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Context.dev vs Firecrawl

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Cheaper paid plan
Firecrawl — $16/mo vs $25/mo for Context.dev
Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Both have one
Higher Trust score
Firecrawl — 89 vs 62 for Context.dev
Best fit
Context.dev: Developers building RAG systems that need fresh web context · Firecrawl: Developers feeding site content into RAG or agent pipelines

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Context.devAPI for web scraping, structured extraction, and brand data, formerly branded Brand.dev.FirecrawlWeb data API that searches, scrapes, crawls and interacts with sites, returning clean Markdown or JSON for LLM pipelines.

Side by side

FactContext.devFirecrawl
CategoryWeb Scraping & Data ExtractionWeb Scraping & Data Extraction
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$25/mo$16/mo
Public APIYesYes
Trust score62 / 10089 / 100
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, API
Company—SideGuide Technologies, Inc. (d/b/a Firecrawl)
Launched—2024
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Oct 2, 2026

What our research says

Context.dev

Context.dev is a solid option if you need web data piped into an AI pipeline without building your own crawler, since scraping, extraction, and classification all sit behind one API with official SDKs in five languages. The rebrand from Brand.dev means older references and integrations built against the old domain or name may need updating.

Pros

  • Single API covers scraping, crawling, search, extraction, and classification
  • Official SDKs in five languages plus an MCP server
  • Free tier requires no credit card

Cons

  • Recent rebrand from Brand.dev may break bookmarks or integrations built against the old name
  • Company leadership and location are not disclosed on the site
  • Per-credit costs at higher usage aren't fully broken out on the pricing page

Firecrawl

Firecrawl is a sensible default when an agent or RAG pipeline needs readable page content and you would rather not run proxies and headless browsers yourself. The credit model is simple to reason about for plain scrapes, but extra formats and browser sessions cost more credits than the headline page count suggests.

Pros

  • One API covers search, scrape, crawl, map and page interaction
  • Free tier renews every month and needs no card
  • Open-source core with SDKs, an MCP server and a CLI for agent tools
  • Failed scrapes that return nothing are not charged

Cons

  • JSON, question and highlight formats add 4 credits per page, so structured extraction costs several times a plain scrape
  • Pages that return an error status such as 403 or 404 still cost a credit
  • Headline plan prices are annual; paying monthly is higher

Which one fits

Choose Context.dev if you need

  • Developers building RAG systems that need fresh web context
  • Teams needing structured brand data (logos, colors, metadata) via API
  • AI agent builders wanting an MCP server for web search and extraction

Choose Firecrawl if you need

  • Developers feeding site content into RAG or agent pipelines
  • Teams that want a hosted scraper but keep the option to self-host the open-source core
  • Prototypes that fit inside the free monthly credits

Context.dev vs Firecrawl: the questions people ask

Is Context.dev cheaper than Firecrawl?

On published entry prices, Firecrawl starts lower — $16/mo against $25/mo for Context.dev. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it; what each plan includes differs.

Does Context.dev or Firecrawl have a free tier?

Both: Context.dev has a free tier, and Firecrawl has a free tier.

Which has a public API, Context.dev or Firecrawl?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

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