Migrate from Screenshotlayer to ScreenshotAPI

Replace Screenshotlayer with ScreenshotAPI. Modern features, better pricing, and flexible subscriptions. Complete migration guide with code examples.

Last updated: 2026-03-25

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200 free screenshots/month. No credit card required.

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Screenshotlayer is one of the older screenshot APIs, but it has fallen behind modern alternatives in features, rendering quality, and pricing flexibility. If you are using Screenshotlayer and encountering limitations, migrating to ScreenshotAPI gives you modern Chromium rendering, dark mode support, WebP output, SPA waiting strategies, and flexible subscription-based pricing.

Feature Comparison

	ScreenshotAPI	Screenshotlayer
Free tier	200 free screenshots per month	100/month
~5,000/mo	$19/mo (5,000 screenshots)	$20/mo (5,000 screenshots)
~25,000/mo	$49/mo (25,000 screenshots)	$40/mo (15,000 screenshots)
~100,000/mo	$149/mo (100,000 screenshots)	$80/mo (50,000 screenshots)

Our advantages:

200 free screenshots per month free tier (vs 100/month)
Flexible credit packs for pay-as-you-go usage
Screenshotlayer: Part of APILayer marketplace
Screenshotlayer: Fewer modern features

Parameter Mapping

Screenshotlayer	ScreenshotAPI	Notes
`access_key=xxx` (query param)	`x-api-key: xxx` (header)	Auth method changed
`url`	`url`	Same
`viewport=1440x900`	`width=1440&height=900`	Separate params
`fullpage=1`	`fullPage=true`	Different format
`format=PNG`	`type=png`	Lowercase, renamed
`quality=80`	`quality=80`	Same
`delay=5` (seconds)	`delay=5000` (milliseconds)	Unit changed
`force=1`	N/A	Not needed
`css_url=...`	N/A	Not yet supported
`accept_lang=en`	N/A	Not yet supported

Before: Screenshotlayer (JavaScript)


javascript
const ACCESS_KEY = 'your_screenshotlayer_key';

async function takeScreenshot(url) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    access_key: ACCESS_KEY,
    url,
    viewport: '1440x900',
    format: 'PNG',
    fullpage: '0',
  });

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture?${params}`
  );

  return Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer());
}

After: ScreenshotAPI (JavaScript)


javascript
async function takeScreenshot(url) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    url,
    width: '1440',
    height: '900',
    type: 'png',
    waitUntil: 'networkidle'
  });

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://screenshotapi.to/api/v1/screenshot?${params}`,
    { headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.SCREENSHOT_API_KEY } }
  );

  if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${response.status}`);
  return Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer());
}

Before: Screenshotlayer (PHP)


php
$params = http_build_query([
    'access_key' => 'your_screenshotlayer_key',
    'url' => 'https://example.com',
    'viewport' => '1440x900',
    'format' => 'PNG',
]);

$image = file_get_contents("https://api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture?{$params}");
file_put_contents('screenshot.png', $image);

After: ScreenshotAPI (PHP)


php
$params = http_build_query([
    'url' => 'https://example.com',
    'width' => 1440,
    'height' => 900,
    'type' => 'png',
]);

$ch = curl_init("https://screenshotapi.to/api/v1/screenshot?{$params}");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ['x-api-key: sk_live_your_api_key'],
]);

$image = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
file_put_contents('screenshot.png', $image);

Before: Screenshotlayer (Python)


python
import requests

params = {
    "access_key": "your_screenshotlayer_key",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "viewport": "1440x900",
    "format": "PNG",
}

response = requests.get("https://api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture", params=params)
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(response.content)

After: ScreenshotAPI (Python)


python
import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://screenshotapi.to/api/v1/screenshot",
    params={
        "url": "https://example.com",
        "width": 1440,
        "height": 900,
        "type": "png",
        "waitUntil": "networkidle",
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": "sk_live_your_api_key"},
)

with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(response.content)

New Features Available After Migration

After switching, you gain access to features Screenshotlayer does not offer:

Dark mode


javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: 'https://github.com',
  width: '1440',
  height: '900',
  colorScheme: 'dark',
  type: 'png'
});

WebP output (smaller files)


javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: 'https://example.com',
  width: '1440',
  height: '900',
  type: 'webp',
  quality: '85'
});

SPA support with selector waiting


javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: 'https://myreactapp.com',
  width: '1440',
  height: '900',
  waitForSelector: '#content-loaded',
  waitUntil: 'networkidle',
  type: 'png'
});

Migration Steps

Sign up at screenshotapi.to — 200 free screenshots/month included
Update endpoint: api.screenshotlayer.com/api/capture → screenshotapi.to/api/v1/screenshot
Update auth: Move from access_key query param to x-api-key header
Update params: viewport → width+height, format → type, fullpage → fullPage
Update delay: Convert seconds to milliseconds
Test: Compare screenshot output visually
Cancel Screenshotlayer subscription

Next Steps

Browse the API documentation for all available parameters
See the best screenshot APIs for a broader comparison
Check pricing for subscription plans
Try the cURL guide for quick testing

Frequently asked questions

Why switch from Screenshotlayer?

Screenshotlayer uses subscription pricing starting at $19.99/month, offers only basic screenshot features, has no dark mode support, and is part of a 100+ API ecosystem with limited focus on screenshot quality. ScreenshotAPI offers flexible subscription-based pricing, modern features, and SDKs for all major languages.

Is the migration difficult?

No. Both are REST APIs. You update the endpoint URL, switch from access_key query parameter to x-api-key header, and rename a few parameters. Most migrations take under 30 minutes.

Does ScreenshotAPI have a free tier like Screenshotlayer?

ScreenshotAPI provides 200 free screenshots/month. Screenshotlayer offers 100 free screenshots per month on its free tier, but with significant limitations (low resolution, limited format options, no HTTPS capture on free plan).

Will my screenshots look better?

Likely yes. ScreenshotAPI uses modern Chromium for rendering with full CSS Grid, Flexbox, and web font support. Screenshotlayer's rendering engine may not support the latest CSS features.

Start capturing screenshots today

Create a free account and get 200 free screenshots per month to try the API. No credit card required.

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