vs ZenRows
ZenRows alternative with 98% on protected sites.
ZenRows's web scraping API lands at 58% on anti-bot protected sites. Scrapfly holds 98% on identical targets, with one API key across 5 products.
ZenRows works, until it doesn't.
Teams come to this page for one of three reasons: success rate degraded after an antibot vendor update, cost surprised them via credit multipliers or "premium domain" surcharges, or they need features ZenRows doesn't ship (JS rendering, Extraction API, unified billing). Scrapfly addresses all three on the same key.
Sites Scrapfly actually handles.
Scrapeway benchmarks test every major scraping API with default, out-of-box configs.
E-commerce
Professional & Jobs
Real Estate
Social Media
We own the full stack.
Scrapfly's Anti-Scraping Protection (ASP) is built in-house: Curlium for TLS-perfect HTTP, Scrapium for stealth browser, our own residential + datacenter mesh. When a vendor updates, fixes land in days — not weeks.
- 24/7 antibot monitoring
- Bypass restoration in days, not weeks
- No third-party proxy dependencies
- Real browser TLS fingerprints
- Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX
- Akamai Bot Manager
- Custom enterprise systems
- CAPTCHA challenges
Scrapfly vs ZenRows, one row at a time.
What matters for production scraping: protected-site success, cost, reliability.
| Metric | Scrapfly | ZenRows |
|---|---|---|
| Success Rate (Protected Sites) | 98% | 58% |
| Free Trial | 1,000 API credits | 1,000 credits |
| Average Scraping Speed | 7.5 seconds | 12.2 seconds |
| Protected Site Cost | 30+ credits (varies by target) | 25 credits (JS + premium) |
| Bandwidth Optimization | Proxy Saver (50% savings) | |
| Extraction API | AI-powered data extraction |
How Scrapfly's Anti-Scraping Protection works.
Set asp=True. The engine handles everything else.
Adaptive bypass
Handles Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX automatically. Detects the challenge type, submits a valid solution.
Session intelligence
Reuses unblocked stealth-browser sessions when the target allows it, cutting cost without sacrificing success rate.
A Better Cloud Browser API
Need full browser control? Scrapfly's Cloud Browser API gives you managed stealth browsers via WebSocket CDP — perfect for dynamic scraping, AI agents, and complex automation.
- Plug & Play Integration — Connect your existing Playwright or Puppeteer scripts to our remote browser API with a simple WebSocket URL change. No code rewrites needed.
- Stealth Mode & Proxies — Built-in anti-detection with rotating residential proxies. Bypass Cloudflare, DataDome, and other protections effortlessly.
- Fully Managed Infrastructure — Auto-scaling browser pool with zero DevOps overhead. Focus on your automation, not infrastructure.
- Coherent Fingerprints — End-to-end fingerprint consistency across TLS, HTTP/2, and browser APIs. No mismatched signatures that trigger detection.
- AI Agent Ready — Perfect for AI agents, LLM-powered automation, and autonomous web interactions. Reliable browser access for your AI workflows.
from scrapfly import ScrapflyClient, BrowserConfig
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
client = ScrapflyClient(key="YOUR_API_KEY")
# Configure the Cloud Browser session (proxy pool, OS fingerprint,
# session pinning, block rules, captcha solver, etc.)
config = BrowserConfig(
proxy_pool="datacenter",
os="linux",
)
# SDK builds the signed wss:// URL with all options encoded
ws_url = client.cloud_browser(config)
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(ws_url)
context = browser.contexts[0]
page = context.pages[0] if context.pages else context.new_page()
page.goto("https://web-scraping.dev/products")
print(page.title())
browser.close()import { ScrapflyClient, BrowserConfig } from 'scrapfly-sdk';
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer-core';
const client = new ScrapflyClient({ key: 'YOUR_API_KEY' });
// Configure the Cloud Browser session (proxy pool, OS fingerprint,
// session pinning, block rules, captcha solver, etc.)
const config = new BrowserConfig({
proxy_pool: 'datacenter',
os: 'linux',
});
// SDK builds the signed wss:// URL with all options encoded
const wsUrl = client.cloudBrowser(config);
const browser = await puppeteer.connect({ browserWSEndpoint: wsUrl });
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://web-scraping.dev/products');
console.log(await page.title());
await browser.close();Credits vary by actual complexity.
