<!-- twin of https://specstream.ai/compare/firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai -->
# Firecrawl vs Crawl4AI in 2026: one key answers both calls

Compared on Nov 10, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/compare/firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai

On Nov 10, 2026, Firecrawl sells crawling in monthly credit plans from $19 to $749 a month, at 1 credit a page. Crawl4AI is an Apache 2.0 crawler you host yourself, or a hosted API from $10 a month.

SpecStream answers both calls on one key. Firecrawl code calls `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl` in place of `https://api.firecrawl.dev`, and a Crawl4AI server's `/crawl` and `/md` answer at `https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai`. The bodies and the parsers stay.

Every page with text costs $0.80 per 1,000, and there is no server to run. The Extract API behind both routes scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB, and search on the same key 97.9 F-score on SimpleQA Verified.

[Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fagents%3Ftab%3Dkeys) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 2,000 searches.

## SpecStream, Firecrawl and Crawl4AI side by side

| | SpecStream | Firecrawl | Crawl4AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your code today | Runs as it is on both. Firecrawl's `/v2/scrape`, `/v2/search`, `/v2/map` and `/v2/crawl` answer at `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl`, and a Crawl4AI server's `POST /crawl` and `/md` at `https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai`, with a SpecStream key as the Bearer token | `https://api.firecrawl.dev/v2`, with a Firecrawl key as the Bearer token | `POST http://localhost:11235/crawl` and `/md` on your own server, with its API token as the Bearer token |
| Price of a page | $0.80 per 1,000 pages, $0.0008 a page, the same for every page. A map is one page read | 1 credit a page for Scrape and Crawl, 1 credit a Map call. Plans: Hobby $19 a month for 5,000 credits, Standard $99 for 100,000, Growth $399 for 500,000, Scale $749 for 1,000,000 | Self hosted: free, on your own hosting. Hosted: 1 credit is $0.001, and a plain page costs 0.1 credit, a real browser page 0.5 and a hard site 2 |
| How you pay | From a balance, with no monthly plan. Credit you buy never expires, and a key's `spend_cap_cents` is the most it can spend | A monthly plan of credits, from $19 to $749 a month | Hosted plans: Free with 1,000 credits a month, Starter $10 for 10,000, Builder $99 for 125,000, Scale $499 for 750,000. The month's credits do not carry over |
| Who runs the crawler | SpecStream runs the readers, including a real browser and the site's feed or newest archive capture when a page refuses a plain read | Firecrawl, at `https://api.firecrawl.dev` | You run the container, its browser and its memory, or you pay for the hosted API |
| What comes back | Each API's own reply. On `/firecrawl`, `data.markdown` and `data.metadata`. On `/crawl4ai`, `results[]` with `url`, `html`, `markdown.raw_markdown`, `links`, `metadata` and `status_code` | Pages as markdown with their metadata, and `html` and `rawHtml` when asked | `results[]` with `markdown`, `links`, `metadata` and more on the server. On the hosted API, `/scrape` returns Markdown and `/extract` returns JSON |
| A page with no text | Not charged. A busy call gets a `429` with `Retry-After` and charges nothing | A call that returns a document is billed. A call that returns no document is 0 credits | A request that fails on Crawl4AI's side is not charged |
| Pages a crawl job | Firecrawl's `limit`, `includePaths`, `excludePaths` and `maxDiscoveryDepth` are applied, and `next` pages through the results | `limit` defaults to 10,000 | `urls` in one `/crawl` call, with `browser_config` and `crawler_config` |
| Rate limits | No monthly cap. Calls spend from your balance inside the limit you set on the key | 10 requests a minute on the free plan | Hosted: 10 calls a minute and 2 at a time on Free, 120 and 10 on Starter, 600 and 20 on Builder, 1,500 and 50 on Scale |
| Search | $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, on `/firecrawl/v2/search` or `GET /v1/web-search`, which returns up to 100 results for one search | 2 credits per search | Hosted: a search costs 1 credit |
| Free to start | $10 of credit, no card: 12,500 pages or 2,000 searches | 1,000 free credits a month, about 1,000 pages, no card | The library is free under Apache 2.0. Hosted Free plan: 1,000 credits a month |
| Published accuracy | 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions (978 correct). 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. Extract API 0.908 F1 on WCXB. Method at [specstream.ai/benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai) | No accuracy score on its pricing page | No accuracy score on its pricing page |
| Every match as structured rows | Deep Search: a request in plain words returns every match on the live web as rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with a source URL on every value. The most a run can cost is quoted before it starts | Pages, at 1 credit each. Your code joins the facts into records | Pages, at 0.1 to 2 credits each on the hosted API. Your code joins the facts into records |

