Pick ScraperAPI if you want ready-made JSON for Amazon, Google and Walmart, huge async batches or a no-code pipeline for big jobs. Pick ScrapingBee if you're building AI or RAG workflows and want natural-language extraction, Markdown output, a CLI for coding agents and a zero-retention claim. Both are developer APIs with a free trial, and neither is a clear winner.
Developers rarely choose a scraping API on looks. They choose it on what comes back: raw HTML they'll parse themselves, ready-made JSON for a known site, or clean Markdown that a language model can read without fuss. These two APIs both handle the dull, painful part of scraping, the proxies, browsers and blocks. Where they differ is the shape of the output and who they're building for.
What comes back from each API
The first of the two, ScraperAPI, leans on structured data. Its Structured Data Endpoints return JSON for Amazon, Google Search and Walmart, and it names scrapers for Shopping, News and Jobs. If your work is tracking product listings, product catalogues or search results, that saves you writing and maintaining parsers for some of the busiest sites on the web.
The second leans on AI extraction. Its AI Query feature lets you describe what you want in plain language, and its extraction rules can hand you JSON or Markdown. It also has dedicated Amazon and Walmart APIs and a Fast Search option for real-time results pages, so it's not short on ready-made routes either. The difference is emphasis: one starts from known sites, the other from what an AI pipeline wants to eat.
Grid view of the two scraping APIs
| Area | ScraperAPI | ScrapingBee |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made endpoints | JSON for Amazon, Google Search and Walmart; scrapers for Shopping, News and Jobs | Dedicated Amazon and Walmart APIs, plus Fast Search for real-time SERP data |
| Job style | Synchronous API for raw HTML, plus an async API that retries jobs until they succeed | One HTML API call for any workflow, with JavaScript scenarios for complex interactions |
| No-code option | DataPipeline runs large jobs without code | API and CLI only; no pipeline for non-coders described |
| AI angle | AI Parser trains a custom parser for any source; AI and LLM integrations for scraping agents | AI Query in plain language, JSON or Markdown output, CLI for ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Cursor and Gemini |
| Browser rendering | JavaScript rendering in a headless browser | Headless Chrome with wait-for-selector, viewport, headers and screenshots |
| Data retention | No zero-retention claim made | Vendor claims zero data retention |
| Proxies | Browsers, proxies and CAPTCHAs handled for you | Premium residential and stealth proxies with country-level geolocation; 200M+ IPs claimed |
Two companies heading in different directions
A banner on the JSON-first vendor's homepage says it has acquired Traject Data. That's a sign the company is moving beyond a pure scraping API towards a wider data-collection business. If you're buying for the long run, it's worth asking what that means for the product you'll be relying on.
The AI-first vendor has gone the other way and narrowed its pitch. Almost everything on its homepage now points at AI work: the CLI, Skills for coding agents, and zero data retention aimed at RAG and analytics pipelines. Most of the product detail sits on that homepage and in the docs, so plan to read the docs before you commit.
Our advice for developers choosing between them
Go JSON-first if you scrape ecommerce and search sites at volume, want parsed results without writing parsers, need to fire off big async batches, or want a no-code DataPipeline so someone outside engineering can run large jobs. Go AI-first if you're feeding an AI or RAG system and want plain-language extraction, Markdown output, a CLI your coding agent can drive and a zero-retention claim to show your security team. Neither is the better API overall. They've each picked a lane.
Rendering, proxies and the awkward sites
Both render JavaScript in a headless browser, so single-page apps and dynamic content aren't off limits on either. The AI-first side gives you more knobs on the page itself: wait for a selector, set the viewport, pass headers and grab a screenshot of the rendered page. It also offers JavaScript scenarios for clicks and scrolls before the data's taken.
On proxies, the JSON-first side keeps it simple and says proxies, browsers and CAPTCHAs are handled for you. The other names premium residential and stealth proxies with country-level geolocation, and the vendor says it has 200M+ IPs. If you need results as seen from a particular country, that explicit geolocation option is worth noting.
Batch jobs and the no-code route
Here the JSON-first side pulls ahead. Its async API takes up to 50,000 jobs in one submission, the vendor says, and retries each job until it succeeds. That's a big help when you're crawling a catalogue overnight and don't want to write your own retry logic. DataPipeline then lets you set up large jobs without code at all.
The AI-first side keeps everything inside one HTML API call, which some developers prefer because there's less to learn. It doesn't describe a no-code pipeline, so if a non-developer needs to run jobs, that's a gap. For a wider view of the category, our list of the best web scraping APIs compares more options side by side.
Other scraping APIs on the shortlist
Zenrows
Best for: AI agent and automation builders who want to fetch, extract, crawl, batch or drive a browser through one platform, with open-source clients.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Bright Data
Best for: Larger teams wanting a big proxy network, scraper and unlocker APIs, a browser API and ready datasets.
Apify
Best for: Teams who prefer ready-to-run scrapers called Actors, or building and deploying their own with the open-source Crawlee library.
Scrapfly
Best for: Developers needing a scraping API, cloud browser and screenshot API, with production-ready scrapers for major sites on GitHub.
Do you make a web scraping API or data collection tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this page.
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Frequently asked questions
Which one returns ready-made JSON for Amazon and Google?
The JSON-first API has Structured Data Endpoints for Amazon, Google Search and Walmart. The AI-first API offers dedicated Amazon and Walmart APIs and Fast Search for results pages.
Does ScrapingBee keep the data it scrapes?
The vendor claims zero data retention, aimed at AI, RAG and analytics pipelines. The other API doesn't make a zero-retention claim on its site.
Can I run big scraping jobs without writing code?
Yes, on the JSON-first side through DataPipeline. The AI-first side is API and CLI only, with no pipeline described for non-coders.
Which works better with AI coding tools?
The AI-first API has a CLI that works with ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Cursor and Gemini. The JSON-first API offers an AI Parser and AI and LLM integrations for scraping agents.
Is there a free trial on either?
Both state a free trial, so you can run your own target sites through each before picking one.
