Quick answer
Bright Data - Bright Data's Web Unlocker free tier gives 5K requests a month. Tavily's free Researcher plan gives 1,000 API credits a month with no credit card. Tavily also has a free plan for students.
How the free tiers compare
Bright Data Web Unlocker handles blocks and CAPTCHAs, and its free tier includes 5K requests a month. Pay-as-you-go costs $1.5 per 1K requests. Tavily is a search and extraction API for AI agents. Its Researcher plan includes 1,000 API credits a month and email support. Credits reset on the first day of each month. When credits run out, requests stop until they reset.
Bright Data vs Tavily free tier, side by side
| Bright DataFTV 58 | TavilyFTV 54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free allowance | 5K requests per month | 1,000 API credits per month |
| Unit | One request | Credits vary by request type |
| Support on Free | Expert support | Email support |
| Pay as you go | $1.5 per 1K requests | $0.008 per credit |
| First monthly plan | Scale - $499/mo, 383K requests | Project - $30/mo, 4,000 credits |
| Extra programs | First deposit matched up to $500 | 100k free API credits for startups, free for students |
After you outgrow the free tier
Bright Data Web Unlocker pay-as-you-go costs $1.5 per 1K requests with spend limits you set. Scale costs $499 a month with 383K requests included, then $1.3 per 1K. Tavily pay-as-you-go costs $0.008 per credit. The Project plan costs $30 a month for 4,000 credits and raises rate limits. Enterprise is custom.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Bright Data | Tavily |
|---|---|---|
| Run 4,000 units in a monthBright Data counts requests. Tavily counts credits. | $0, inside the 5K free requests | $30/mo for the Project plan |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Bright Data when…
- You scrape sites that block simple requests.
- You want 5K requests a month to test unblocking.
- You need unlimited concurrency on paid plans.
Pick Tavily when…
- You want search results and page content for an AI agent.
- You want a free plan with no credit card.
- You are a student or a startup that wants extra credits.
Bottom line
Pick Bright Data when your job is getting past blocks on pages you choose. Pick Tavily when an AI agent needs search and clean page text.
Read the full listings: Bright Data and Tavily. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.