handle full-page capture, ad and cookie-banner removal, and AI agents via an official MCP server. They aim at different buyers, though: Site-Shot competes on value and a genuinely free, no-signup browser tool, while Urlbox leans into compliance- and forensic-grade capture for revenue-generating businesses. This guide compares them on price, features, and AI-agent support so you can pick fast.

Disclosure: this comparison is published by Site-Shot. We've tried to keep the numbers accurate and the trade-offs honest — including where Urlbox is the better pick. Prices were checked in June 2026; always confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you buy. For a wider field, see our full 8-tool comparison.

Site-Shot vs Urlbox at a glance

Feature	Site-Shot	Urlbox
Free tier / no-signup	✅ Free in-browser tool, no signup, no API key	❌ No free tier (7-day trial + $100/10K money-back guarantee)
Entry price	$5/mo · 2,000 shots (X-Lite)	$19/mo · 2,000 renders (Lo-Fi)
~Cost per 1,000	$2.50 (entry)	$9.50 (entry)
Cost at scale	$0.80 / 1,000 ($500/mo · 625,000)	Higher-tier pricing — see Urlbox pricing
Full-page	✅ up to 20,000px	✅
Ad + cookie removal	✅ (no_ads, no_cookie_popup)	✅ ad block + cookie-banner hiding
Geo / proxy	✅ Built-in country proxies (IP, language, time zone, geolocation)	Geolocation emulation built in; bring-your-own proxy
Official MCP server	✅ npx -y site-shot-mcp	✅ github.com/urlbox/urlbox-mcp-server
SDKs	❌ Plain HTTP API (no native SDKs yet)	Plain HTTP API

The short version: Site-Shot is the better-value, lower-commitment option with a free browser tool and built-in proxies; Urlbox is the better choice when you need compliance- and forensic-grade capture (cryptographic timestamps/hashes, change detection) and already have your own proxy provider.

Pricing compared

Site-Shot's API starts at $5/mo for 2,000 screenshots (X-Lite) — that's $2.50 per 1,000, the cheapest entry point here. From there it scales to Lite ($15/mo for 10,000), Optimal ($50/mo for 50,000), and Professional ($500/mo for 625,000), where the per-shot cost falls to $0.0008 — $0.80 per 1,000.

Urlbox has no free tier. Instead it offers a 7-day trial plus a $100/10,000 money-back guarantee. Its entry Lo-Fi plan is $19/mo for 2,000 renders — $9.50 per 1,000, roughly 3.8x Site-Shot's entry per-shot price. If cost per screenshot is your main lever, Site-Shot wins at both the entry tier and at scale. Check current numbers on the Site-Shot pricing page and on Urlbox's pricing page before committing.

One honesty note that applies to both products: the free, no-signup access is only Site-Shot's in-browser homepage tool. Site-Shot's paid API requires an account and an API key (SITESHOT_API_KEY), exactly like Urlbox's API does.

Features compared

The core capture feature sets overlap more than the price gap suggests. Both render in a real browser, both do full-page capture, and both can strip ads and hide cookie-consent banners for cleaner images.

Where they diverge:

• Output and integration. Site-Shot returns a PNG/JPEG — or JSON with base64 plus the target's response headers — from a single GET request, no SDK required. That makes it trivial to wire into any language or shell.
• Proxies. Site-Shot includes country-specific proxies (IP, language, time zone, geolocation) out of the box. Urlbox provides built-in geolocation emulation but uses a bring-your-own-proxy model — you connect your own proxy provider. If you don't already have one, Site-Shot saves you that extra vendor.
• Compliance / forensics. This is Urlbox's headline differentiator: it targets revenue-generating businesses with forensic-grade context such as cryptographic timestamps/hashes and change detection. Site-Shot does not market that layer.
• SDKs. Neither ships the rich multi-language SDK suite some competitors do. Site-Shot is candid that native SDKs aren't available yet — you call the plain HTTP API directly (which is also its simplicity advantage).

AI agents & MCP

Both vendors ship an official MCP server, so both are ready for AI agents today. Site-Shot's is installed with npx -y site-shot-mcp (registry id io.github.site-shot/site-shot-mcp) and exposes capture_screenshot and capture_full_page tools to Claude, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients. Urlbox's official server lives at github.com/urlbox/urlbox-mcp-server.

If you're building an AI agent that needs clean screenshots — for vision pipelines, monitoring, or research — either works. Site-Shot's built-in ad/cookie removal helps keep captured images free of clutter before they reach a model, and its lower per-shot cost matters when an agent fans out across many URLs.

When Urlbox is the better choice

Urlbox is the stronger pick when defensibility matters more than price:

• You need compliance- or forensic-grade evidence — cryptographic timestamps and hashes, archival records, or change detection for legal, regulatory, or audit use cases.
• You already run your own proxy infrastructure and want to route captures through it, taking advantage of Urlbox's bring-your-own-proxy model plus built-in geolocation emulation.
• You're a revenue-generating business that values Urlbox's enterprise positioning and the money-back guarantee over the lowest possible per-shot cost.

If that's you, Urlbox earns its premium and the price gap is the right trade.

When Site-Shot is the better choice

Site-Shot is the better fit when you want full-featured, real-browser screenshots without the premium price:

• You want to prototype for free, with no signup — try the in-browser tool on the homepage before you ever create an account.
• You're cost-sensitive: $2.50/1,000 at entry and $0.80/1,000 at scale, versus $9.50/1,000 at Urlbox's entry tier.
• You want proxies included (country IP, language, time zone, geolocation) without sourcing a separate proxy provider.
• You want a single-GET HTTP API that drops into any stack, plus an official MCP server for AI agents.

For most developers who need solid screenshots at a fair price — and don't require forensic-grade compliance features — Site-Shot is the better-value option.

FAQ

Is Urlbox or Site-Shot cheaper? Site-Shot is cheaper at every volume. Site-Shot's entry API is $5/mo for 2,000 shots ($2.50 per 1,000) versus Urlbox's Lo-Fi plan at $19/mo for 2,000 renders ($9.50 per 1,000). At scale Site-Shot drops to $0.80 per 1,000 on its Professional plan. Site-Shot also has a free, no-signup browser tool, while Urlbox has no free tier (it offers a 7-day trial plus a $100/10,000 money-back guarantee). See the pricing page for current numbers.

Does Site-Shot work with AI agents / MCP? Yes. Site-Shot ships an official MCP server, installed with npx -y site-shot-mcp (registry id io.github.site-shot/site-shot-mcp). It exposes capture_screenshot and capture_full_page tools to Claude, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible agents. Urlbox also ships an official MCP server, so both work with AI agents today — more on the AI agents page.

Does Urlbox include proxies? Not built in. Urlbox uses a bring-your-own-proxy model, so you connect your own proxy provider, though it does offer built-in geolocation emulation. Site-Shot includes country-specific proxies (IP, language, time zone, and geolocation) with no third-party provider required.

Is the free, no-signup claim true for the whole product? No. Only Site-Shot's in-browser screenshot tool on the homepage is free with no signup and no API key. Site-Shot's paid API, like Urlbox's, requires an account and an API key (SITESHOT_API_KEY).

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Capture your first screenshot free in your browser — no signup — at site-shot.com. Ready to automate? Get an API key on the pricing page.