rasterly vs SnapAPI — all-in-one render API, compared

Same shape, different center of gravity. SnapAPI is an all-in-one capture API — screenshots in PNG/JPEG/WebP/AVIF, PDF, plus video recording (MP4/GIF) and web-data extraction. rasterly is the same one-call idea aimed at feeding AI agents: screenshot, PDF, clean Markdown (read), structured JSON (extract), site crawl for RAG (crawl), and an MCP server so agents call it as a tool. If you need video capture or WebP/AVIF, SnapAPI is the better fit. If you want Markdown, crawl and MCP at a lower paid price — from $0.90 per 1,000 renders — rasterly fits. SnapAPI has the more generous free tier; rasterly is cheaper once you're paying.

The real difference

	rasterly	SnapAPI
URL → screenshot in one call	Yes — png / jpeg	Yes — png / jpeg / webp / avif
PDF generation	Yes	Yes
Video recording (MP4 / GIF)	No	Yes
WebP / AVIF output	No — png / jpeg	Yes
Clean Markdown for LLMs (JS-rendered)	Yes — read	Extraction / Markdown
Site crawl → Markdown for RAG	Yes — crawl	Not listed
MCP server for agents	Yes — npx rasterly-mcp	Not listed
SSRF protection out of the box	Enforced	Not stated
Failed requests don't consume quota	Yes	Yes

Honest line: SnapAPI's capture surface is genuinely wider — video and the WebP/AVIF formats are things rasterly doesn't do. rasterly's advantage is the agent side (read, crawl, MCP) and price on paid volume, not out-formatting SnapAPI on captures.

Price, side by side

Both meter per capture/render, so these line up more cleanly than most. SnapAPI's free tier is more generous; rasterly's paid tiers are cheaper per unit. List prices below.

Tier	rasterly	SnapAPI
Free	100 renders / mo	200 captures / mo (all formats)
Entry paid	$9 (Starter, 10k renders)	$19 (Starter, 5k)
Mid	$29 (Growth, 50k)	$79 (Pro, 50k)
Scale	$99 (250k)	Contact (above Pro)
Effective per 1,000	$0.58 (at 50k)	$1.58 (at 50k, Pro)

For plain, high-volume captures and reads, rasterly is the cheaper unit. If you're staying inside a free tier, SnapAPI's 200-a-month with the full format set is the more generous starting point — and if you need video, that's SnapAPI regardless of price.

The common case, in code

Both are a single call. Here's a full-page screenshot on each, then rasterly's read for LLM-ready Markdown.

SnapAPI — screenshot

curl "https://api.snapapi.pics/v1/screenshot?url=https://stripe.com&full_page=true&format=png" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" -o shot.png

rasterly — screenshot, then read to Markdown

curl "https://api.rasterly.dev/v1/screenshot?url=https://stripe.com&full_page=true" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: sk_live_..." -o shot.png

curl "https://api.rasterly.dev/v1/read?url=https://stripe.com" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: sk_live_..."

PDF is format=pdf; JPEG quality is quality=1..100; retina is scale=2; structured data is /v1/extract?url=. For video recording or WebP/AVIF output, SnapAPI is the tool that covers those.

FAQ

How is rasterly different from SnapAPI?

They're close: both are developer-first APIs that turn a URL into a render over one call. SnapAPI leans wider on capture formats — it adds WebP, AVIF and video recording (MP4/GIF). rasterly leans toward the AI-agent side — it adds clean Markdown (read), site crawl for RAG, structured extraction, and ships an MCP server. On paid volume rasterly is cheaper; SnapAPI has a more generous free tier.

Which has the better free tier?

SnapAPI, on volume — its free tier is 200 captures a month against rasterly's 100 renders a month, and SnapAPI unlocks its full format set for free. rasterly's free tier is smaller but still covers the core screenshot, PDF and read jobs with no card.

Does rasterly do video recording like SnapAPI?

No. SnapAPI records video (MP4/GIF); rasterly does not. If you need video capture, SnapAPI is the better fit. rasterly focuses on still renders — screenshot, PDF — plus read, extract and crawl for feeding LLMs.

Is rasterly cheaper than SnapAPI?

On paid plans, yes. rasterly starts at $9 for 10,000 renders and reaches about $0.58 per 1,000 at mid volume, while SnapAPI's Starter is $19 for 5,000 and Pro is $79 for 50,000. SnapAPI's free tier is the more generous one. Check both sites for current numbers.

Start free — 100 renders Try the live demo

SnapAPI pricing and features observed August 2026, shown for comparison only; check snapapi.pics for current details. Plan volumes and formats change, so the tables above are for rough orientation, not an exact equivalence. rasterly is an independent product, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SnapAPI.