## Why teams crawl with SpecStream

### Both calls on one key

A team does not have to pick one crawler and rewrite the other. Each call keeps its path, its body and its parser; the address and the key change.

```
# Firecrawl, before and after
curl -X POST https://api.firecrawl.dev/v2/scrape \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FIRECRAWL_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/pricing"}'
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl/v2/scrape \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/pricing"}'

# Crawl4AI server, before and after
curl -X POST http://localhost:11235/crawl \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CRAWL4AI_API_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls": ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping"]}'
curl -X POST https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai/crawl \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls": ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping"]}'
```

Each page with text on either route is one Extract API page at $0.0008, and a Firecrawl map is one page read.

### What stays the same

On `/firecrawl`, a scrape returns `success: true`, `data.markdown` with the main text and `data.metadata`; `data.html` and `data.rawHtml` are not returned on a scrape. `/v2/map` and `/v2/crawl` answer in Firecrawl's JSON, and a crawl's status carries `data[]` with `markdown`, `html`, `rawHtml`, `links` and `metadata`. Every parameter is in the [Firecrawl migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/firecrawl?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai).

On `/crawl4ai`, `/crawl` takes 1 to 100 `urls` a call and each page answers on its own, so one missing page leaves the rest. `cleaned_html`, `fit_markdown`, `media`, `screenshot` and `pdf` are not returned. Errors keep Crawl4AI's `{"detail": ...}` body. Every parameter is in the [Crawl4AI migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/crawl4ai?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai).

### One price a page, and no server

Firecrawl sells credits by the month: Hobby is $19 for 5,000 and Standard $99 for 100,000, at 1 credit a page. Crawl4AI's library is free, and the server runs on your hosting with its browser and memory to size, or on hosted credits whose month's allowance does not carry over. On SpecStream every page with text costs $0.0008 from a balance that never expires, a page with no text is not charged, and a busy call gets a `429` with `Retry-After` and charges nothing.

### Scored on the official benchmarks

The Extract API that answers both routes scores 0.908 F1 on WCXB. The Search API on the same key scores a 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=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai) page.

A search on `/firecrawl/v2/search` runs the fast search unless it asks for page text. On November 9, 2026 production took 1 to 20 fast searches a second and answered 718 of 720, with a median of 0.82 s at 1 a second and 1.07 s at 20 a second.

### You decide what is kept, on each key

Create a key with `zero_retention` and a call made with it keeps no request text and no answer after the reply. `spend_cap_cents` is the most the key can spend.

```
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 one key

The same key reads up to 20 pages or documents a call with the [Extract API](https://specstream.ai/extract-api?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai) at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, maps and crawls sites with `POST /v1/map` and `POST /v1/crawl`, searches the live web at $5 per 1,000 searches, and runs [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai), which returns every match for a request in plain words as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. Save a request and it reruns hourly to yearly, with each row labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching.

## Other crawlers teams price

### SpecStream

The live web data engine for teams and agents. Pages, maps and crawls at $0.80 per 1,000 pages through its own API or the Firecrawl, Crawl4AI, Spider and Jina routes, search at $5 per 1,000, and every match as structured rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row.

### Jina Reader

Reads one URL into text and charges tokens by content length, with no dollar rate on its Reader page. SpecStream answers its call at `https://api.specstream.ai/jina` for $0.0008 a page. [Firecrawl vs Jina Reader](https://specstream.ai/compare/firecrawl-vs-jina-reader?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=firecrawl-vs-crawl4ai).

### Spider

Pay as you go from $1 per GB. SpecStream answers Spider's scrape and search at `https://api.specstream.ai/spider`, each page with text at $0.0008.

### Apify

A store of scrapers paid by usage, with Starter at $19 a month covering $19 of usage. SpecStream returns every match for a request in plain words as rows at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row, with no scraper to pick.

## How to move Firecrawl and Crawl4AI calls to SpecStream

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

2. Point the Firecrawl calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl` and send the SpecStream key as the Bearer token.

