How does Microlink handle sites with cookie banners or ads?

Microlink supports ad blocking via the adblock parameter and custom CSS/JS injection to dismiss consent dialogs. Screenshot Machine supports cookie-banner handling through click and hide selectors, but it does not advertise a dedicated ad-blocking or cookie-blocking rules engine. Use screenshot.hide to remove specific elements by CSS selector.

The ScreenshotMachine upgrade path
for richer browser workflows

Screenshot Machine is a reliable, no-frills screenshot and PDF API. When your workflow outgrows that simpler surface and you need metadata, link previews, remote JS, and more request headroom, Microlink gives you the broader browser API while staying 33% faster on average.

Get Started Free

Measuring cold-start speed across 2 screenshot APIs

Microlink

ScreenshotMachine

Up to 2.3× faster response times

Same request. Same URL. Same output format.

We ran identical screenshot requests against both APIs from a New York server and measured cold-start latency — no cache, no warm-up. The numbers below are averages from 10 independent benchmark runs at different hours. The biggest gap was on screenshotone.com, where Screenshot Machine took over 12 seconds while Microlink finished in 5.5 seconds.

Cold-start latency by URL

URL	Microlink	ScreenshotMachine
vercel.com	6,361	9,791
example.com	968	1,321
stripe.com	3,217	3,167
screenshotone.com	5,474	12,404
news.ycombinator.com	3,435	4,329
github.com	3,060	3,898
framer.com	6,267	7,789
Total	28.8 s	42.7 s

vercel.com

Microlink6,361 ms

ScreenshotMachine9,791 ms

example.com

Microlink968 ms

ScreenshotMachine1,321 ms

stripe.com

Microlink3,217 ms

ScreenshotMachine3,167 ms

screenshotone.com

Microlink5,474 ms

ScreenshotMachine12,404 ms

news.ycombinator.com

Microlink3,435 ms

ScreenshotMachine4,329 ms

github.com

Microlink3,060 ms

ScreenshotMachine3,898 ms

framer.com

Microlink6,267 ms

ScreenshotMachine7,789 ms

Average cold-start latency

Provider	Avg Cold Duration	vs. Microlink
Microlink	4,111.84 ms	—
ScreenshotMachine	6,099.77 ms	+48% slower

See the full benchmark with all 6 providers and 7 URLs on the Screenshot API Benchmark page.

Averages from 10 benchmark runs taken from a New York server at different hours. The

benchmark repo

is open — run it yourself and see. Last run: March 2026.

Why Developers Switch

The top reasons teams move from Screenshot Machine to Microlink.

A modern API surface, not just query params

Screenshot Machine covers the basics well, including cookies plus user-agent and language controls. Microlink goes further with arbitrary headers, JS injection, CSS injection, and broader browser automation for SPAs, auth-gated pages, and dynamic content.

2.3× more included monthly volume

Screenshot Machine Pro is listed at €59/month for 20,000 fresh screenshots. Microlink’s comparison tier is €39/month for 46,000 requests, which is more than double the included monthly volume.

One API key, not five

Microlink handles screenshots, PDFs, metadata extraction, link previews, and remote JS in a single integration. Screenshot Machine covers screenshots and PDFs only — anything else requires a separate service.

33% faster on cold starts

In the March 2026 benchmark, Microlink averaged 4,112 ms and Screenshot Machine averaged 6,100 ms across 7 real-world URLs. On heavy pages, the gap reached 2.3×.

Proxy and antibot built‑in, zero config

Microlink auto-rotates residential proxies and detects 30+ antibot providers (Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai…) on every request. Screenshot Machine does not offer proxy support or antibot detection.

Open-source, fully auditable

Metascraper, MQL, and Browserless are MIT-licensed. Inspect the core engine, fork it, or self-host. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in — Screenshot Machine is closed-source with no way to audit what runs against your URLs.

More requests. Less glue code.

Compare Microlink's 46,000 requests at €39/month with Screenshot Machine Pro's 20,000 fresh screenshots at €59/month.

