CurlShot
Screenshot API for developers: turn any URL, HTML, or Markdown into a PNG, PDF, or scrolling video with one HTTP request.
Are you the maker? Claim this listing to keep info, pricing and screenshots current. Verified via your tool's domain email.
CurlShot is the right pick for developers and AI agent builders who need a hosted, no-infrastructure screenshot service with native MCP support for tools like Claude and Cursor. Its pricing is transparent and quota-based, but the free tier's 100 screenshots per month and single concurrent render will hit a ceiling fast for anything beyond prototyping. Teams needing general-purpose AI coding assistance rather than a screenshot API should look at GitHub Copilot instead.
What is CurlShot?
CurlShot is a screenshot API with a built-in MCP server, so AI agents (Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients) can call take_screenshot and look at any web page. One HTTP request turns a URL, your own HTML or Markdown into a PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF or a scrolling video (MP4, WebM, GIF). Pages render in a real browser; cookie banners, ads and chat bubbles can be removed before the capture, and phone, tablet and desktop presets are built in. Also: OpenAPI 3.1, llms.txt, an n8n community node, async jobs with signed webhooks and bulk runs of up to 100 URLs. Free plan: 100 screenshots a month, no card; paid plans from $19 a month.
How we scored CurlShot
Capability scores well because the feature set is genuinely broad for a focused API: eleven distinct capabilities including MCP server support, bulk runs of up to 100 URLs, async webhooks, CSS-selector element capture, and seven output formats, with no comparable MCP-native screenshot tool in this directory. Ease of use is strong on paper: one GET request, no SDK, code examples in six languages, an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, and an llms.txt file all lower the integration barrier significantly. Value is decent but not exceptional: $19/month for 3,000 screenshots is competitive, the free tier requires no card, and the overage cap prevents bill shock, but the free plan's single concurrent render and 100-screenshot ceiling make it nearly useless for real production testing. Delivery scores low because the product is days old at review time, all public submissions were made by the maker with no independent user validation, there is no documented uptime SLA, and no third-party sentiment exists to confirm the API performs as described. A tool this new with zero independent evidence of reliability cannot score above the low teens on delivery.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Hosted MCP server at a fixed endpoint means AI agents in Claude or Cursor can call take_screenshot with zero infrastructure setup, a feature no comparable screenshot API in this directory offers.
- Quota billing counts only successful renders: failed renders and cache hits are free, and optional overage is off by default with a user-set cap, so surprise bills are structurally prevented.
- Broad output coverage in one API: PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF, MP4, WebM, and GIF from a URL, raw HTML, or Markdown, with CSS-selector element capture and bulk runs of up to 100 URLs per call.
Where it falls short
- The free plan allows only one concurrent render and 10 requests per minute, which makes it genuinely unsuitable for anything beyond a proof of concept; even a modest production app will hit the ceiling within hours of a traffic spike.
- No documented uptime SLA, no public status page mentioned in any available source, and no enterprise support tier, which is a real gap for teams where screenshot availability is on the critical path.
- The tool is very new and submitted by its own maker across multiple directories simultaneously, so independent user reviews, long-term reliability data, and community sentiment are essentially absent.
Key features
CurlShot pricing
Free plan: 100 screenshots/month, no card required. Starter: $19/month for 3,000 screenshots. Growth: $79/month for 15,000 screenshots. Scale: $249/month for 60,000 screenshots. Yearly billing saves roughly two months. Optional overage is available on paid plans at $8, $5, or $4 per extra 1,000 screenshots respectively, prepaid and capped by the user.
