Comparison
Bright Data vs Zyte: which is cheaper for your pages?
Zyte costs less on most HTTP pages; Bright Data's flat $1.50 per 1,000 wins on hard browser pages. Where prices cross, plus picks by job.
If your target pages are mostly plain HTML, Zyte API is cheaper than Bright Data at every list price I compared. If they need a real browser to render, Bright Data’s Web Unlocker usually wins, because it charges a flat $1.50 per 1,000 successful requests while Zyte’s browser price climbs with each site’s difficulty tier. Zyte pricing, Web Unlocker pricing.
The catch is that you don’t choose the tier: Zyte assigns it per website. So below you’ll find where the two price lines cross, the fine print on each bill, both vendors’ favorite benchmarks side by side, and one pick per job.
Short on time?
Here's my take
- Mostly easy or HTTP-only pages
- Zyte API
- Every HTTP tier ($0.13–$1.27 per 1,000 at PAYG) and browser tier 1 ($1.01) undercut Bright Data's flat $1.50.
- Hard JavaScript pages at volume
- Bright Data Web Unlocker
- $1.50 flat (or $1.30 over the $499 plan) beats Zyte from browser tier 3 on every plan, and from tier 2 at PAYG.
- A Scrapy team
- Zyte API
- An official Scrapy plugin, Scrapy Cloud hosting at $9 a unit, and failed or rate-limited responses are free.
- Raw IPs or city, ZIP and ASN targeting
- Bright Data proxies
- Zyte sells no raw IP pool. Bright Data residential needs a KYC-verified company; ISP and datacenter IPs are the other routes.
- Buying a ready-made dataset
- Bright Data datasets
- Off-the-shelf records from $2.50 per 1,000. Zyte Data builds custom feeds that typically start around $500 a month.
- An AI agent on MCP, starting free
- Bright Data MCP
- 5,000 free requests a month from its shared pool. Zyte's hosted MCP is free to connect, but every call bills at API rates.
- A mix of easy and hard sites
- Use both
- Send HTTP and browser tier 1 sites to Zyte, and browser tier 2+ sites to Bright Data's Unlocker.
Prices verified . Sponsors cannot buy a verdict or a position.
How do they compare side by side? #
Prices and specs verified 2026-11-12, in USD before tax.
| Bright Data | Zyte | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Separate products: proxies, Web Unlocker, Scraper APIs, Browser API, datasets | One API (HTTP, browser, extraction), plus proxy mode, Scrapy Cloud and Zyte Data |
| Unit for a managed fetch | Per 1,000 successful requests, flat | Per 1,000 successful responses, by site tier (1–5) and mode |
| Pay-as-you-go per 1,000 pages | $1.50 | HTTP $0.13–$1.27; browser $1.01–$16.08 |
| At about $500 a month | $499 Scale: 383K requests, then $1.30 per 1,000 | $500 commitment: HTTP $0.06–$0.61; browser $0.48–$7.68 |
| Raw proxies | Residential $8/GB list, ISP and datacenter per IP; 400M+ IPs in 195 countries (vendor claim) | None for sale; proxy mode with documented limits |
| Structured data | Scraper APIs, $1.50 per 1,000 records | Auto-extraction $0.27–$1.07 per 1,000 per data type; SERP extraction free |
| Ready-made data | Datasets from $2.50 per 1,000 records | Zyte Data custom feeds, typically from about $500 a month |
| Scrapy | Proxy URL per request in meta; no official middleware found |
scrapy-zyte-api plugin; Scrapy Cloud $9/unit/month |
| Free start | 5,000 a month, one shared pool, no card | $5 credit for the first billing month; card question open |
| Who can buy | Residential: verified companies only | AUP bans LinkedIn scraping and resale; no KYC wording found |
| Failed requests billed? | No for Unlocker, unless custom features are on | No; failed and rate-limited responses are free |
| AI agents (MCP) | MCP server, free tier from the shared pool | Hosted MCP server, free to connect, usage billed |
| Compliance claims | ISO 27001 (Bright Data’s blog) | ISO 27001, EWDCI member (Zyte’s page) |
If you are weighing Oxylabs too, my Bright Data vs Oxylabs comparison covers the proxy side of that three-way choice.
What does each one actually sell? #
Bright Data sells building blocks, and each one has its own unit. Zyte sells one API that you call in different modes, priced by how hard the target site is.
Bright Data’s lineup:
- Proxies: residential ($8/GB list), ISP (shared from $1.80 down to $1.30 per IP) and datacenter (shared from $1.40 down to $0.90 per IP, or $0.60/GB pay-as-you-go). Residential, ISP, datacenter.