Scrapfly ASP costs 30+ credits (varies by target). You don't overpay for simple targets. Full pricing.
| Configuration | Scrapfly | ZenRows |
|---|---|---|
| Datacenter, no JS | 1 credit | 1 credit |
| Datacenter + JS rendering | 6 credits | 5 credits |
| Residential + JS rendering | 30 credits | 25 credits |
| ASP on protected sites | 30+ credits (varies by target) | 25 credits (JS + premium) |
Why Developers Choose Scrapfly
Teams choose Scrapfly for the reliability, but stay for the production features that reduce development time and operating costs.
Full Technology Ownership
Unlike providers relying on third-party proxy networks, Scrapfly owns the entire technology chain: proxies, browsers, fingerprinting, and challenge solving.
When anti-bot systems update, we restore bypasses in days, not weeks.
24/7 anti-bot monitoringBandwidth Optimization with Proxy Saver
Residential proxies charge $6-15 per GB. At 1 million requests averaging 500KB, you're transferring ~500GB monthly.
Proxy Saver blocks junk traffic, stubs images/CSS, and caches responses, cutting bandwidth significantly.
Significant cost savings per million requestsExtraction API
Transform raw HTML into structured data automatically. Scrapfly's AI-powered Extraction API handles:
- Auto-extraction: Automatically detect and extract data
- LLM extraction: Natural language prompts for complex data
- Template extraction: Reusable extraction rules
What developers say.
4.9/5 · 219 reviewsWhat teams complain about with ZenRows
- Silent success-rate degradation after antibot vendor updates
- Credit multipliers on "premium" targets blow up invoices
- Support tickets routed through tier-1 scripts before real answers
Three things that stop happening
- 5 engine deploys/day on real error telemetry — no silent rot
- Variable credit cost by actual target complexity — no premium-domain surprise
- Every support agent is a web-data developer — no tier-1 script
Most teams migrate in under 2 hours.
No downtime, no data loss. Run both vendors in parallel during evaluation.
- Sign up for 1,000 free credits No credit card. Full API access from minute one.
- Install the SDK Python, TypeScript, Go, or Scrapy.
- Update request parameters Parameter mapping in the getting-started guide.
- Test your critical targets Run Scrapfly alongside ZenRows during evaluation.
# ZenRows → Scrapfly: Simple parameter changes
from scrapfly import ScrapflyClient, ScrapeConfig
client = ScrapflyClient(key='YOUR_API_KEY')
result = client.scrape(ScrapeConfig(
url='https://example.com',
render_js=True, # Same parameter name
asp=True, # Replaces antibot=True
country='us', # Replaces proxy_country
proxy_pool='public_residential_pool' # Replaces premium_proxy=True
))
print(result.content)Full parameter mapping, multiple language examples, and AI-assisted migration tool:
View Full Migration GuideFrequently Asked Questions
Does Scrapfly really hit 98% on protected sites?
Yes. Scrapeway benchmarks every major scraping API on identical protected targets — LinkedIn, Walmart, Zillow, Glassdoor. Scrapfly consistently hits 98%.
Can I test Scrapfly on my targets before committing?
Yes. The free plan is 1,000 API credits, no credit card. Test your exact targets before upgrading.
Why is ZenRows expensive?
ZenRows's pricing can run up due to high credit multipliers on premium features. Scrapfly's ASP costs 30+ credits (varies by target), varying by actual target complexity — you don't overpay for simpler sites.
How does Scrapfly handle heavy protection?
ASP adapts to Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, Akamai, and custom antibot systems. Real TLS handshake, matching fingerprints, adaptive challenge solving. No manual tuning.
Why is ZenRows not working on my target?
Usually insufficient antibot bypass. Cloudflare, DataDome, and PerimeterX have all tightened detection recently. Scrapfly's ASP stays current via daily deploys and holds 98%.
What happens on a failed request?
Scrapfly returns detailed error diagnostics (block, timeout, target issue). Automatic retries handle transient failures. Failed requests don't cost credits.
Does Scrapfly support JavaScript rendering?
Yes. Dedicated cloud browser instances handle full JS execution for React, Vue, Angular, SPAs. Enable render_js.
What proxies does Scrapfly include?
Residential and datacenter proxies across 50+ countries, rotating by default. All included in API credits, no separate fees.
Does Scrapfly have an Extraction API?
Yes. The Extraction API transforms raw HTML into structured JSON. Auto-extract, LLM prompts, or reusable templates.
Evaluating multiple vendors?
Run Scrapfly in parallel. Switch when ready.
1,000 free credits, full API access, migration support. Your ZenRows integration stays live during evaluation.
Methodology: Scrapeway benchmarks test scraping APIs using default, out-of-box configurations — the real-world experience developers encounter on day one.