Microlink

€39/mo

46,000 requests/month

Screenshots, PDF, metadata, link previews, remote JS
Free: 50 requests/day, no credit card, no expiry
No per-minute cap on paid plans
240+ edge nodes, 99.9% SLA
Open-source core (MIT licensed)
~€0.00085/request on this tier

Start for free

Screenshot Machine

€59/mo

20,000 screenshots/month

Screenshots and PDF only — no metadata, previews, or remote JS
€0.003 per additional screenshot
Unlimited impressions from cache (14 days)
Cookies plus language / user-agent controls
No custom JS or CSS injection
99.99% uptime SLA

We can keep prices this low because our enterprise clients cover the infrastructure cost. We want to help indie devs and startups squeeze every drop of value out of their budget.

Upgrade without rebuilding everything

Keep the screenshot and PDF workflow you already know.

Your first 50 requests/day are free — no credit card, no commitment.

Start Building Free

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

An honest look at what each API offers.

Feature	Microlink	ScreenshotMachine
Screenshot capture	✓	✓
Full-page screenshots	✓	✓
PDF generation	✓	✓
Device emulation (desktop/tablet/phone)	✓	✓
Custom delay before capture	✓	✓
Hide elements (CSS selectors)	✓	✓
Click interactions	✓	✓
Zoom control	✓	✓
PNG / JPEG output	✓	✓
Built-in response cache ScreenshotMachine caches for up to 14 days.	✓	✓
Signed request URLs (hash security)	✓	✓
Custom CSS injection	✓	✕
Custom JS injection	✓	✕
Custom HTTP headers Supports request language and user-agent, not arbitrary headers.	✓	Partial
Custom cookies	✓	✓
Wait for CSS selector	✓	✕
Element-level capture (CSS selector)	✓	✓
HTML rendering (raw HTML input)	✓	✕
Dark/light mode capture	✓	✕
Custom proxy support	✓	✕
Built-in proxy (auto-rotating residential)	✓	✕
Antibot detection (30+ providers)	✓	✕
Metadata extraction	✓	✕
Link previews SDK (React/Vue/JS)	✓	✕
Browser chrome overlay	✓	✕
Direct embed (no backend)	✓	✕
Open-source core	✓	✕
Remote JS execution (return values)	✓	✕
MCP server	✓	✕
Markdown conversion	✓	✕
Cookie banner blocking Manual via click/hide selectors instead of a built-in blocker.	✓	Partial
Ad blocking	✓	✕
GIF output (from API) ScreenshotMachine supports GIF as a direct output format.	✕	✓
Region cropping (x, y, w, h)	✕	✓

Last verified: April 2026. See each product's docs for the latest.

Where Screenshot Machine
Might Be the Right Choice

The simplest possible API

Screenshot Machine’s API is a single GET endpoint with a handful of parameters. If you only need basic screenshots and PDFs with no advanced browser control, that simplicity is genuinely appealing.

Region cropping built in

Screenshot Machine lets you crop a specific rectangle (x, y, width, height) from the viewport in a single API call. Microlink captures full viewports or CSS-selected elements, but does not have built-in pixel-coordinate cropping.

Free cached impressions

Screenshot Machine caches screenshots for up to 14 days and serves cached impressions at no cost. If your use case involves hot-linking the same URLs repeatedly, that caching model can save money.

GIF output directly from the API

Screenshot Machine supports GIF as a direct output format alongside JPG and PNG.

Ship faster screenshots

50 requests/day free — no account, no credit card. Start capturing screenshots at the speed your users deserve.

