URLBox is a well-known screenshot API, but its pricing starts at $39/month with no free tier. If you need a screenshot API that is more affordable, includes a generous free tier, and offers the same core features, ScreenshotAPI is the best URLBox alternative in 2026.

Why Developers Switch from URLBox

xNo free tier -- URLBox requires a paid plan from day one. ScreenshotAPI offers 100 free screenshots per month, forever.
xHigher per-screenshot cost -- URLBox charges $0.0195/screenshot on their starter plan vs $0.0029 on ScreenshotAPI Pro.
xCredit card required -- URLBox needs a credit card for their trial. ScreenshotAPI lets you try the API playground with zero signup.
xComplex pricing tiers -- URLBox has 5+ pricing tiers. ScreenshotAPI has 3 simple plans: Free, Pro ($29/mo), Business ($99/mo).

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature	ScreenshotAPI	URLBox
Free tier	100 screenshots/month	No free tier
Starter price	$29/mo (10,000 screenshots)	$39/mo (2,000 screenshots)
Cost per screenshot (Pro)	$0.0029	$0.0195
Full page capture	Yes	Yes
PDF generation	Yes	Yes
Ad blocking	Yes	Yes
Cookie banner blocking	Yes	Yes
CSS/JS injection	Yes	Yes
Async/webhook	Yes	Yes
Thumbnail resize	Yes	Yes
Node.js SDK	Yes	Yes
Python SDK	Yes	Yes
API playground	Yes, no signup	Requires account
Credit card for trial	No	Yes

Pricing Comparison

The biggest difference is cost. Here is what you pay per month at different screenshot volumes:

Monthly Volume	ScreenshotAPI	URLBox	You Save
100 screenshots	$0 (Free)	$39/mo	$39/mo
5,000 screenshots	$29/mo	$99/mo	$70/mo
10,000 screenshots	$29/mo	$149/mo	$120/mo
50,000 screenshots	$99/mo	$299/mo	$200/mo

Code Example: URLBox vs ScreenshotAPI

Migration is trivial. Here is a side-by-side comparison:

URLBox (before)

const urlbox = require('urlbox').default;
const client = urlbox('API_KEY', 'API_SECRET');

const imgUrl = client.buildUrl({
  url: 'https://example.com',
  width: 1280,
  height: 800,
  format: 'png'
});

ScreenshotAPI (after)

const ScreenshotAPI = require('screenshotapi-sdk');
const client = new ScreenshotAPI('YOUR_API_KEY');

const image = await client.screenshot('https://example.com', {
  width: 1280,
  height: 800,
  format: 'png'
});
fs.writeFileSync('screenshot.png', image);

How to Switch in 5 Minutes

1. Sign up for free -- Create your account (no credit card needed)
2. Get your API key -- Copy it from your dashboard
3. Install the SDK -- npm install screenshotapi-sdk
4. Replace 3 lines -- Swap the import, client init, and capture call
5. Test with the playground -- Try it instantly with no code

Advanced Features Included

Ad & Cookie Blocking

Remove ads and cookie consent banners automatically for clean screenshots.

CSS/JS Injection

Inject custom CSS or JavaScript before capture for branded screenshots.

Async + Webhooks

Fire-and-forget with webhook callbacks for high-volume processing.

Thumbnail Resize

Server-side resize with Sharp. Get thumbnails without post-processing.

Full Page Capture

Capture entire scrollable pages, not just the viewport.

PDF Generation

Convert any URL to PDF with custom paper sizes and orientations.

FAQ

Is the free tier really free forever?

Yes. 100 screenshots per month, no credit card, no time limit. Use it as long as you need.

Can ScreenshotAPI handle the same volume as URLBox?

Yes. Our Business plan supports 100,000 screenshots per month, with async processing and webhook callbacks for high-throughput workloads. Need more? Contact us for enterprise pricing.

Do you support retina / HiDPI screenshots?

Yes. Set the device scale factor and capture at 2x or 3x resolution for retina-quality images.

What about uptime?

We run on Railway with Docker containers and health monitoring. Our browser pool auto-recovers from crashes. Check our changelog for service updates.

Best URLBox Alternative: Free Screenshot API (2026)