How to take full-page website screenshots with an API, and read the page too
Short answer
Send the list of URLs to a screenshot API that runs a real browser, set full page (or a CSS selector for one element) and the device, and wait for the page to load before capturing. Ask for the page text and HTTP status in the same call so you can check what the page says, not only how it looks.
- List the URLs (one per line or a JSON array).
- Choose desktop or mobile, and full page or a CSS selector such as #pricing.
- Wait for "load" (or "networkidle" for heavy pages) and add a 1-2 second delay for late content.
- Dismiss cookie banners before capture so they do not cover the page.
- Keep the status code: a 404 or 500 page is still captured, which is often what you want to see.
Copy-paste code
Capturewren on Apify: full-page PNG plus text for two URLs (your own Apify token)
curl -s -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cybermax~website-screenshot/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"urls": ["https://example.com", "https://apify.com"], "fullPage": true, "device": "desktop", "includeText": true}'| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| httpStatus | 200 |
| title | Example Domain |
| textChars | 127 |
| format / bytes | png / 15,479 |
| loadMs | 1,153 |
Source: Capturewren (Apify Actor cybermax/website-screenshot) README, real run on 23 Sep 2026
Capturewren: See and read any web page in one call
$0.003 per screenshot, failed pages freeCapturewren returns the screenshot plus status, final URL, title, description and page text for $0.003 per page; failures are free and compute is included.
Runs on your own Apify account, pay per result; failed results are not charged.Questions
How tall can a full-page screenshot be?
Very long pages are capped (Capturewren defaults to 15,000 px) so the image stays usable.
Are failed pages charged?
Not with Capturewren: unreachable pages, timeouts and missing selectors come back with ok: false and are free.
Free: the Free API Starter Kit
Copy-paste calls for 4 APIs with free daily tiers (CVE priority, VIN recalls, US duty rates, email checks), then 5 short emails on KEV/EPSS, MCP and free data.