Comparison
Shotkiln vs Urlbox
Urlbox has the widest option set here, including video, proxies, SLAs and enterprise contracts. Its $19 plan captures third-party sites as thumbnails only, so full captures start at $49. Shotkiln costs less and has a free tier.
- Urlbox free tier
- no free plan
- Urlbox paid plans
- Lo-Fi $19 for 2,000 ($9.50 per 1,000); Hi-Fi $49 for 5,000 ($9.80 per 1,000); Ultra $99 for 15,000 ($6.60 per 1,000)
- Urlbox overage
- moves you to the next tier automatically
- Shotkiln free tier
- 100 renders a month, watermarked
- Shotkiln paid plans
- Starter $9 for 2,000 ($4.50 per 1,000); Pro $19 for 10,000 ($1.90 per 1,000); Scale $49 for 50,000 ($0.98 per 1,000)
- Shotkiln overage
- none; requests return 429 at the limit
Monthly cost by volume
Cheapest published plan that covers each volume, before overage.
| Renders a month | 2,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shotkiln | $9 Starter | $19 Pro | $49 Scale |
| Urlbox | $19 Lo-Fi | $49 Hi-Fi | $99 Ultra |
Urlbox Lo-Fi ($19) renders third-party sites as thumbnails only; full captures of other sites start on Hi-Fi ($49 for 5,000).
Features
| Feature | Shotkiln | Urlbox |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 100/month, watermarked | no |
| URL or HTML to PDF | yes | yes |
| Render raw HTML to an image | PDF only | yes |
| Built-in OG card templates | 3 templates | no (render your own HTML) |
| Remote MCP server | yes | yes (hosted, added 12 Oct 2026) |
| Ad and cookie-banner blocking | no | yes |
| Upload to S3 or webhooks | no | yes (Hi-Fi and up) |
| Proxies or geo-targeting | no | yes |
| Official SDKs | no (plain HTTP) | yes |
Choose Urlbox if
- You need SLAs, invoices, security reviews or dedicated clusters.
- You need video, markdown or metadata extraction alongside the image.
- You capture sites that block headless browsers and need proxies or stealth.
Choose Shotkiln if
- You capture public pages and want the lower price per 1,000 renders.
- You also need PDFs and Open Graph cards from the same quota and key.
- You want a remote MCP server and an OpenAPI spec for AI agents on the free plan.
Parameter mapping
Urlbox parameter on the left, Shotkiln equivalent on the right.
| Urlbox | Shotkiln |
|---|---|
url | url |
width | width |
height | height |
full_page | full_page |
format | format (png, jpeg, webp) |
quality | quality |
delay | delay |
retina | device_scale_factor=2 |
dark_mode | dark_mode |
ttl | cache_ttl |
hide_cookie_banners | not supported |
Sources: Urlbox pricing and docs (October 2026). Prices change, so check the vendor's page before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Shotkiln cheaper than Urlbox?
- Yes, at 2,000, 5,000 and 15,000 renders a month, on published list prices. Shotkiln starts at $9 for 2,000 renders and never bills overage.
- What does Urlbox do that Shotkiln does not?
- Video, markdown and metadata extraction, proxies and stealth, SLAs and enterprise contracts. Shotkiln has none of these: it captures public pages as a first-time visitor sees them.
- How do I switch from Urlbox to Shotkiln?
- Change the base URL, send your key in the x-api-key header and rename parameters with the table above. Check your captures before moving production traffic, since features like banner blocking have no equivalent.
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