- Web Unlocker: $1.50 per 1,000 successful requests. Bright Data says it is “not intended for browser-based automation”. Pricing, intro.
- Scraper APIs: $1.50 per 1,000 records, which are not the same thing as pages. Pricing.
- Browser API, billed per GB, for when you drive the browser yourself. I break that bill down in Bright Data Browser API pricing.
- Datasets: 190+ ready-made datasets across 120+ domains, from $2.50 per 1,000 records. Datasets.
Zyte’s lineup:
- Zyte API in HTTP or browser mode, billed per successful response at the site’s tier, with extraction as an add-on. Billing.
- Proxy mode, a way to send Zyte API traffic through a proxy-style endpoint. Proxy mode.
- Scrapy Cloud, which hosts your spiders: a free low-resource unit (one-hour jobs, seven-day retention) or $9 a month per paid unit. Scrapy Cloud.
- Zyte Data, a managed service where “a custom feed from a single source typically starts around $500 a month”, plus about $200 a month per extra source. Zyte Data.
Does Zyte have proxies or not? #
Both vendors’ own pages blur this. Bright Data’s blog lists Zyte’s proxy access as “None”, but Zyte documents a proxy mode at api.zyte.com:8011. Bright Data’s blog, proxy mode.
It is not a raw IP pool, though. Proxy mode has no screenshots, actions, network capture, automatic extraction or server-managed sessions, and Zyte says it is “not optimized for use in combination with browser automation tools”. Proxy mode limits.
So if your job is your own browser fleet with city, ZIP or ASN targeting, only Bright Data rents you those IPs. Its residential page lists city, state, ZIP, ASN and carrier targeting. Residential product page. If you’re still deciding between renting IPs and paying per page, scraping API vs proxies covers that choice first.
So which is cheaper per 1,000 pages? #
At pay-as-you-go, the lines cross between Zyte browser tier 1 ($1.01) and tier 2 ($2.01). Every Zyte HTTP tier is cheaper than Bright Data’s $1.50, and every browser tier from 2 up is dearer, unless you commit monthly spend to Zyte.
List prices per 1,000 successful pages, verified 2026-11-12:
| Zyte tier and mode | Zyte PAYG | Zyte $100/mo | Zyte $200/mo | Zyte $500/mo | Bright Data PAYG | Bright Data Scale overage | Cheaper at PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP 1 | $0.13 | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.06 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| HTTP 2 | $0.23 | $0.17 | $0.14 | $0.11 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| HTTP 3 | $0.44 | $0.33 | $0.26 | $0.21 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| HTTP 4 | $0.70 | $0.53 | $0.42 | $0.34 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| HTTP 5 | $1.27 | $0.95 | $0.76 | $0.61 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| Browser 1 | $1.01 | $0.75 | $0.60 | $0.48 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Zyte |
| Browser 2 | $2.01 | $1.50 | $1.20 | $0.96 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Bright Data (ties Zyte $100) |
| Browser 3 | $4.02 | $3.00 | $2.40 | $1.92 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Bright Data |
| Browser 4 | $8.04 | $6.00 | $4.80 | $3.84 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Bright Data |
| Browser 5 | $16.08 | $12.00 | $9.60 | $7.68 | $1.50 | $1.30 | Bright Data |
Inputs: Zyte pricing, Web Unlocker pricing. I compare Bright Data’s $1.50 with both Zyte modes because its docs say you “force JavaScript rendering using a browser by adding the render parameter” and name no separate charge for it. Unlocker features.
Two limits on this table. Bright Data bills “premium domains” at a higher rate it doesn’t publish, and Zyte’s tier for your site is set by Zyte, not you. Zyte also documents a $350 commitment (48% off) that isn’t on its pricing page; by my arithmetic that puts browser tier 2 near $1.05. Unlocker features, Zyte billing.
On commitments the picture shifts a little. Zyte browser tier 2 beats Bright Data’s $1.30 overage from the $200 plan ($1.20), but browser tier 3 bottoms out at $1.92 on the $500 plan, so Bright Data wins those pages on every plan I compared.
