Fly Machines vs Scrapfly
Comparing architecture, runtime limits, open-source licenses, and monthly costs for autonomous agent pipelines.
Detailed Specifications & Compatibility Matrix
Extracted directly from GitHub REST API & official developer documentation
| Technical Feature / Metric | Fly Machines | Scrapfly |
|---|---|---|
| Developer / Organization | Fly.io Inc. (Kurt Mackey & Team) | Scrapfly SAS |
| Open-Source Engine | ✓ Open Source (Apache-2.0) | ✕ Proprietary Cloud |
| GitHub Stars (Repo/SDK) | ★ 1,719 GitHub Stars | Proprietary / Closed Core |
| Core Repository Language | Go | Cloud API |
| Supported SDK Clients | ||
| Self-Hosted Deployment | Hosted Only | Hosted Only |
| Docker / Container Ready | ✓ Official Image | Managed |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Standard REST/gRPC | ✓ Native MCP |
| Billing Architecture | usage based | usage based |
| Developer Free Tier | ✓ Yes 3 shared-cpu-1x microVMs allowance | ✓ Yes 1,000 free API credits |
| Entry Paid Tier (Monthly) | $1.94 USD / mo | $30 USD / mo |
| Pricing & Cost Architecture | Pay-as-you-go billed per second: shared CPU microVMs start at ~$0.0000022/second (~$1.94/month if running 24/7). Stopped machines pay only for attached NVMe disk storage ($0.15/GB/mo). | Free trial provides 1,000 initial API credits. Discovery plan starts at $30/mo for 200,000 API credits (basic request = 1 credit; JS rendering + residential proxy = 5-25 credits). |
| Key Engineering Insight | Operates custom bare-metal servers across 35+ global edge datacenters, booting Linux kernels directly on KVM without container orchestration overhead. | Uses custom-patched Chromium instances to mimic real residential JA3/TLS browser fingerprints, bypassing Cloudflare Turnstile and DataDome automatically. |
Strengths & Trade-Offs
Objective engineering evaluation of both platforms
Fly Machines Evaluation
Key Advantages
- ✓ Sub-300ms boot times for custom Docker images running in 35+ global edge data centers close to end users
- ✓ Full persistent NVMe volume support with customizable memory/vCPU ratios per individual machine instance
- ✓ Fast REST API allowing agents to dynamically spawn, pause, snapshot, and destroy microVMs programmatically
Limitations & Trade-Offs
- ✕ Requires managing base Linux Docker images, security firewall configurations, and internal WireGuard routing
- ✕ Lacks a specialized high-level code execution SDK out of the box (requires building custom API wrappers)
Scrapfly Evaluation
Key Advantages
- ✓ Advanced Anti-Scraping Protection (ASP) with automated residential proxy rotation and CAPTCHA solving
- ✓ Direct markdown format extraction parameter (&format=markdown) built specifically for LLM ingestion
- ✓ Full JavaScript rendering engine supporting custom pre-scrape evaluate scripts and scroll triggers
Limitations & Trade-Offs
- ✕ Advanced proxy and headless browser features consume between 5 and 25 API credits per request
- ✕ Strictly cloud-hosted API; no on-premise Docker deployment option
Source Quotes
Direct excerpts from official documentation backing our extracted specifications
Fly Machines Documentation Proof
"Shared CPU instances start at $0.0000022/second (~$1.94/mo)."
"Free resource allowances include up to 3 shared-cpu-1x microVMs."
"Global microVM platform running on Fly.io bare metal hardware."
Scrapfly Documentation Proof
"Discovery plan starts at $30/mo with 200,000 API credits and unlimited concurrency."
"Free trial includes 1,000 credits to test all features and proxy networks."
"Fully managed cloud infrastructure; integrations available via SDKs and REST."
Frequently Asked Questions: Fly Machines vs Scrapfly
Architectural trade-offs and decision criteria
Is Fly Machines or Scrapfly cheaper for developers?
Fly Machines has a starting price of $1.94/mo (usage based), while Scrapfly starts at $30/mo (usage based). Fly Machines includes a free tier (3 shared-cpu-1x microVMs allowance). Scrapfly offers a free tier (1,000 free API credits).
Can I self-host Fly Machines and Scrapfly in my own infrastructure?
Fly Machines is a cloud-managed service only. In comparison, Scrapfly is proprietary cloud infrastructure.
Do Fly Machines and Scrapfly support the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
Fly Machines does not currently list native MCP server compatibility. Scrapfly fully supports Model Context Protocol integrations.
Which programming languages have official SDKs for Fly Machines vs Scrapfly?
Fly Machines provides official SDKs in: go, curl, python. Meanwhile, Scrapfly supports: python, typescript, go, curl.