Firecrawl
apiby firecrawl
Turn websites into LLM-ready data. API for scraping, crawling, searching, and extracting structured content from any URL, purpose built for AI applications.
Key features
Free tier available, Standard at $83/mo
Anyone using AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf) who wants web search and scraping built into their workflow via MCP
Output is specifically optimized for LLM consumption with clean markdown and structured JSON, eliminating the need to build custom parsing pipelines
What it does
Scrape: Single Page Extraction
Extract content from any URL in markdown, HTML, structured JSON, screenshots, links, images, branding data, or summary format. Handles JavaScript rendering and dynamic content automatically with sub second response times.
Learn moreCrawl: Full Site Recursion
Recursively follow links from a starting URL and scrape all subpages. Async job with polling, WebSocket streaming, and webhook support. Respects sitemaps with a default limit of 10,000 pages per crawl.
Learn moreMap: URL Discovery
Instantly discover all URLs on a website using sitemap scanning and link following, without scraping content. Supports search filtering to find specific pages before deciding what to scrape.
Learn moreSearch: Web Search with Scraping
Search the web and optionally scrape the full content of search results in a single call. Supports web, image, and news sources with location targeting and search operators.
Learn moreExtract: LLM Powered Structured Data
Extract structured data from web pages using Pydantic schemas or natural language prompts. Returns typed JSON matching your schema, powered by LLM processing on the extracted content.
Learn moreAgent: Autonomous Web Research
Describe what data you need and an AI agent searches, navigates, and extracts it autonomously. No URLs required. Uses Spark 1 mini or Spark 1 pro models for complex multi source research tasks.
Learn moreMCP Server for AI Coding Tools
First class Model Context Protocol server that integrates directly with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and other AI tools. One command setup gives AI agents full web scraping capability.
Learn moreBrowser Sandbox
Fully managed secure browser environments for AI agents. Create persistent CDP sessions, execute Python, JavaScript, or bash code, take screenshots, and interact with pages programmatically.
Pricing
Free
500 one time credits to test the API. No credit card required.
- 500 credits (one time)
- 2 concurrent requests
- All core endpoints (scrape, crawl, map, search)
- Playground access
- Community support
Hobby
For individual developers and small projects. 3,000 credits per month with basic support.
- 3,000 credits per month
- 5 concurrent requests
- All core endpoints
- Extra credits at $9 per 1,000
- Basic support
Standard
For growing teams and production workloads. 100,000 credits per month with 50 concurrent requests.
- 100,000 credits per month
- 50 concurrent requests
- All endpoints including Extract and Agent
- Extra credits at $47 per 35,000
- Standard support
Growth
For high volume production use. 500,000 credits per month with priority support.
- 500,000 credits per month
- 100 concurrent requests
- All endpoints including Agent and Browser Sandbox
- Extra credits at $177 per 175,000
- Priority support
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Output is specifically optimized for LLM consumption with clean markdown and structured JSON, eliminating the need to build custom parsing pipelines
- 96% web coverage with automatic JavaScript rendering, smart waiting for dynamic content, and anti bot bypass on the cloud version
- Zero configuration required: no proxy setup, no browser management, no CSS selectors to maintain. Just pass a URL and get clean data back
- First class MCP server and CLI integration means AI coding agents can access web data with a single setup command
- Open source core (AGPL 3.0, 83,000+ GitHub stars) with transparent development and 138+ contributors
- Sub second scrape times with built in caching (configurable maxAge) that provides up to 5x speedup on repeated requests
- Versatile output formats in a single call: markdown, HTML, JSON, screenshots, branding extraction, links, images, and content summaries
- The Agent endpoint is a significant differentiator, enabling autonomous multi source research without specifying URLs upfront
Cons
- Credits deplete quickly at scale, especially with add ons: JSON mode costs 5 credits per page instead of 1, enhanced proxy adds 4 credits per page
- No pay per use plan available. Monthly subscriptions only, and credits do not roll over between billing cycles
- Self hosted version is missing key cloud features: Fire engine proprietary scraper, proxy rotation, anti bot bypass, actions, and dashboard analytics
- Explicitly not designed for social media scraping. No support for scraping platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook
- Cannot handle authenticated pages or login walls without manual action scripting. No built in CAPTCHA solving or 2FA handling
- Agent endpoint pricing is opaque beyond 5 free daily runs, using 'dynamic pricing' that makes cost prediction difficult
How to get started
Sign up and get your API key
Create a free account at firecrawl.dev. No credit card required. You receive 500 free credits to test all endpoints. Get your API key from the dashboard.
Test in the playground
Before writing any code, try the interactive playground at firecrawl.dev/playground. Enter any URL and see the scrape, crawl, map, and extract results instantly. This is the fastest way to understand what Firecrawl returns.
Install an SDK and make your first scrape
Install the Python SDK (pip install firecrawl-py) or Node SDK (npm install @mendable/firecrawl-js). Initialize with your API key and call scrape() on any URL. The response includes clean markdown ready for your LLM.
Add to your AI agent via MCP or CLI
For AI coding tools like Claude Code or Cursor, run 'npx -y firecrawl-cli@latest init --all --browser' to install the Firecrawl skill and MCP server in one command. Restart your agent and it will have full web scraping capability.
Deep dive
Detailed guides with comparisons, tips, and visuals for each feature.
Scrape vs. Crawl vs. Map vs. Search vs. Extract vs. Agent
When to use each Firecrawl endpoint, how they work, what they cost, and how they fit together in a typical workflow.
LLM Integration Patterns
How to use Firecrawl with RAG pipelines, AI agents, coding tools, and LLM frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex.
Open Source vs. Cloud: What You Get with Each
The differences between self hosting Firecrawl and using the cloud API, including which features are cloud only.
Links
Official
Documentation
Blog
Pricing
Get notified about updates
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Last updated: 2026-02-19