```
import os, requests

BASE = "https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl"  # was https://api.firecrawl.dev
KEY = os.environ["SPECSTREAM_API_KEY"]

site = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/v2/map",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {KEY}"},
    json={"url": "https://example.com", "limit": 50},
).json()

print(site)
```

3. Point the Crawl4AI calls at `https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai` in place of `http://localhost:11235`, with the SpecStream key in place of the server's token.

```
const reply = await fetch("https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai/crawl", { // was http://localhost:11235/crawl
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SPECSTREAM_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ urls: ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping"] }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

for (const page of reply.results) console.log(page.url, page.status_code, page.markdown.raw_markdown.slice(0, 200));
```

4. Leave the rest. Each page with text is billed at $0.0008, and you can stop running the Crawl4AI container.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Firecrawl better than Crawl4AI?

Firecrawl is a hosted API at 1 credit a page from $19 a month, and Crawl4AI is an Apache 2.0 crawler you host yourself or a hosted API from $10 a month. SpecStream answers both calls on one key at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, with no server to run.

### Firecrawl vs Crawl4AI pricing: what does each cost?

Firecrawl costs $19 a month for 5,000 credits on Hobby and $99 for 100,000 on Standard, at 1 credit a page. Crawl4AI's hosted credits are $0.001 each, with a plain page at 0.1 credit, on plans from $10 a month, and the library is free on your own hosting. SpecStream costs $0.0008 a page from a balance that never expires.

### Can I use both Firecrawl and Crawl4AI?

Yes, on one SpecStream key since November 10, 2026. Firecrawl calls go to `https://api.specstream.ai/firecrawl` and Crawl4AI server calls to `https://api.specstream.ai/crawl4ai`, each in its own JSON, from one balance.

### Is Crawl4AI free?

The library is free under Apache 2.0, on your own hosting. The hosted API has a Free plan of 1,000 credits a month at 10 calls a minute, and paid plans from $10 a month.

### Does Crawl4AI's Python client work with SpecStream?

Yes, crawl4ai 0.9.5 works in two steps: build `Crawl4aiDockerClient(base_url="https://api.specstream.ai")`, then call `authenticate` with your SpecStream key. `client.crawl([...])` then runs as before.

### What happens to a page that returns no text?

On SpecStream it costs $0. Firecrawl bills a call that returns a document, and Crawl4AI's hosted API does not charge a request that fails on its side.

### Is there a free tier?

New SpecStream accounts get $10 of credit, no card, which covers 12,500 pages. Credit you buy never expires.

## Sources

SpecStream wrote this page. Each figure for Firecrawl, Crawl4AI and the other tools comes from that company's own page.

- [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Firecrawl pricing](https://www.firecrawl.dev/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Firecrawl billing](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/billing.md), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Firecrawl API reference](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/api-reference/v2-openapi.json), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Crawl4AI pricing](https://www.crawl4ai.com/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Crawl4AI docs](https://docs.crawl4ai.com/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Crawl4AI self hosting](https://docs.crawl4ai.com/core/self-hosting/), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Crawl4AI terms](https://www.crawl4ai.com/terms), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Crawl4AI on GitHub](https://github.com/unclecode/crawl4ai), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Jina Reader](https://jina.ai/reader), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Spider pricing](https://spider.cloud/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026
- [Apify pricing](https://apify.com/pricing), read Nov 10, 2026