Browser-on requests cost 10 credits vs 1 - disable it for static pages

TL;DR

The browser defaults to on and costs 10 credits a request versus 1 without it - so for static pages, set browser to false and pocket the difference. Only pay the 10-credit price when you actually need JS rendering.

Steps

1. The browser defaults to on and costs 10 credits a request versus 1 without it - so for static pages, set browser to false and pocket the difference. Only pay the 10-credit price when you actually need JS rendering. At volume this is the single biggest lever on your ScrapingAnt bill.

When to use

You are seeing this: Only pay the 10-credit price when you actually need JS rendering. Use this skill when you run into "Browser-on requests cost 10 credits vs 1 - disable it for static pages".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: ScrapeOps ScrapingAnt guide: the browser parameter defaults to true and costs 10 API credits per request, while requests without the browser cost 1 credit. ScrapingAnt renders JavaScript by default via its headless browser.

Verified resolution: The browser defaults to on and costs 10 credits a request versus 1 without it - so for static pages, set browser to false and pocket the difference. Only pay the 10-credit price when you actually need JS rendering. At volume this is the single biggest lever on your ScrapingAnt bill.

Source URL: https://scrapeops.io/proxy-providers/scrapingant/python-scrapingant-proxy-api-guide/