Quick answer
Browse AI - Browse AI wins for most non-technical builders because its free tier is ongoing, no-card, and includes full platform access for recurring monitoring, while Firecrawl is better if you are a developer who needs API-first crawling and can live with a one-time credit starter pack.
How the free tiers compare
These products solve related but different problems. Browse AI is oriented around no-code scraping and monitoring: you get a recurring free allowance, unlimited robots, integrations, residential proxies, and 90 days of retention, so it is built for ongoing website checks and small operational workflows. Firecrawl is more developer-facing: its free tier is a one-time credit bucket with low concurrency, which is useful for trying the API and doing an initial scrape, but it is not meant to sustain ongoing free usage. The paid paths also diverge. Browse AI sells annual plans with website and user limits plus annual credit pools, then moves into custom enterprise-style pricing. Firecrawl uses monthly credit bundles billed yearly, scaling more cleanly with volume and concurrency for technical teams.
Browse AI vs Firecrawl free tier, side by side
| Browse AIFTV 47 | FirecrawlFTV 37 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free creditsBrowse AI renews monthly; Firecrawl does not. | 50 credits per month | 500 one-time credits |
| Websites/pages on free tierDifferent units and different free-tier structure. | Up to 2 websites | Up to 500 pages |
| Concurrency on free tierFirecrawl states this explicitly. | Not specified | Up to 2 concurrent requests |
| Users on free tierBrowse AI includes collaboration limits on free. | Up to 3 users | Not specified |
| Data retention on free tierOnly Browse AI provides a retention period in the input. | 90 days | Not specified |
| Robot or task limits on free tierBrowse AI is more explicit about workflow limits. | Unlimited robots; tasks up to 60 minutes | Not specified |
| Free card requirementPresent in both inputs. | No credit card required | No credit card required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Browse AI’s first paid step is Personal at $19 per month billed annually, then Professional at $69 and Premium starting at $500 with sales involvement. Its model is mostly flat-plan plus annual credit bundles, with add-on website pricing and custom enterprise terms at the top end. Firecrawl starts cheaper at $16/month billed yearly for 3,000 credits, then scales through larger per-unit bundles at $83, $333, and $599. For small ongoing usage, Firecrawl’s Hobby plan is cheaper; for no-code recurring monitoring, Browse AI is the more natural fit even though it costs a bit more.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Browse AI | Firecrawl |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring small-team usage with ongoing free-tier replacementNearest paid entry point in each product. | $19/mo | $16/mo |
| 3,000 pages/moFirecrawl Hobby includes 3,000 pages/credits per month. | Not directly priced from provided rates | $16/mo |
| 100,000 pages/moFirecrawl Standard includes 100,000 pages/credits per month. | Not directly priced from provided rates | $83/mo |
| 500,000 pages/moFirecrawl Growth includes 500,000 pages/credits per month. | Not directly priced from provided rates | $333/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Browse AI when…
- You want a no-code scraper that non-engineers can set up from a browser.
- You need recurring monitoring of a small number of sites rather than a one-off crawl.
- You care about integrations like Google Sheets, Airtable, Zapier, Make, or webhooks.
- You want ongoing free usage without entering a credit card.
- You want residential proxies and a longer 90-day retention window on the free plan.
Pick Firecrawl when…
- You are building against an API or SDK and want web data infrastructure for code.
- You need structured output like markdown, JSON, screenshots, or interactive browser actions.
- You are doing an initial crawl or proof of concept and can use a one-time credit grant.
- You need higher concurrency as usage grows and want to pay by monthly credit bundle.
- You expect to move into developer-centric workflows rather than no-code robot setup.
Bottom line
For the most common builder who wants to scrape or monitor a few sites without code, Browse AI is the better free-tier choice because it is ongoing, no-card, and includes the platform pieces that make repeated use practical. Firecrawl is the better pick if you are already working in code and want an API-shaped product that scales by usage. If you are deciding purely on free access, Browse AI is easier to keep using; if you are deciding on engineering fit, Firecrawl is more aligned.
Read the full listings: Browse AI and Firecrawl. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.