| Plan | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 screenshots per month, no credit card required. 10 requests per minute, 1 concurrent render. Full-page captures up to 10,000 px tall at 1x pixel density. Videos up to 10 seconds. Community support only. No overage option. |
| Starter | $19/month | 3,000 screenshots per month ($6.33 per 1,000 at full use). 60 requests per minute, 5 concurrent renders. Full-page captures up to 20,000 px tall at up to 3x pixel density. Videos up to 30 seconds. Email support. Optional overage at $8 per extra 1,000, prepaid and capped. Yearly option: $190/year. |
| Growth | $79/month | 15,000 screenshots per month ($5.27 per 1,000 at full use). 150 requests per minute, 15 concurrent renders. Full-page captures up to 20,000 px tall at up to 3x pixel density. Videos up to 30 seconds. Priority email support. Optional overage at $5 per extra 1,000, prepaid and capped. Yearly option: $790/year. |
| Scale | $249/month | 60,000 screenshots per month ($4.15 per 1,000 at full use). 400 requests per minute, 40 concurrent renders. Full-page captures up to 20,000 px tall at up to 3x pixel density. Videos up to 30 seconds. Priority support. Optional overage at $4 per extra 1,000, prepaid and capped. Yearly option: $2,490/year. |
Pricing reflects what we saw at time of review (2026-10). Always confirm current pricing on the tool's own site.
Who should use CurlShot?
CurlShot fits a backend developer who needs to generate link previews, open-graph cards, or PDF exports from HTML templates without running and maintaining a headless browser fleet. It also fits an AI agent developer who wants their Claude or Cursor workflow to visually verify a deployed page or capture evidence from a URL, since the MCP server removes the need to write any integration layer.
Docs teams automating screenshot refreshes in CI pipelines are another natural fit, as are small agencies running visual regression checks across phone and desktop viewports. If you need a general-purpose AI coding assistant that helps you write, refactor, or review code rather than capture web pages, CurlShot is the wrong tool entirely. GitHub Copilot covers that use case and is already in this directory. If your screenshot volume is very high and you need enterprise SLAs or a self-hosted option, CurlShot's current Scale plan tops out at 60,000 screenshots per month with no documented uptime guarantee, so you should contact the team or evaluate alternatives before committing.
Skip it if: General AI coding assistance or teams without a programmatic screenshot use case
Tags
Frequently asked questions
Does a failed render count against my monthly screenshot quota?+
No. Only successful renders count. Failed renders and requests answered from the cache are free on all plans, including the free tier.
What happens when I hit my monthly limit?+
The API returns a clear error (HTTP 402) and stops processing requests until the next billing period starts. On paid plans you can pre-enable overage at $8, $5, or $4 per extra 1,000 screenshots (Starter, Growth, Scale respectively), with a monthly cap you set yourself so spending cannot exceed what you chose.
How do I connect CurlShot to Claude or Cursor?+
Point your MCP client at the hosted endpoint (curlshot.com/api/mcp) and add your API key. Nothing needs to be installed locally. The server exposes two tools: take_screenshot and list_devices.
Can I render my own HTML or Markdown, not just external URLs?+
Yes. You can POST raw HTML or Markdown and receive a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF back. This covers use cases like social card generation, invoice rendering, and certificate exports.
Is there a free plan, and does it require a credit card?+
The free plan gives 100 screenshots per month with no credit card required. It is permanent, not a trial, though it limits you to 1 concurrent render and 10 requests per minute.
Does yearly billing change the monthly screenshot allowance?+
No. The screenshot allowance still resets every month on a yearly plan. Yearly billing saves roughly two months of cost (for example, $190/year versus $228 paid monthly for Starter) but does not increase the per-month quota.
More AI Coding & Dev Tools
See all categoriesGet your tool listed on 300+ directories.
One listing here is a strong start. But the founders who get discovered everywhere are listed everywhere. Our sister site, Free AI Directories, submits your tool to 300+ AI directories for you, every single one by hand, by a real person.
It is a one-time payment of $49, no subscription, and you can follow along as the submissions land. Prefer the slow route? The same site keeps a free list of 450+ directories you can work through yourself.
Get my tool listed on 300+ directoriesOne-time payment, no subscription · 100% human submissions · Free list of 450+ directories included.