The following examples show how to use the Microlink API with CLI, cURL, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP & Golang, targeting 'https://www.apple.com' URL with 'screenshot' API parameter:

CLI Microlink API example

microlink https://www.apple.com&screenshot

cURL Microlink API example

curl -G "https://api.microlink.io" \
  -d "url=https://www.apple.com" \
  -d "screenshot=true"

JavaScript Microlink API example

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://www.apple.com', {
  screenshot: true
})

Python Microlink API example

import requests

url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

querystring = {
    "url": "https://www.apple.com",
    "screenshot": "true"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=querystring)

print(response.json())

Ruby Microlink API example

require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

base_url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

params = {
  url: "https://www.apple.com",
  screenshot: "true"
}

uri = URI(base_url)
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(params)

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
response = http.request(request)

puts response.body

PHP Microlink API example

<?php

$baseUrl = "https://api.microlink.io/";

$params = [
    "url" => "https://www.apple.com",
    "screenshot" => "true"
];

$query = http_build_query($params);
$url = $baseUrl . '?' . $query;

$curl = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($curl, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
    CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "GET"
]);

$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);

curl_close($curl);

if ($err) {
    echo "cURL Error #: " . $err;
} else {
    echo $response;
}

Golang Microlink API example

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "io"
)

func main() {
    baseURL := "https://api.microlink.io"

    u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    q := u.Query()
    q.Set("url", "https://www.apple.com")
    q.Set("screenshot", "true")
    u.RawQuery = q.Encode()

    req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://www.apple.com', {
  screenshot: true
})

Start now for free

Is there a free Screenshot Machine alternative?

Yes. Microlink's free tier gives you 50 requests/day with no credit card and no time limit. Same API, same quality, same 240+ edge network as paid plans.

Screenshot Machine also offers a free tier with 100 fresh screenshots per month. Microlink's daily-reset model gives you up to 1,500 requests/month on free, which is 15× more volume and easier to test with real traffic patterns.

How does Microlink compare to Screenshot Machine for screenshot quality?

Both services produce screenshots using Chromium. Microlink serves maximum quality with optimal compression by default and delivers results 33% faster on average. Screenshot Machine also delivers good quality and supports JPG, PNG, and GIF output formats.

Can I migrate from Screenshot Machine to Microlink easily?

Yes. Screenshot Machine uses a simple GET API with parameters like url, dimension, device, format, delay, and zoom. Microlink accepts the same capture concepts under its own parameter names. Most migrations involve updating the API endpoint and key. The screenshot docs cover every parameter with examples.

Paste your existing code into any LLM and ask it to migrate to Microlink. Or email

[email protected]

and we'll help directly.

When is Screenshot Machine enough, and when should you upgrade?

Screenshot Machine is a good fit when you want a simpler API focused on screenshots and website-to-PDF conversion.

Microlink is the upgrade path when those captures need to feed richer browser workflows: metadata/Open Graph extraction, link previews (via SDK), remote JavaScript execution, and Lighthouse audits from one API key and one integration.

Is Microlink really open source?

The core engine components are MIT-licensed on GitHub:

Metascraper

(metadata extraction),

MQL

(Microlink Query Language), and

Browserless

(headless browser). Enterprise teams can audit, fork, and contribute.

Screenshot Machine is closed-source. There is no way to inspect or audit the engine processing your requests.

How much does Screenshot Machine cost compared to Microlink?

Screenshot Machine Pro is listed at €59/month for 20,000 fresh screenshots with €0.003 per extra screenshot. Microlink's comparison tier is €39/month for 46,000 requests, which is more than 2× the included monthly volume on the plan we compare here.

Enterprise clients running millions of requests fund the infrastructure, which is how indie devs get the same global edge network at these prices.

Does Microlink have rate limits?

Paid plans have no requests-per-minute cap — burst as high as your concurrency allows. The only limit is your monthly request quota.

Screenshot Machine does not publish explicit per-minute rate limits, but its pricing tiers are based on fresh screenshots per month. Cached screenshots (up to 14 days) are not billed.

Microlink supports ad blocking via the adblock parameter and custom CSS/JS injection to dismiss consent dialogs before the screenshot is taken. Screenshot Machine supports cookie-banner handling through its click and hide selector parameters, but it does not advertise a dedicated ad-blocking or cookie-blocking rules engine.

What uptime and SLA does Microlink guarantee?

Microlink guarantees 99.9% uptime backed by a formal SLA. Requests are served from 240+ Cloudflare edge nodes worldwide. Screenshot Machine advertises 99.99% uptime on its SLA page, which is a strong availability commitment.

The ScreenshotMachine upgrade pathfor richer browser workflows