<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/compare/alterlab-vs-bright-data -->
# AlterLab vs Bright Data in 2026: page prices, and one flat rate

Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/compare/alterlab-vs-bright-data

On Nov 12, 2026, AlterLab charges $0.0002 to $0.02 a page, set by the tier that returned it. Bright Data's Web Unlocker takes one credit a request, and Bright Data values 5,000 credits at about $7.50.

SpecStream is the live web data engine. Its Extract API reads any page for $0.80 per 1,000 and scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The same key searches the web from $1 per 1,000 and returns every match for a request as rows.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-alterlab-vs-bright-data&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 12,500 pages.

## SpecStream, AlterLab and Bright Data side by side

| | SpecStream | AlterLab | Bright Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per page | $0.80 per 1,000 pages, the same for every page ($0.0008) | Five tiers: $0.0002 direct fetch, $0.0003 HTTP client, $0.002 managed sessions, $0.004 browser rendering, $0.02 extended browser sessions | Web Unlocker: one credit per successful request. Bright Data values 5,000 credits at about $7.50, which is $1.50 per 1,000 |
| A page that needs a browser | $0.0008, the same price. A page that refuses a plain read is tried again in a real browser | $0.004 for browser rendering, or $0.0005 when it succeeds from AlterLab's own servers | Web Unlocker returns it from one request. Scripted browsing runs on the Browser API at 5 credits per MB of traffic |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card: 12,500 pages | Up to 5,000 free requests on sign up, then a $10 minimum deposit | 5,000 free credits a month, no credit card |
| Credit you do not use | Never expires. Credit you buy stays on the account | Balance never expires | Free credits reset to 5,000 on the first of each month and do not roll over |
| What is not charged | A page with no text. A busy call, which gets `429` with `Retry-After` | Failed requests. A cache hit bills half the tier price | Failed requests. Scraper API records that fail on incorrect input are billed |
| Search | `GET /v1/web-search` on the same key: from $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 SimpleQA Verified questions | $0.001 per query, $0.004 for Google or Bing results | SERP API at one credit per request |
| Structured data | [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data): a request in plain words returns every match on the live web as rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with the most a run can cost quoted before it starts | Your JSON schema filled from a page you name, $0.001 on top of the tier price | Scraper API: pre-built scrapers at $1.50 per 1,000 records pay as you go |
| Agents and MCP | MCP server at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`, REST API, Python and TypeScript SDKs and a CLI | MCP server at `mcp.alterlab.io/mcp` and a REST API | An MCP server whose requests draw from the same 5,000 free monthly credits |

## Why AlterLab and Bright Data users move to SpecStream

### One price for every page

AlterLab's price runs from $0.0002 to $0.02 a page, a hundredfold spread set by the tier each page needed, and AlterLab puts typical content at about $0.001 a page. Bright Data's credit is worth about $0.0015 a request. SpecStream charges $0.0008 for every page it reads, so 10,000 pages cost $8 before the first call, and a page with no text costs nothing.

### The same call, a different address

A Bright Data Web Unlocker call and an AlterLab scrape both send one URL and get one page back. The Extract API takes up to 20 URLs a call and returns each page's main text as Markdown or plain text.

```
# Bright Data Web Unlocker: before
curl https://api.brightdata.com/request \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGHTDATA_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"zone": "YOUR_ZONE", "url": "https://example.com", "format": "raw"}'

# AlterLab: before
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ALTERLAB_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# SpecStream Extract API: after, up to 20 pages a call
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls": ["https://example.com"], "format": "markdown"}'
```

Each item of `data.results` carries the `url`, a `status`, the page's main `text` without its menus, footers and ads, its `title`, and the `published` date when the page states one. Only a page with status `ok` is charged.

### Scores published on the official sets

The Extract API scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The Search API on the same key scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, 978 of them correct, and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. Every score and its method is on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data) page.

### Zero retention on any key

Set `zero_retention` when you create a key. A call made with that key keeps no request text and no answer after the reply.

```
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/account/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "production", "scopes": ["account:read", "finds:spend"], "spend_cap_cents": 500000, "zero_retention": true}'
```

### Search, pages and rows on the same key

A scrape API reads the pages you already know. On SpecStream the same key searches the live web from $1 per 1,000 searches, reads up to 20 pages a call with the [Extract API](https://specstream.ai/extract-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data), and runs [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data), which returns every match for a request as rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. Saved requests rerun hourly to yearly, each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching, and new rows arrive in Slack, a sheet, a CRM or a signed webhook.