What would 10K, 100K or 1M pages a month cost? #
Assumptions: every page sits on one fixed Zyte tier, every request succeeds, no add-ons, no free credits, and each Zyte figure uses the cheapest standard plan that fits its floor and spending limit. Zyte charges a commitment at the start of each month, bills usage above it on the next bill, and refunds nothing if usage falls short. Zyte billing.
| Pages a month | Zyte HTTP tier 3 | Zyte browser tier 1 | Zyte browser tier 3 | Zyte browser tier 5 | Bright Data Unlocker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $4.40 PAYG | $10.10 PAYG | $40.20 PAYG | $120 on the $100 plan (PAYG would hit the $100 limit) | $15 PAYG |
| 100,000 | $44 PAYG | $100 (the $100 plan floor; usage is $75) | $240 on the $200 plan | $768 on the $500 plan | $150 PAYG |
| 1,000,000 | $260 on the $200 plan | $500 (the $500 plan floor; usage is $480) | $1,920 on the $500 plan | Over the $2,500 limit: Enterprise quote | $1,301.10 on Scale ($499 + 617K × $1.30) |
On easy pages Zyte is far cheaper: a million tier 3 HTTP pages cost $260 against Bright Data’s $1,301.10. On browser tier 3 pages Bright Data wins at every volume, by about $25 at 10K and about $620 at 1M.
Free credits barely move this. Bright Data’s 5,000 free monthly credits would knock up to $7.50 off an Unlocker bill if none went to other products, and Zyte’s $5 applies to the first month only. For Zyte at other volumes, my Zyte API pricing breakdown works through 3K, 30K and 300K requests, and Bright Data pricing covers its non-Unlocker products.
The fine print on each bill #
Neither vendor’s comparison page mentions most of this, and it’s where a budget goes wrong.
Zyte #
- Your tier can change. New site and mode combinations “start with a temporary tier”, and Zyte reviews tiers quarterly with two weeks’ notice. Billing docs.
- Failures are free. “You are only charged for successful responses”, and “Rate-limiting and unsuccessful responses are free.” Billing docs.
- Pay-as-you-go stops at $100. Commitments of $100, $200, $350 and $500 carry spending limits of $200, $400, $700 and $2,500, at 25%, 40%, 48% and 52% off. Billing docs.
- Add-ons stack on top. Screenshots cost $1.34 per 1,000; automatic extraction costs $0.27–$1.07 per 1,000 per data type, and SERP extraction is free. Custom attributes bill per million tokens: $1.34 in and $6.67 out for text, $4.02 and $20 for HTML. Billing docs.
Bright Data #
- Each product has its own unit. Requests for Unlocker, records for Scraper APIs, GB for proxies and the Browser API. The $499 Scale plan includes 383K Unlocker requests or 384K Scraper API records; that isn’t a typo, they’re different products. Unlocker, Scraper API.
- Success-only, with an exception. Unlocker charges “only for successful requests to your target domain”, but with custom features enabled “you’ll be billed for 100% of the requests (both successful and failed)”. The docs don’t say whether
rendercounts as a custom feature. Intro, features. - Premium domains cost more. Their rate shows only as an “Estimated cost” inside your zone, and the list is updated quarterly with 30 days’ email notice. Features.
- Free credits are shared. The 5,000 monthly credits come from “a single shared pool” across Unlocker, Scraper APIs, MCP and other products. Release notes.
Which one gets blocked less? #
There’s no neutral answer in public. Each vendor’s comparison page cites the benchmark it won, and every test below was run by someone with a stake or a different setup. I have not measured either service.
| Benchmark | Who ran it, and their stake | When | What was tested | Bright Data | Zyte |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrape.do | Scrape.do, a competing API that ranks itself second (98.61%); cited by Bright Data | Page created 2025-10-01, updated 2026-09-15; no test date | 7 targets, “hundreds of requests” per domain, sample sizes vary | 98.87%, 12.7s | 91.43%, 15.8s |
| Proxyway 2024 | Proxyway, a proxy review and research site; cited by Zyte | Published 2024-09-17 | 10 targets, about 6,000 URLs, 10 requests a second | 97.90%, 22.08s | 98.38%, 6.61s |
| Proxyway 2025 | Proxyway | Published 2025-12-04; tests mostly October 2025 | 11 APIs, 15 targets | Did not take part | One of four above 80%, “with Zyte leading the way” |
| String | String, a competing API that ranks itself first | Run 2026-10-30 | 100 sites × 5 tries, 17 providers; Zyte’s HTTP path only | 75.4%, 27.88s | 79.6%, 14.43s |
| AIMultiple | AIMultiple; both vendors pay for its benchmarking service | Updated 2026-10-23 | One Selenium script on Google Trends; no sample size | Browser API 98.2% | 95.1% |
The per-target splits matter more than the totals. In Scrape.do’s table Zyte beats Bright Data on Capterra (100% vs 80%) and Amazon (100% vs 96.7%), while Bright Data wins Zillow (100% vs 73.33%) and Indeed (100% vs 76.67%). Scrape.do.
