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 archival and enterprise capture features. 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 August 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 (full third-party capture) | $5/mo · 2,000 shots (X-Lite) | $49/mo · 5,000 renders (Hi-Fi) |
| ~Cost per 1,000 | $2.50 (entry) | $9.80 (entry) |
| Cost at scale | $0.80 / 1,000 ($500/mo · 625,000) | ~$3.00 / 1,000 (Business: $495 base + $3/1,000) |
| 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 on every paid plan (IP, language, time zone, geolocation) | Geolocation emulation built in; bring-your-own proxy (Ultra+) |
| Official MCP server | ✅ npx -y site-shot-mcp |
✅ github.com/urlbox/urlbox-mcp-server |
| SDKs | ✅ Node.js — npm install site-shot-sdk; Python — pip install site-shot |
Official Node.js client — npm install urlbox |
The short version: Site-Shot is the better-value, lower-commitment option with a free browser tool and built-in proxies; Urlbox is worth considering for its archival features and bring-your-own proxy support. Confirm that its evidence and retention options meet your requirements rather than assuming legal admissibility.
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. Mind which plan you price against: the cheapest tier (Lo-Fi, $19/mo for 2,000) is pitched by Urlbox's own pricing page as "Screenshot websites you own", and it renders third-party sites as thumbnails only. The first plan with full third-party capture is Hi-Fi at $49/mo for 5,000 renders — $9.80 per 1,000, roughly 3.9x Site-Shot's entry per-shot price; Urlbox's Business plan charges $495/month plus $3.00 per 1,000, so its effective rate approaches $3.00 only at very high volume (checked August 2026). 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.
- Archival features. Urlbox markets tamper-evident timestamps/hashes (its claim) and archival storage. Site-Shot also provides saved capture records and scheduled image-change detection; these are not guarantees of legal admissibility. Compare the retention and verification details you actually need.
- SDKs. Site-Shot has official Node.js and Python clients. Urlbox also publishes an official Node.js client; both APIs can be called directly over HTTP.
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 archival features such as tamper-evident timestamps and hashes (their claim), and have verified that the storage and verification options meet your legal, regulatory, or audit requirements.
- 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 $9.80/1,000 on Urlbox's cheapest full-capture plan.
- 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.
- You want captures on a schedule without extra tooling — scheduled captures are built into every paid plan.
For most developers who need solid screenshots at a fair price — and don't require Urlbox's compliance layer — Site-Shot is the better-value option.
FAQ
Is Urlbox or Site-Shot cheaper? Site-Shot has lower per-shot rates on the published plans compared here. Site-Shot's entry API is $5/mo for 2,000 shots ($2.50 per 1,000), while Urlbox's cheapest plan with full third-party capture is Hi-Fi at $49/mo for 5,000 renders ($9.80 per 1,000) — its $19 Lo-Fi tier covers only sites you own, rendering third-party pages as thumbnails. 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 at
github.com/urlbox/urlbox-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).
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.