The honest comparison
webclaw vs Firecrawl
Firecrawl is a Y Combinator backed web scraping API that converts websites to markdown. Here's how it compares to webclaw on pricing, features, and performance.
Rust · AGPL-3.0 · self-hostable
One shared credit pool: a plain page is 1 credit, heavier work adds a few (JS render +2, protected site +9). Crawl, batch, search and MCP included.
Node.js / TypeScript
1 credit/page base, but JSON extraction costs +4 credits, enhanced proxy +4 credits, browser +2 credits/min. A page with JSON + proxy = 9 credits.
Looking for a Firecrawl alternative?
A Firecrawl-compatible alternative with the same v2 API, plus built-in anti-bot bypass and one shared credit pool. Drop-in /v2/scrape, /v2/crawl, /v2/search. Built in Rust instead of Node, with small fixed add-ons from one balance (JS render +2, protected site +9) instead of stacked per-feature multipliers. Open source to self-host, or managed from $19/mo.
webclaw vs Firecrawl feature comparison
Every core capability side by side. The webclaw column is highlighted; cells show exactly what each tool ships.
| Feature | webclaw | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|
| Scrape (HTML to markdown) | ||
| Crawl (BFS with depth control) | ||
| Batch (parallel multi-URL) | ||
| Search (web search + scrape) | ||
| Extract (LLM structured data) | Yes (+4 credits/page) | |
| Screenshot (full page) | ||
| Browser actions (click, type, scroll) | Yes (/interact, preview) | |
| Anti-bot bypass (TLS level) | Proxy-based (+4 credits) | |
| JS rendering | ||
| PDF extraction | ||
| MCP server | ||
| CLI tool | ||
| Self-hostable | ||
| Open source (AGPL-3.0) | AGPL-3.0 | |
| Credit multipliers | One pool. Page 1, +2 JS, +9 protected. | Yes. JSON +4, proxy +4, browser +2/min. |
Is webclaw cheaper than Firecrawl?
webclaw bills from one credit pool: a plain page is 1 credit, heavier work adds a few. Compare the plans head to head, then read each credit model below.
| Plan | webclaw | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Open source (self-host) | 500 credits (one-time) |
| Starter | $19/mo · 10,000 credits | $16/mo — 3,000 credits |
| Growth | $49/mo · 100,000 credits | $83/mo — 100,000 credits |
| Pro | $99/mo · 250,000 credits | $333/mo — 500,000 credits |
webclaw credit model
One shared credit pool: a plain page is 1 credit, with small fixed add-ons for JS render (+2) and protected sites (+9). No separate proxy or JSON buckets.
Firecrawl credit model
1 credit/page base, but JSON extraction costs +4 credits, enhanced proxy +4 credits, browser +2 credits/min. A page with JSON + proxy = 9 credits.
Firecrawl strengths
- Larger community and ecosystem (~30k GitHub stars)
- Y Combinator backed with dedicated team
- More third-party integrations (Langchain, LlamaIndex)
- /interact feature for agent browser control
- Extensive template library
Firecrawl limitations
- Credit multipliers make real costs unpredictable
- Free tier is one-time, not monthly
- AGPL-3.0 license (same as webclaw)
- Node.js based (higher memory, slower than Rust)
- No Go SDK
Which one should you use?
Use webclaw when
You want one shared credit pool with small fixed add-ons instead of stacked feature multipliers, need a Rust-native engine for speed, or need Go SDK support.
Use Firecrawl when
You need a mature ecosystem with lots of integrations, your team already uses Langchain/LlamaIndex, or you need the /interact agent feature.
webclaw vs Firecrawl, answered
Is there a Firecrawl alternative for LLMs and AI agents?
A Firecrawl-compatible alternative with the same v2 API, plus built-in anti-bot bypass and one shared credit pool. Drop-in /v2/scrape, /v2/crawl, /v2/search. Built in Rust instead of Node, with small fixed add-ons from one balance (JS render +2, protected site +9) instead of stacked per-feature multipliers. Open source to self-host, or managed from $19/mo.
What is the difference between webclaw and Firecrawl?
Firecrawl is a Y Combinator backed web scraping API that converts websites to markdown. Here's how it compares to webclaw on pricing, features, and performance.
Is webclaw cheaper than Firecrawl?
webclaw bills from one shared credit pool: a plain page is 1 credit, heavier work adds a few (JS render +2, protected site +9). Firecrawl uses: 1 credit/page base, but JSON extraction costs +4 credits, enhanced proxy +4 credits, browser +2 credits/min. A page with JSON + proxy = 9 credits.
When should I use Firecrawl instead of webclaw?
You need a mature ecosystem with lots of integrations, your team already uses Langchain/LlamaIndex, or you need the /interact agent feature.
Compare webclaw with others
See how it stacks up.
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