My read: neither service is clearly better at getting through, and the head-to-head Zyte cites hasn’t been rerun with Bright Data since 2024. If success rate on your sites decides it, a short trial on your own targets (within each vendor’s terms) tells you more than any of these.
Can you try them, and who is allowed to buy? #
Bright Data is easier to start for free. Zyte’s terms have no company-only rule like Bright Data’s residential one.
Bright Data gives 5,000 free credits a month from one shared pool, and its Scraper API page says “No credit card required”. The same pool feeds its MCP server, which lists “5,000 free requests per month”. Release notes, Scraper pricing, MCP.
Residential proxies are another matter. Bright Data says they are “available only to verified companies that pass a human-reviewed KYC”, for zones created after July 7, 2026, and personal-email accounts aren’t eligible. Its licence says “The Subscription Fees are non-cancelable and non-refundable”, and its acceptable use policy sets out what you can’t target. Network access, licence, AUP.
Zyte gives $5 of credit for the first billing month. Its docs add: “After your free credit expires, your account is suspended until you set a spending limit.” The pricing page calls it “30 days to try it out”, which is close to, but not the same as, a billing month. Billing docs, pricing.
Does Zyte want a card at sign-up? I couldn’t confirm it either way. Zyte’s docs and get-started page don’t mention one, while Bright Data’s blog says “card required” and one Trustpilot reviewer (March 2025) says they were asked for one. Get started, Bright Data’s blog.
Zyte’s acceptable use policy bans using the service to “scrape any data from LinkedIn’s website”, collecting personal data in breach of law, and reselling the service. I found no KYC wording in it. Zyte’s MCP server is free to connect, but actions bill at Zyte API or Scrapy Cloud prices; Zyte’s blog flags it as an October 2026 update. AUP, MCP, Zyte blog.
Switching from one to the other #
Both vendors changed their older products in the past year, so some setups have to move anyway.
Leaving Zyte Smart Proxy Manager. Zyte announced it would retire Smart Proxy Manager: its sunset page says “We plan to complete the automigration during Tuesday, December 9, 2025”, turning SPM plans into a “Migration Plan” with the same commitment and twice the spending limit. That page is an advance notice, and it doesn’t confirm the move finished. Sunset FAQ.
Old SPM keys don’t work on Zyte API, but the scrapy-zyte-smartproxy settings can be pointed at Zyte API. Migration guide.
Leaving Bright Data immediate-access proxies. Bright Data’s October 24, 2026 release notes encourage customers to switch their Immediate access Residential and Immediate access Mobile proxies to ISP Proxies or Web Unlocker API, and say “Those retired proxies will be deleted from their owners’ accounts on 9-Nov-2026.” Release notes.
Moving a Scrapy project. To Zyte, the scrapy-zyte-api plugin (“Zyte API integration for Scrapy”, BSD-3-Clause) is the documented path. To Bright Data, its guide sets the proxy URL per request in meta, and residential access still needs “a KYC-verified business account”. scrapy-zyte-api, Bright Data Scrapy guide.
If the framework itself is still open, see Crawlee vs Scrapy.
What do other pages still get wrong? #
Claims I checked on November 12, 2026
- “Zyte: no proxy access.” Bright Data’s blog (updated 2026-07-14) says this. Zyte documents a proxy mode, with limits.
- “Zyte has no MCP.” Also from Bright Data’s blog. Zyte now documents a hosted MCP server, flagged as an October 2026 update, after that blog’s last edit.
- “Around 10 to 11 seconds” per response. Bright Data’s blog again; the Scrape.do benchmark it cites lists 12.7s for Bright Data and 15.8s for Zyte.
- Zyte “$0.06–$1.27” HTTP. Bright Data’s blog mixes the $500 commitment floor with the pay-as-you-go ceiling. PAYG alone is $0.13–$1.27.
- “$0.40 vs $2.81 per 1K.” Zyte’s compare page credits this to Proxyway’s 2024 report, but I couldn’t find it in the report text. Bright Data’s Unlocker lists $1.50 today.
- “The standard plans start around $500 per month.” ScrapeHero seems to mean Zyte Data. Zyte API starts at pay-as-you-go.
- Bright Data “$0.75/1K records”, “$1/1K Unlocker”, “$2.50/GB residential”. SourceForge lists these; Bright Data’s pages show $1.50, $1.50 and $8 list (residential reaches $2.50/GB only on the $1,999 plan with a three-month coupon).
Which one should you pick? #
A Scrapy shop on mostly easy sites: Zyte. Every HTTP tier undercuts Bright Data, failed responses are free, and the official plugin plus Scrapy Cloud keep you in one stack. I’d start on pay-as-you-go and move to a commitment once usage regularly nears the $100 limit.
