What is a web scraping API?

A web scraping API is a hosted service that takes a URL and returns the page's content as markdown, JSON, HTML or text. It runs the browsers, proxies and retries for you. AlterLab is one: a single POST request, five pricing tiers, billed only when the page comes back.

How does AlterLab handle bot-protected websites?

AlterLab uses a 5-tier escalation system that automatically selects the right approach for each site. Tier 1 handles simple HTTP requests. Tier 2 adds TLS fingerprint compatibility. Tier 3 uses stealth browser automation for sites with challenge-based access controls. Tier 4 adds full JavaScript rendering via Playwright. Tier 5 handles the most demanding pages with extended browser sessions.

How much does a web scraping API cost per request?

AlterLab pricing starts from $0.0002 per request for Light tier static pages, up to $0.02 for Fortress tier extended browser sessions. Failed requests are not billed. The smart router picks the cheapest tier that works for each URL, with an average effective cost around $0.001 per request across typical workloads.

Does my balance expire?

No. Your balance stays in your account indefinitely with no monthly resets or use-it-or-lose-it policies. The balance never expires.

What is the difference between scrape, crawl, map and extract?

Scrape returns one page. Map lists every URL on a site in one call. Crawl fetches a whole site page by page. Extract fills your JSON schema from any page. Search returns web results with the pages already fetched. In AlterLab all five share one key, one balance and one response shape.

Web scraping & data APIs

AlterLab

Web scraping API that automatically routes requests through five tiers, from simple HTTP to full browser rendering, billing only for successful requests starting at $0.0002 per page.

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A web scraping API for developers and AI agents that handles JavaScript rendering, bot protection, and structured data extraction with transparent pay-as-you-go

Overview

A look at alterlab.io

AlterLab is a web scraping API platform that turns any website into clean, usable data. It automatically selects the optimal method for each request across five tiers—Light HTTP requests at $0.0002 per page through to full Fortress browser rendering at $0.02—billing only for successful scrapes. The platform includes nine endpoints covering scraping, searching, mapping, crawling, extracting structured data, monitoring page changes, and integration with AI agents via hosted MCP servers. It supports multiple output formats (markdown, JSON, HTML, text), handles JavaScript-rendered pages, manages sessions with cookies, rotates residential proxies across 195+ countries, and solves CAPTCHAs automatically. Users get up to 5,000 free requests to start, no credit card required, and balances never expire.

Feature notes

Five-tier smart router automatically selects optimal tier for each request, from static HTTP to full browser rendering
JavaScript rendering with full browser support for React, Vue, Angular, Next.js and infinite scroll pages
Multiple output formats: markdown, JSON, HTML, and text with optional RAG chunking
Hosted MCP server for AI agents with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Windsurf integration
Automatic CAPTCHA solving and TLS fingerprint compatibility
Python and Node.js SDKs with machine-readable docs (llms.txt, OpenAPI)
Page change monitoring with webhooks and cron scheduler support
Batch processing up to 100 URLs per call with async jobs and webhook delivery

Pricing

Pricing model: Paid

Free tier: up to 5,000 free requests with no credit card required. Pay-as-you-go after that: Light tier $0.0002 per request, Standard tier $0.0003 per request, Protected tier $0.002 per request, Dynamic tier $0.004 per request (or $0.0005 when page loads via direct egress), Fortress tier $0.02 per r

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AlterLab at a glance

Community votes: 0
Followers: 0
Founded: 2026
HQ: United States
Stage: Startup

AlterLab metrics

Inspection sheet for alterlab.io: Ahrefs Domain Rating and Majestic link metrics, with the delta since the last inspection.
Metric	Value
Domain Rating	17 +1 (up) since last check
Trust Flow	2 no change since last check
Citation Flow	29 no change since last check
Referring domains	93 no change since last check
External backlinks	792 no change since last check

Domain Rating by Ahrefs inspected 6 Nov 2026, adjusted 4 Nov 2026. Primary topic: News/Media Industry (2). Majestic inspected 2 Nov 2026, adjusted 2 Nov 2026. Link data: Majestic. Trust Flow, Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow are trademarks of Majestic-12 Ltd.

AlterLab domain diagnostics

Run through the diagnostics

Public RDAP record, last read 6 Nov 2026, 08:32 UTC.
Domain age	1 year
Registered	24 Oct 2025
Expires	24 Oct 2027
Registrar	Porkbun LLC
DNSSEC	Signed

Run the full check on alterlab.io

AlterLab post-launch diagnostics

Measured after AlterLab went live on Launching Pro on 2 November 2026.

Domain Rating (Ahrefs): 17 +1 (up) since launch; 16 at launch (2 Nov 2026), 17 on 6 Nov 2026
Trust Flow (Majestic): 2; First measured 2 Nov 2026
Referring domains (Majestic): 93; First measured 2 Nov 2026

Day 4 since launch. Next receipt: day 30, 2 Dec 2026. The figures report a change; they do not say what caused it, and many things can. No figure here is a guess.

Biggest gains on Launching Pro

Launch tips, free to read

The playbook on Launching Pro lists what to prepare, what to post on launch day and where else to list your product.

Before the day
Launch day
That week
Beyond launch

See the launch playbook

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FAQ

What is a web scraping API?: A web scraping API is a hosted service that takes a URL and returns the page's content as markdown, JSON, HTML or text. It runs the browsers, proxies and retries for you. AlterLab is one: a single POST request, five pricing tiers, billed only when the page comes back.
How does AlterLab handle bot-protected websites?: AlterLab uses a 5-tier escalation system that automatically selects the right approach for each site. Tier 1 handles simple HTTP requests. Tier 2 adds TLS fingerprint compatibility. Tier 3 uses stealth browser automation for sites with challenge-based access controls. Tier 4 adds full JavaScript rendering via Playwright. Tier 5 handles the most demanding pages with extended browser sessions.
How much does a web scraping API cost per request?: AlterLab pricing starts from $0.0002 per request for Light tier static pages, up to $0.02 for Fortress tier extended browser sessions. Failed requests are not billed. The smart router picks the cheapest tier that works for each URL, with an average effective cost around $0.001 per request across typical workloads.
Does my balance expire?: No. Your balance stays in your account indefinitely with no monthly resets or use-it-or-lose-it policies. The balance never expires.
What is the difference between scrape, crawl, map and extract?: Scrape returns one page. Map lists every URL on a site in one call. Crawl fetches a whole site page by page. Extract fills your JSON schema from any page. Search returns web results with the pages already fetched. In AlterLab all five share one key, one balance and one response shape.

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