Web Scraping Cost Optimization: Save 50%+ on API Costs

Web scraping APIs charge per request. With smart patterns, you can dramatically reduce costs while maintaining data quality.

Strategy 1: Intelligent Caching

Most web content doesn't change frequently. Cache aggressively:

const cache = new Map();
const CACHE_TTL = 3600 * 1000; // 1 hour

async function cachedRead(url: string) {
  const cached = cache.get(url);
  if (cached && Date.now() - cached.time < CACHE_TTL) {
    return cached.data; // Free!
  }
  
  const fresh = await tryb.read(url);
  cache.set(url, { data: fresh, time: Date.now() });
  return fresh;
}

Savings: 30-70% depending on access patterns

Strategy 2: Batch Processing

Tryb's batch endpoint offers volume discounts:

Method	Cost per URL
Individual /v1/read	$0.05
Batch /v1/batch	$0.04

Savings: 20% on batch requests

Strategy 3: Skip Screenshots When Unnecessary

Screenshots cost extra. Only request when needed:

// Only get screenshots for product pages
const needsScreenshot = url.includes('/product/');
if (needsScreenshot) {
  await tryb.screenshot(url);
}

Strategy 4: Choose Right Credit Package

Monthly Volume	Best Package	Per-Credit Cost
<100	Starter ($5)	$0.05
100-500	Pro ($20)	$0.04
500-2000	Scale ($60)	$0.03
>2000	Enterprise ($200)	$0.02

Strategy 5: Deduplicate URLs

function dedupeUrls(urls: string[]) {
  return [...new Set(urls.map(u => normalizeUrl(u)))];
}

function normalizeUrl(url: string) {
  const u = new URL(url);
  u.hash = ''; // Remove fragments
  u.searchParams.delete('utm_source'); // Remove tracking
  return u.toString();
}

Combined Savings Example

Optimization	Before	After	Savings
Caching (50% hit rate)	1000 requests	500 requests	50%
Batching	$0.05/req	$0.04/req	20%
Enterprise pricing	$0.04/req	$0.02/req	50%
Total	$50	$10	80%

Related Guides

• Pricing Comparison
• Best Practices