Website screenshot API

What is the Screenshot API?

Abstract’s Screenshot API is a simple, powerful, and lightweight REST API that takes a URL or raw HTML and returns high quality images in a variety of formats, such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. We’ve carefully designed the API to be as useful to the casual and novice user as it is to the large team or organization with more complex needs.

How does the Screenshot API work?

Ultimately we’ve built the Screenshot API to optimize for high image resolution as well as the overall speed and reliability of the API itself. To that end we’ve built a powerful proprietary rendering engine specifically for the purpose of converting HTML to an image in just a few seconds.

Does the target website need to be publicly available to use the Screenshot API?

Nope! We also support you sending us the raw HTML rather than the site’s public URL, and we can use that to convert the page to an image or other format for you.

Does the website screenshot API support screenshots from different locations?

This is not supported at the moment, but it's something that's high on our roadmap for the next version. We know that content can change depending on the IP geolocation of the visitor, and we plan to make this configurable so you can get multiple views of a given site.

What is your privacy policy?

We take data security and privacy very seriously. Abstract makes money by charging subscriptions for our API’s, not by selling your data. You can learn more about this by reading our privacy policy. The only way to access your cached screenshots is with your own API key.

What are some common use cases for taking a screenshot of a website or HTML page?

There are tons of use cases for the Screenshot API, both for personal and commercial projects, and both internal-facing as well as for a company’s end users. Some examples of projects requiring a screenshot API include:

1. Multiple device testing and QA: since our Screenshot API allows you to sent the device type and user agent for the image capture, you can use it to regularly check sites as different devices and browsers to ensure that everything looks like it should.
   
2. Regular website snapshots: our Screenshot API can help you capture recurring images of a website and save them to a variety of image formats. For example, does content change depending on the public holidays or the user's IP geolocation? In many cases it does and the Screenshot API can help log that.
   
3. Embedded previews of websites: if your product or service allows users to add or edit something on their website, it can be very helpful for conversion if you show those users what that page looks like with your service added.
   
4. Web monitoring for SEO backlinks, banner ads, and other such placements: if you provide backlinking or other similar services to your clients, using a web screenshot API to take regular screenshots of those pages is a great way to verify users are getting the value from those links or ads that they have paid for.
   
5. Security checks and related flows: if you’re not allowing a user to visit a certain site, image, or email out of security concerns, you could create a safe image of that HTML document with the Screenshot API to give users a preview of it. Just as it is best practice to validate emails and validate phone numbers, so should you visually validate a URL before allowing a user to navigate to it.
   

These are just a few examples of applications we've seen. However, we really do like to see what unique and creative solutions you can create with the Screenshot API. If you have a creative implementation that you'd like to share with us (and get some free credits in exchange for a mention or case study), then email us at team [at] abstractapi.com.

What does the API cost?

Each of our API's has a free plan as well as several paid options, which offer a greater number of requests, a higher level of data quality, and greater speed for higher prices. Please see the page above or sign into your account to view pricing for each API.

Do you have a free trial or free options for your API's?

Absolutely! We want you to try before you buy. Each of our API's has a free tier with a generous usage allowance for you to try the product out and verify that the speed and data quality work for you.

What payment options do you offer?

We use Stripe to accept payment via major debit and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express). If you cannot use those payment methods, then contact us at team at abstractapi.com to arrange for an alternative payment method.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my subscription?

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time by visiting your dashboard. If you upgrade in the middle of a billing cycle, you will be charged a pro-rated amount for your new plan through the end of the billing cycle.

Can I cancel at any time?

Yes, all of our subscriptions are month to month. You can cancel at any time, and you will not be charged again at the end of your billing cycle.

How can I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard. Once canceled, your subscription will be active until the end your current billing cycle, and then it will be automatically moved to the free plan.

What happens if I go over my monthly quota for requests?

If your API usage exceeds the monthly limit set by your plan, then you will be charged a fee for each call over your limit. At the end of your billing period, your usage will reset again.

What if I need more requests or something else that's not offered in your plans?

We do offer enterprise plans with custom features and pricing in limited circumstances. If our public pricing plans don't work for you, then contact us (team at abstractapi.com) and we'll work something out.

Do you offer any discounts?

While we don't normally offer discounts, we do make exceptions for certain types of users and use cases. If you are a student or are engaged in academic work, or are working on a non-profit or open source project, we're happy to offer you discounts for our API's. Just email us at team at abstractapi.com.

Do you offer discounts for annual or quarterly payments?

All of our plans are currently paid month to month. We will be launching annual plans at a discount soon. If you're interested in an annual plan in the meantime, just contact us and we'll set you up.

What happens if my payment method expires?

We will typically attempt to charge your payment method up to three times after it fails. If we're still unable to collect payment, then your subscription will be automatically canceled and you'll be moved to the free plan.

Can I use the API's for a commercial project?

Yes, a paid tier of our API may be used in conjunction with a commercial project. The free tiers of our API's may not be used in commercial projects.