Scrapfly vs Supabase Vector
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 | Scrapfly | Supabase Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Developer / Organization | Scrapfly SAS | Supabase Inc. (Paul Copplestone & Ant Wilson) |
| Open-Source Engine | ✕ Proprietary Cloud | ✓ Open Source (Apache-2.0) |
| GitHub Stars (Repo/SDK) | Proprietary / Closed Core | ★ 113,917 GitHub Stars |
| Core Repository Language | Cloud API | TypeScript |
| Supported SDK Clients | ||
| Self-Hosted Deployment | Hosted Only | ✓ Supported |
| Docker / Container Ready | Managed | ✓ Official Image |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | ✓ Native MCP | ✓ Native MCP |
| Billing Architecture | usage based | hybrid |
| Developer Free Tier | ✓ Yes 1,000 free API credits | ✓ Yes 500MB database storage (2 free projects) |
| Entry Paid Tier (Monthly) | $30 USD / mo | $25 USD / mo |
| Pricing & Cost Architecture | 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). | Free tier offers 2 managed projects with 500MB database storage (~250k vectors). Pro plan starts at $25/mo with 8GB storage and scalable compute add-ons. |
| Key Engineering Insight | Uses custom-patched Chromium instances to mimic real residential JA3/TLS browser fingerprints, bypassing Cloudflare Turnstile and DataDome automatically. | Allows developers to store relational application state, user authentication (Row Level Security), and high-dimensional vector embeddings inside a single ACID-compliant Postgres database. |
Strengths & Trade-Offs
Objective engineering evaluation of both platforms
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
Supabase Vector Evaluation
Key Advantages
- ✓ Combines vector search with full Postgres ecosystem: Row Level Security, ACID transactions, and relational joins
- ✓ Instant auto-generated client APIs (REST, GraphQL, real-time WebSockets) with zero backend boilerplate
- ✓ Permissive open-source stack with official Docker compose deployment for self-hosting on any VPS
Limitations & Trade-Offs
- ✕ Free tier projects pause automatically after 7 days of inactivity (resumed upon dashboard login)
- ✕ Dedicated standalone C++ vector stores can achieve higher raw QPS for multi-million vector datasets
Source Quotes
Direct excerpts from official documentation backing our extracted specifications
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."
Supabase Vector Documentation Proof
"Pro plan is $25/month including 8GB disk space, 100k monthly active users, and no project pausing."
"Free tier includes 2 free projects, 500MB database space, and up to 50,000 monthly active users."
"Supabase is open source and self-hostable with Docker."
Frequently Asked Questions: Scrapfly vs Supabase Vector
Architectural trade-offs and decision criteria
Is Scrapfly or Supabase Vector cheaper for developers?
Scrapfly has a starting price of $30/mo (usage based), while Supabase Vector starts at $25/mo (hybrid). Scrapfly includes a free tier (1,000 free API credits). Supabase Vector offers a free tier (500MB database storage (2 free projects)).
Can I self-host Scrapfly and Supabase Vector in my own infrastructure?
Scrapfly is a cloud-managed service only. In comparison, Supabase Vector is available for self-hosting with Apache-2.0 licensing.
Do Scrapfly and Supabase Vector support the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
Scrapfly has native support for MCP servers. Supabase Vector fully supports Model Context Protocol integrations.
Which programming languages have official SDKs for Scrapfly vs Supabase Vector?
Scrapfly provides official SDKs in: python, typescript, go, curl. Meanwhile, Supabase Vector supports: typescript, python, dart, swift, go.