Provider-source comparison
webclaw vs Firecrawl
Firecrawl offers a hosted extraction service and an open-source server under AGPL-3.0. Its cloud product includes scraping, crawling, search and browser interaction.
Hosted API + AGPL-3.0 open-source core
Standard page operations cost one credit per successful page. Search is metered per result, and Research has a separate allowance. The local open-source core does not include all managed services.
Hosted extraction API
AGPL-3.0 server. Docker Compose; cloud feature differences.
Looking for a Firecrawl alternative?
Both products offer hosted extraction and open-source tools. Firecrawl supports self-hosting; its default stack has fewer capabilities than Firecrawl Cloud. Webclaw compatibility covers documented /v2 routes, not every Firecrawl option.
Read the deep dive: Migrating from Firecrawl to webclawFeatures
webclaw vs Firecrawl feature comparison
Documented capabilities, with a source for each entry. This is a documentation review, not a comparative performance test. An undocumented capability is not treated as unavailable.
Sources and deployment scope
Reviewed 2026-09-15. Maintained by Webclaw. Open-source licenses apply to the named repository, not automatically to a vendor’s entire hosted service.
Pricing
Compare plans for your workload.
Selected public offers in USD, reviewed 2026-09-15. Monthly billing unless explicitly marked annual. These rows are not equivalent workloads or a complete plan catalog; credit definitions, add-ons and taxes differ.
Provider reference checked 2026-09-15. Check current Firecrawl pricing and terms. Unverified capabilities are not treated as unavailable.
| Offer | webclaw | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | 500 credits/month, no card; plus open source (self-host) | 1,000 credits/month; no card |
| Entry paid offer | Starter: $19/month · 5,000 credits | Hobby: $19/month · 5,000 credits |
| Another paid offer | Growth: $49/month · 25,000 credits | Standard: $99/month · 100,000 credits |
| Higher-volume offer | Pro: $99/month · 100,000 credits | Growth: $399/month · 500,000 credits |
webclaw credit model
Page operations use credits; Research has a separate allowance. A standard scrape or extract uses one credit. Check the pricing page for operation rates and plan limits.
Firecrawl credit model
Basic scrape/crawl/map: 1 credit/page. Search: 2 credits/10 results. Interact: 2 credits/browser minute. JSON, Question and Highlight add 4 credits/page. Monitor rates conflict within the pricing page, so no Monitor rate is quoted here.
Firecrawl strengths
- Managed API plus an AGPL-3.0 server
- Scrape, search, crawl and browser interaction in the hosted product
Firecrawl considerations
- Default self-hosting does not include all cloud services
- AI formats and browser sessions use different credit rates
Verdict
Which one should you use?
Use webclaw when
You want the Webclaw API and dashboard with page-credit billing, or its AGPL-3.0 CLI, MCP and self-hosted core. Managed features and local capabilities differ; test the deployment you intend to use.
Use Firecrawl when
You need Firecrawl’s supported endpoints, browser interaction or ecosystem, or want to operate its open-source server.
Both products offer hosted extraction and open-source tools. Firecrawl supports self-hosting; its default stack has fewer capabilities than Firecrawl Cloud. Webclaw compatibility covers documented /v2 routes, not every Firecrawl option.
Get started
See how it stacks up.
Cancel anytime. Run the same job on webclaw and Firecrawl and compare for yourself.