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Bright Data vs. ScrapingBee: Which One Is Right for You in 2025?

Comparing Pricing, Features, and Performance to Help You Decide

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Brightdata vs Scrapingbee
Brightdata vs. Scrapingbee

Discover why 10,000+ companies chose ScraperAPI to scale their web scraping projects
over tools like Bright Data and ScrapingBee

Quick Overview

Trying to choose between Bright Data and ScrapingBee? We break down their features, pricing, and performance to help you find the right fit for your 2025 web scraping projects.

About BrightData

Bright Data (formerly Luminati) is built for enterprise-scale data extraction. It offers the industry’s largest proxy network, advanced APIs, and ready-made datasets for companies that want pre-scraped results. It’s powerful but complex — better suited to large teams with big budgets and technical resources.

Strengths:

  • Massive proxy infrastructure (72M+ IPs)
  • High uptime and advanced custom configuration
  • Offers pre-scraped datasets (no scraping needed)

Top Features:

  • Dedicated scrapers for LinkedIn, Amazon, Zillow, etc
  • Real-time structured data delivery
  • Unlimited concurrent tasks
  • Premium support and SLAs for enterprise users

About ScrapingBee

ScrapingBee is a simple web scraping API that helps you collect data from websites without getting blocked. It takes care of complex parts like proxy rotation, JavaScript rendering, and headless browsers so you can focus on getting the data you need. It’s a good fit for developers, small teams, and startups who want to scrape websites without building their scraping infrastructure.

Strengths:

  • Easy to use with clean documentation
  • Renders JavaScript for dynamic pages
  • Handles proxies and bypasses rate limits
  • Can extract structured data like JSON

Top Features:

  • One API to handle JavaScript, CAPTCHAs, and browser automation
  • AI-based scraping that works with plain English (no CSS needed)
  • Built-in support for headless Chrome and proxy geolocation
  • Screenshot and search engine scraping support
  • Works with Make for simple no-code workflows

How ScraperAPI Stacks Up

ScraperAPI is a simple and scalable web scraping tool. It automatically takes care of JavaScript rendering, CAPTCHA solving, and proxy rotation, so you don’t need to manage these yourself.

Unlike Bright Data, which charges by the number of records or bandwidth, ScraperAPI uses a flat monthly pricing model based on credits. You pay for successful requests only, and you can choose how to use your credits—whether with or without advanced features.

While enabling JavaScript rendering or premium proxies does use more credits per request, there are no surprise add-ons or hidden fees. You stay in control of your monthly usage.

For $299/month, ScraperAPI gives you up to 600,000 successful requests, with access to 150+ geolocations, structured data endpoints, and support for scraping large, dynamic websites like Amazon or Google.

Top Features:

  • Automatic proxy rotation & smart retries
  • JavaScript rendering with custom instruction sets
  • Structured Data Endpoints for sites like Amazon, Google, and Walmart
  • Flat-rate pricing with straightforward credit usage
  • Supports 150+ geolocations
  • Optional no-code scraping through DataPipeline

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

1️⃣ Pricing & Value

FeatureBrightDataScrapingBeeScraperAPI
Pricing ModelPay-per-record (e.g., $0.79–$1.5 / 1K records)Credit-based pricing Monthly credit-based plans based on successful requests
Free Trial✅ Yes, no credit card✅ Yes (1,000 API calls)✅ Yes, no credit card
Pay-as-you-go✅ $1.5 / 1K records❌ ❌ 
Extra Costs (Bandwidth, IPs, etc.)Extra Storage and bandwidth, premium support❌ None❌ None – All features included
Money-back Guarantee❌ No✅ Flexible (on request)✅ 7-day refund on all plans

📌 Takeaway: Bright Data offers powerful features and global reach, but its pay-per-record pricing adds up quickly and requires more setup—best suited for large, technical teams.

ScrapingBee is easy to start with and includes helpful features, but using things like stealth mode or premium proxies burns credits fast. Automation relies on a third-party tool, which can be limiting for bigger workflows.

ScraperAPI keeps things simple with flat, transparent pricing. Features like CAPTCHA solving, JS rendering, and automation via DataPipeline are built-in, making it a cost-effective choice for teams that want to scale without hidden costs or added complexity.