## Other AlterLab and Bright Data alternatives

### ZenRows

A page API sold by monthly plan. The $19 plan holds 45,000 credits, a JavaScript page takes 5 and a protected page 25, and unused plan credits expire at every renewal. SpecStream answers ZenRows' call at `https://api.specstream.ai/zenrows/v1/` at $0.80 per 1,000 pages.

### Apify

A store of Actors billed by plan and usage. Starter costs $19 a month plus pay as you go, platform usage is $0.2 per compute unit, and its Unblocker costs $1.5 per 1,000 requests. SpecStream returns the records an Actor collects from a request in plain words, at 5¢ to $1 a row. See [Apify alternatives](https://specstream.ai/alternatives/apify?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=alterlab-vs-bright-data).

### Firecrawl

Scrape, crawl and search endpoints billed in credits: 1 credit a page and 2 credits per 10 search results, with Hobby at $19 a month for 5,000 credits. SpecStream answers Firecrawl's v2 calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl`, with search at $1 per 1,000 and pages at $0.80 per 1,000.

### ScrapingBee

A page API whose Hobby plan costs $19 a month for 75,000 credits, with 1,000 free credits to start. SpecStream answers ScrapingBee's call at `https://api.specstream.ai/scrapingbee/api/v1/` at one price per page.

## How to move AlterLab or Bright Data code to SpecStream

1. Create a key under Agents & API in the workspace. A new account gets $10 of credit, no card, which covers 12,500 pages.

2. Replace the scrape call with `POST https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract`. Send 1 to 20 URLs in `urls` and `format` as `markdown` or `text`, with the key as the Bearer token.

```
import os, requests

reply = requests.post(
    "https://api.specstream.ai/v1/extract",  # was api.brightdata.com/request or api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SPECSTREAM_API_KEY']}"},
    json={"urls": ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping"], "format": "markdown"},
    timeout=60,
)
for page in reply.json()["data"]["results"]:
    print(page["status"], page["url"], (page.get("text") or "")[:300])
```

3. Read `status` on each page. Only `ok` is charged, at $0.0008. Read `429` as a call to send again after `Retry-After`. It is not charged.

4. To test it on your own pages, send the same 100 URLs to your current API and to SpecStream, then compare each page's text and the `price_usd` of each call. 100 pages cost $0.08 on SpecStream.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is AlterLab cheaper than Bright Data?

For simple pages, yes: AlterLab's direct fetch costs $0.0002 a page, and a Bright Data Web Unlocker credit is worth about $0.0015. A page that needs AlterLab's browser costs $0.004. SpecStream charges $0.0008 for every page, browser or not.

### How much does Bright Data's Web Unlocker cost?

One credit per successful request. Bright Data values its 5,000 free monthly credits at about $7.50, which is $1.50 per 1,000 requests, and failed requests are not charged.

### How much does AlterLab cost?

$0.0002 to $0.02 a page across five tiers, with a $10 minimum deposit, up to 5,000 free requests on sign up and a balance that never expires. Search starts at $1.00 per 1,000 queries.

### Do AlterLab and Bright Data charge for failed requests?

No. Both bill successful requests only, though Bright Data bills Scraper API records that fail because the input was incorrect. SpecStream charges nothing for a page with no text or a busy call.

### Does SpecStream have an MCP server?

Yes, at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`. Web search, page reading and Deep Search are its tools, on the same balance as the API.

### Is there a free trial?

SpecStream gives $10 of credit, no card, which reads 12,500 pages. AlterLab gives up to 5,000 free requests on sign up, and Bright Data 5,000 free credits a month.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each rival figure comes from that company's own page.

- [AlterLab pricing](https://alterlab.io/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [AlterLab](https://alterlab.io/), read Nov 12, 2026
- [AlterLab vs Bright Data](https://alterlab.io/vs/brightdata), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Bright Data free tier](https://docs.brightdata.com/general/account/billing-and-pricing/free-tier.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Bright Data Web Unlocker API overview](https://docs.brightdata.com/products/web-unlocker/introduction.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Bright Data billing](https://docs.brightdata.com/general/account/billing-and-pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Bright Data Scraper API FAQs](https://docs.brightdata.com/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/faqs.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [ZenRows pricing](https://www.zenrows.com/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [ZenRows pricing documentation](https://docs.zenrows.com/first-steps/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Apify pricing](https://apify.com/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [Firecrawl pricing](https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [ScrapingBee pricing](https://www.scrapingbee.com/pricing/), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 12, 2026