Hard JavaScript pages at volume: Bright Data Web Unlocker. At $1.50 flat, or $1.30 past the $499 plan, it beats Zyte on browser tier 3 and up on every plan, and on tier 2 at PAYG. I’d check the premium-domain estimate in the zone before committing.
Raw IPs or city, ZIP or ASN targeting: Bright Data. Zyte doesn’t sell IPs. If you’re not a registered company, Bright Data’s ISP or datacenter proxies are the documented routes, since residential needs company KYC.
A ready-made dataset: Bright Data. Its datasets start at $2.50 per 1,000 records. Pick Zyte Data instead only if you need a custom feed built and maintained for you, from about $500 a month.
An AI agent over MCP: Bright Data to start free, Zyte if your pages are easy. Bright Data’s 5,000 free monthly requests cost nothing to try. Zyte’s MCP costs nothing to connect, and its per-call rates are lower on easy pages.
A mixed portfolio: use both. I’d route HTTP and browser tier 1 sites through Zyte and browser tier 2+ sites through Bright Data’s Unlocker. Since Zyte reviews tiers quarterly, I’d recheck that split every quarter too.
Not sure either is the right kind of tool? The scraping API pillar maps the options, my web unblocker comparison lines up both billing models, and Zyte alternatives sorts other options by why people leave Zyte.
FAQ #
Is Zyte cheaper than Bright Data? #
For HTTP pages and browser tier 1 pages, yes at list prices. Zyte’s PAYG HTTP tiers run $0.13 to $1.27 per 1,000 and browser tier 1 is $1.01, against Bright Data Web Unlocker’s flat $1.50.
From browser tier 2 ($2.01 PAYG) up, Bright Data costs less unless you are on a Zyte commitment of $200 or more, where tier 2 drops to $1.20. Prices verified 2026-11-12. Zyte, Bright Data.
Does Zyte sell proxies like Bright Data? #
Not raw ones. Zyte has no IP pool for sale, but Zyte API has a proxy mode at api.zyte.com:8011.
That mode lacks screenshots, actions, network capture, extraction and server-managed sessions, and Zyte says it is not optimized for browser automation tools. Bright Data rents residential, ISP and datacenter IPs directly. Proxy mode.
Which has the higher success rate? #
It depends on who ran the test. Scrape.do’s benchmark (updated 2026-09-15) puts Bright Data at 98.87% and Zyte at 91.43%. Proxyway’s September 2024 report had Zyte at 98.38% and Bright Data at 97.90%.
Proxyway’s December 2025 report did not include Bright Data. Each vendor quotes the one it won. Scrape.do, Proxyway 2025.
Do I need a company to use Bright Data? #
For residential proxies, yes. Bright Data says residential access is only for verified companies that pass a human-reviewed KYC, for zones created after July 7, 2026, and personal email accounts are not eligible. Its October 24, 2026 release notes point Immediate-access proxy users to ISP proxies or Web Unlocker. Network access.
Does Zyte charge for failed requests? #
No. Zyte’s billing docs say you are only charged for successful responses, and rate-limited and unsuccessful responses are free. Bright Data Web Unlocker also charges only for successful requests, unless you switch on custom features, which bill every request. Zyte billing, Unlocker features.
Can I use Bright Data with Scrapy? #
Yes. Bright Data’s Scrapy guide sets the proxy URL per request in Scrapy’s meta, and I found no official middleware. Zyte maintains the scrapy-zyte-api plugin and runs Scrapy Cloud, so it is the more direct fit for a Scrapy team. Bright Data guide, scrapy-zyte-api.
Sources
37 sources, accessed .
Official pricing, docs, changelogs and status pages 26
- Zyte pricing
- Zyte API billing docs
- Zyte API proxy mode
- Smart Proxy Manager sunset FAQ
- Migrating from Smart Proxy Manager
- Zyte API get started
- Scrapy Cloud pricing
- Zyte MCP server
- Zyte acceptable use policy
- Zyte Data services
- Zyte vs Bright Data (Zyte's page)
- Bright Data Web Unlocker pricing
- Bright Data Scraper API pricing
- Bright Data residential pricing
- Bright Data residential product page
- Bright Data ISP pricing
- Bright Data datacenter pricing
- Bright Data datasets pricing
- Bright Data release notes
- Bright Data residential network access
- Web Unlocker introduction
- Web Unlocker features
- Bright Data Scrapy guide
- Bright Data MCP overview
- Bright Data licence
- Bright Data acceptable use policy