2️⃣ Performance & Reliability

Feature🏆 Brighdata🚀 ScrapingBeeScraperAPI
Success Rate (%)99.99% 98%Depends on the domain(95% - 99.9%)
JS Rendering SupportYesYes (but it costs extra and reduces request limits)Yes
CAPTCHA HandlingYesYes (via Stealth Mode, up to 75 credits/request)Yes
Geolocation Options195+ countries (via 72M IPs)Dozens of countries (via premium proxies)150+ locations included in the plan

📌 Takeaway: Bright Data offers the highest success rate and global coverage, but it takes more setup and is better suited for complex, enterprise-level scraping

ScrapingBee works well for smaller projects, but advanced features like JS rendering and stealth mode cost extra and can limit how much you can scrape.

ScraperAPI strikes a good balance—it’s reliable, handles dynamic sites well, and includes key features like retries and proxy rotation out of the box, making it easier to scale without extra effort.

3️⃣ User Reviews & Ratings (Capterra and Trustpilot)

PlatformBrightData ⭐ScrapingBee⭐ScraperAPI ⭐
Capterra⭐ 4.8 / 5 (65 reviews)⭐ 4.9 / 5 (118+ reviews)⭐ 4.6 / 5 (62 reviews)
Trustpilot⭐ 4.5 / 5 (812 reviews)❌ Not listed⭐ 4.7 / 5 (40 reviews)

💬 What Users Are Saying:

Bright Data is praised for its advanced infrastructure and high success rates. It’s powerful and flexible, especially for global-scale scraping, but often too complex and expensive for smaller teams. Many users mention overcharges, billing confusion, or steep learning curves.

ScrapingBee is loved for its simplicity, clean documentation, and solid support. Reviewers say it “just works” for many use cases, especially if you need to start quickly. However, its pricing can grow fast with premium features, and limitations like low concurrency make it harder to scale affordably.

ScraperAPI is highly rated for being straightforward, predictable, and easy to integrate. Reviews frequently highlight its consistent performance, fast support, and generous pricing model. A few users note occasional credit usage confusion, but overall, ScraperAPI strikes a strong balance between price, features, and flexibility, especially for technical teams and startups.

Bright Data

👍 Pros:

  • Excellent customer service and high success rate.
  • Robust proxy network and scraping tools
  • Good for enterprise-scale operations

👎 Cons:

  • Frequent complaints about high prices and overcharges
  • Occasional proxy mismatches or blocked IPs
  • Lack of refunds or flexibility in pricing

ScrapingBee

👍 Pros:

  • Built-in JavaScript rendering and smart headers
  • Solid success rate across many websites
  • Only charges for successful requests

👎 Cons:

  • Costs rise quickly with advanced features
  • It can get expensive at scale due to credit consumption
  • Some users report slower performance on large scraping jobs

ScraperAPI

👍 Pros:

  • Extremely easy to use and well-documented
  • Excellent value for money — generous features even on lower tiers
  • Responsive customer support praised across reviews
  • Handles proxies, CAPTCHA, and JS rendering
  • Highly scalable with structured data support

👎 Cons:

  • Occasional timeouts or lower success rates on complex sites
  • No credit rollover between billing cycles

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BrightData if…

✔ You need the largest proxy network (195+ countries, 72M IPs)
 ✔ You want highly customized data collection workflows
 ✔ You prefer a hands-on support experience with dedicated account managers and have a large budget to work with

Choose ScrapingBee if…

 ✔ You want a simple scraping API with built-in JavaScript rendering
 ✔ You’re working on a small or mid-sized project and don’t need high concurrency
 ✔ You’re okay with credit-based pricing and using a third-party tool like Make for automation

Choose ScraperAPI if…

 ✔ You want fast, reliable scraping with no setup
 ✔ You want high success rates, more concurrency, structured data endpoints, and transparent pricing that scales with you
 ✔ You prefer flat pricing and high value per successful request

Why is ScraperAPI the best alternative to BrightData and ScrapingBee?

