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 with a recurring monthly credit allowance.
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 renews 1,000 credits every month with low concurrency, which is useful for both an initial scrape and ongoing small-scale use. 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 creditsBoth renew monthly. | 50 credits per month | 1,000 credits per month |
| Websites/pages on free tierDifferent units and different free-tier structure. | Up to 2 websites | Up to 1,000 pages per month |
| 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 tier | 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 |
| Credit card required | No | No |
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 | $16/mo |
| 100,000 pages/moFirecrawl Standard includes 100,000 pages/credits per month. | Not directly priced | $83/mo |
| 500,000 pages/moFirecrawl Growth includes 500,000 pages/credits per month. | Not directly priced | $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 monthly credit allowance.
- 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.