Scraping API
ScrapeUnblocker vs ScrapingAnt
ScrapingAnt is a scraping API built on headless Chrome with residential proxies and JS rendering. ScrapeUnblocker does the same URL-in, page-out job, but renders through its own browser build rather than headless Chrome - which is what tends to make the difference on the harder anti-bot stacks that fingerprint Chromium.
Modern defenses fingerprint headless Chrome well. ScrapeUnblocker uses its own browser build and a warm pool of rotated profiles, picks exits by reputation and retries through fresh ones, so pages behind Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX and Akamai come back rendered instead of as a challenge screen.
On billing, you pay for successful requests and anti-bot soft-blocks are returned free rather than charged as a 200. Popular targets also expose plugin endpoints that return parsed JSON, and a free tier of 500 requests lets you compare success rates on your own targets first.
Side by side
| Capability | ScrapeUnblocker | ScrapingAnt |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering engine | Our own browser build | Headless Chrome |
| Anti-bot bypass | Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, Akamai | Residential proxies + JS rendering |
| Structured data | Plugin endpoints return parsed JSON | Raw HTML / custom parsing |
| Pricing model | Pay per successful request, soft-blocks free | Credit-based per request |
| Official SDKs | Python, Node, Ruby, PHP + MCP + Apify | API + libraries |
| Free tier | 500 requests on signup, no card | Free trial credits |
When ScrapeUnblocker is the better pick
- Headless Chrome is getting blocked on your targets.
- You want parsed JSON for common sites without writing parsers.
- You want to stop paying for blocked responses.
- You want to test on your own targets before you pay.
Where they still make sense
- Your targets are simple and render fine with headless Chrome.
- You already have a ScrapingAnt integration that works for you.
Try it on your own targets
500 requests free on signup. No card, no sales call.