If you’re comparing Bright Data and ScrapingBee, both are capable scraping tools—but they come with limitations that can add cost and complexity. Bright Data is built for enterprise-level users. It offers massive proxy networks and advanced scraping tools, but setup can be complex and expensive. You’re charged per record, and costs rise fast with large volumes or advanced use cases. ScrapingBee is easier to start with and supports features like JavaScript rendering and Stealth mode. However, each feature uses extra credits—up to 75 credits per request—so costs can quickly add up. Automation is also limited and depends on a third-party tool like Make, which can be restrictive for larger projects.

ScraperAPI offers a more integrated solution. While it also charges more credits for JavaScript rendering, key features like CAPTCHA solving, proxy rotation, and retries are included across all plans. You only pay for successful requests, and there are no surprise fees for bandwidth or advanced features. What sets it apart is built-in automation. With Structured Data Endpoints, you can get pre-parsed data from sites like Amazon or Google—no need to write your parsers. With DataPipeline, you can schedule and manage scraping jobs directly from your dashboard or via API.

For teams that need flexibility, scale, and transparent pricing, ScraperAPI offers a better long-term option—without the overhead of configuring everything yourself or relying on external tools for automation.

ScraperAPI is the better (yet affordable) alternative

ScraperAPI vs. Bright Data
ScraperAPI vs BrightData
ScraperAPI vs. ScrapingBee
ScraperAPI vs ScrapingBee

What Our Customers
Are Saying

One of the most frustrating parts of automated web scraping is constantly dealing with IP blocks and CAPTCHAs. ScraperAPI gets this task off of your shoulders.

Capterra Badge

based on 50+ reviews

The team at ScraperAPI was so patient in helping us debug our first scraper. Thanks for being super passionate and awesome!
Cristina Saavedra
Cristina SaavedraOptimization Director at SquareTrade
A dead simple API plus a generous free tier are hard to beat. ScraperAPI is a good example of how developer experience can make a difference in a crowded category.
Ilya Sukhar
Ilya SukharFounder of Parse, Partner at YCombinator
I researched a lot of scraping tools and am glad I found ScraperAPI. It has low cost and great tech support. They always respond within 24 hours when I need any help with the product.
Alexander Zharkov
Alexander ZharkovFullstack Javascript Developer
BigCommerce

Simple Pricing. No Surprises.

Start collecting data with our 7-day trial and 5,000 API credits. No credit card required.

Upgrade to enable more features and increase scraping volume.

Hobby

Ideal for small projects or personal use.

Hobby

$49

/ month

$44

/ month, billed annually

  • 100,000 API Credits
  • 20 Concurrent Threads
  • US & EU Geotargeting
Start Trial

Startup

Great for small teams and advanced users.

Startup

$149

/ month

$134

/ month, billed annually

  • 1,000,000 API Credits
  • 50 Concurrent Threads
  • US & EU Geotargeting
Start Trial

Business

Perfect for small-medium businesses.

Business

$299

/ month

$269

/ month, billed annually

  • 3,000,000 API Credits
  • 100 Concurrent Threads
  • All Geotargeting
Start Trial

Scaling

Most popular

Perfect for teams looking to scale their operations.

Business

$475

/ month

$427

/ month, billed annually

  • 5,000,000 API Credits
  • 200 Concurrent Threads
  • All Geotargeting
Start Trial

Enterprise

Need more than 5,000,000 API Credits with all premium features, premium support and an account manager?

  • 5,000,000+ API credits and 200+ Concurrent Threads
  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Slack Support
Contact Sales

Frequently Asked Questions

ScraperAPI is the better option. It supports JavaScript rendering, CAPTCHA handling, and smart retries—all built-in. While ScrapingBee also supports dynamic sites, it charges extra for stealth mode and JS rendering. Bright Data offers similar capabilities but requires more setup and higher costs.

ScraperAPI offers the best value. While ScrapingBee charges more credits for advanced features and Bright Data uses a pay-per-record model with added costs, ScraperAPI includes key features in all plans and only charges for successful requests—helping you stretch your budget further.

Very simple. ScraperAPI uses a straightforward API format so that you can migrate in minutes—just update your request URLs and headers. There’s no need to manage infrastructure, proxies, or retries. Support and documentation are available to help you get up and running quickly!

5 Billion Requests Handled per Month

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