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Introducing ScreenURL: Screenshots Made Simple

ST
ScreenURL Team
••5 min read

Introducing ScreenURL: Screenshots Made Simple

We've all been there. You need to capture screenshots of websites for your app—maybe for link previews, automated testing, or generating social cards. Simple, right?

Then you spin up Puppeteer.

The Puppeteer Problem

Self-hosting a screenshot solution sounds straightforward until reality hits. What starts as "just install Puppeteer" quickly becomes:

  • Memory leaks that crash your server at 3 AM
  • Chrome zombie processes consuming all your CPU
  • Font rendering issues that make everything look broken
  • Timeout errors on JavaScript-heavy sites
  • DevOps overhead you never signed up for

You wanted screenshots. You got a second job managing headless browsers.

And if you've tried existing screenshot APIs? Most charge $20-50/month for basic features, require complex configuration with dozens of parameters, and still deliver inconsistent results.

There had to be a better way.

Meet ScreenURL

ScreenURL is a screenshot API built for developers who just want things to work. One endpoint. One line of code. Screenshots in under 2 seconds.

No infrastructure to manage. No browser pools to configure. No memory leaks to debug at midnight.

# That's it. Really.
curl "https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=https://github.com&apiKey=YOUR_KEY"

Or in your JavaScript app:

// Generate a screenshot URL
const screenshotUrl = `https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=${encodeURIComponent('https://example.com')}&apiKey=${API_KEY}`;

// Use it directly in an img tag
<img src={screenshotUrl} alt="Website preview" />

That's the entire integration. No SDKs to install. No dependencies to manage. Just a URL that returns an image.

Why We Built This

We're developers too. We've maintained Puppeteer clusters, dealt with Lambda cold starts, and spent way too many hours debugging why screenshots randomly fail on certain sites.

ScreenURL exists because we wanted the tool we wished existed:

  1. Dead simple — If it takes more than 5 minutes to integrate, it's too complicated
  2. Actually fast — Sub-2-second response times, not "usually under 10 seconds"
  3. Priced fairly — Developers shouldn't pay enterprise prices for a straightforward API
  4. Reliable — Works consistently on JavaScript-heavy SPAs, not just static sites

Key Features

Speed That Matters

Our average response time is under 2 seconds. We've optimized everything from browser warm-up pools to image compression pipelines. When you're generating link previews in real-time, every millisecond counts.

Full-Page Screenshots

Capture entire pages, not just the viewport. Perfect for archiving, documentation, or generating complete page previews.

curl "https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&fullPage=true&apiKey=YOUR_KEY"

Viewport Control

Need mobile screenshots? Tablet views? Custom dimensions? Just specify the viewport:

# Mobile screenshot
curl "https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&width=390&height=844&apiKey=YOUR_KEY"

Wait for Dynamic Content

JavaScript-heavy sites? We handle that. The API automatically waits for network activity to settle. For sites that need extra time, add a delay:

curl "https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&delay=2000&apiKey=YOUR_KEY"

Multiple Formats

Get your screenshots as PNG, JPEG, or WebP. Control quality and compression to optimize for your use case.

4K Resolution (Pro)

When you need pixel-perfect quality for print or high-resolution displays, our Pro plan supports up to 4K output.

Real Use Cases

Link Previews — Build rich link previews like Slack, Discord, or Notion. Show users what they're clicking before they click.

Visual Testing — Capture screenshots of your app across different viewports for automated visual regression testing.

Social Cards — Generate dynamic Open Graph images from your content pages.

Website Monitoring — Track visual changes to competitor sites, your own deployments, or client websites.

Documentation — Automatically capture and update screenshots in your docs when your UI changes.

Portfolio Showcases — Display live previews of websites in your portfolio without maintaining static images.

Pricing That Makes Sense

We believe in simple, transparent pricing:

Plan Screenshots/Month Price
Free 100 $0
Starter 1,000 $9/month
Pro 5,000 $29/month
Business 50,000 $99/month

No credit card required for the free tier. No hidden fees. No surprise overages—we'll warn you before you hit your limit.

Compare that to competitors charging $19-49/month for similar features. We're not cutting corners; we've just built efficient infrastructure and pass the savings to you.

Get Started in 60 Seconds

  1. Sign up at screenurl.com (no credit card needed)
  2. Copy your API key from the dashboard
  3. Make your first request:
const response = await fetch(
  `https://screenurl.com/api/screenshot?url=https://news.ycombinator.com&apiKey=${YOUR_API_KEY}`
);

const imageBlob = await response.blob();
// That's your screenshot
  1. Build something awesome

What's Next

This is just the beginning. We're actively working on:

  • Batch processing — Submit multiple URLs in a single request
  • Scheduled captures — Automated recurring screenshots
  • PDF generation — Convert pages to PDF with the same simple API
  • Webhooks — Get notified when screenshots are ready

We're building ScreenURL based on what developers actually need. Have a feature request? We're listening.

Try It Free

Stop managing Puppeteer infrastructure. Stop overpaying for basic screenshots. Stop debugging browser crashes.

Get your free API key →

100 free screenshots per month. No credit card required. Set up in under a minute.

Questions? Feedback? Reach out at hello@screenurl.com or find us on Twitter/X.