Best Firecrawl alternatives
Firecrawl is a web scraping API for AI agents, from $19/month. We've reviewed 2 alternatives: Apify and Crawl4AI, with what each one costs next to Firecrawl.
What Firecrawl costs
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free1,000 credits a month, no card | $0 |
| Hobby5,000 credits; $16/month billed yearly | $19/month |
| Standard100,000 credits; $83/month billed yearly | $99/month |
| Growth500,000 credits; $333/month billed yearly | $399/month |
| Scale1,000,000 credits; $599/month billed yearly | $749/month |
| Enterprise | Custom |
Where the cost bites
- Unused credits expire every month on Free, Hobby, Standard and Growth; only Scale rolls over, for one month.
- JSON, Question and Highlight output add 4 credits per page, so structured extraction costs 5 credits a page.
- Pages that answer with a 403 or 404 still cost 1 credit.
From firecrawl.dev, checked 2026-10-02. Prices change; confirm before you buy.
The alternatives, next to Firecrawl
| Tool | What it costs | Free way in | Self-hostable | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firecrawl | From $19/month | Yes | No | – |
| ApifyA marketplace of ready-made scrapers and AI tools, run in the cloud | Free ($5 usage) · paid from $19/month + usage | Yes | No | 4.2 / 5 |
| Crawl4AIOpen-source crawler that turns websites into LLM-ready Markdown | Free (open source) · Cloud pay as you go | Yes | Yes | 4.1 / 5 |
The options
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Firecrawl alternatives: questions
What is the best alternative to Firecrawl?
Apify scores highest of the 2 we've reviewed, at 4.2 out of 5. A marketplace of ready-made scrapers and AI tools, run in the cloud. The right pick depends on what you use Firecrawl for, so check each one's limits in the table above.
How much does Firecrawl cost?
Free: $0 (1,000 credits a month, no card); Hobby: $19/month (5,000 credits; $16/month billed yearly); Standard: $99/month (100,000 credits; $83/month billed yearly); Growth: $399/month (500,000 credits; $333/month billed yearly); Scale: $749/month (1,000,000 credits; $599/month billed yearly); Enterprise: Custom. Checked on 2026-10-02 at www.firecrawl.dev/pricing.
Is there a free alternative to Firecrawl?
Apify (Free ($5 usage) · paid from $19/month + usage), Crawl4AI (Free (open source) · Cloud pay as you go) have a free way to start. Free plans have limits, so read the review for each before you move real work over.
Why do people look for a Firecrawl alternative?
Mostly cost and limits. Unused credits expire every month on Free, Hobby, Standard and Growth; only Scale rolls over, for one month. JSON, Question and Highlight output add 4 credits per page, so structured extraction costs 5 credits a page. Pages that answer with a 403 or 404 still cost 1 credit.
Can I self-host an alternative to Firecrawl?
Yes: Crawl4AI. Hosting it yourself means you handle updates, backups and security.
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