Proxy vs Spider Cloud

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings

Analysis reviewed Live tool data as of 2026-09-02
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At a glance

DimensionProxySpider Cloud
Core FunctionAI proxy to route LLM requests to cheapest modelWeb crawling & scraping API for AI agents
PricingFree (open-source, self-hosted)Freemium; pay-as-you-go from $0.001/page
Target UsersTeams using coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Aider) to cut API costsDevelopers building RAG pipelines or agents needing web data
InstallationSelf-hosted local proxy (CLI, <6ms latency)Cloud API, also open-source self-host option
Key DifferentiatorSmart model routing + budget caps + anomaly detectionRust-based speed, AI extraction, 99.9% success rate
Latest News Impactv1.9.39: live cost ticker; v1.9.36: credential quarantineBrowser AI commands (Act/Extract/Observe) via WebSocket

If you're running AI coding agents like Claude Code and want to slash API costs while keeping full data control, Proxy is the clear choice — it's free, open-source, and actively adding cost-tracking features. If you need real-time web data for RAG or agent workflows, Spider Cloud's high-speed Rust crawling and AI extraction (including new Browser AI commands) are more relevant. The two tools solve different problems: Proxy optimizes LLM spend, Spider Cloud feeds agents with fresh external content.

Try ProxyTry Spider Cloud
Proxy
Proxy

Open-source AI agent proxy that routes each request to the cheapest suitable model, cutting API costs up to 90%.

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Spider Cloud
Spider Cloud

AI web scraping API: crawl, scrape, search any site into markdown or JSON at 10k req/min.

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Pricing
Free
Freemium
Plans
$0
$1/GB + $0.001/min compute
$40/mo (2 concurrency)
$6/mo
Popularity
4 views
7.5k views
Skill Level
Intermediate
Intermediate
API Available
Platforms
WebCLIAPI
WebAPICLI
Categories
🚦 LLM Gateways & Model Routers
🌐 Web Scraping & Search APIs🖱️ Browser & Computer-Use Agents
Features
Task classification and routing (simple/agentic/judgment)
Multi-credential pool with round-robin across Pro, Max, API keys
Quota-aware failover before credential caps hit
Anomaly detection in sliding window (velocity, token explosion, repetition)
Hard budget caps per agent/tenant/day with block/downgrade/warn/alert actions
Auto-downgrade to cheaper model on budget threshold
Credential quarantine after 2 consecutive 401s
Live cost dashboard at localhost:4100
CLI watch subcommand 'relayplane watch' with real-time spend ticker
Per-agent cost tracking via system-prompt fingerprinting
Tamper-proof, exportable audit trail
Anthropic prompt-caching-aware accounting
Response cache (SHA-256 keyed, exact-match, gzipped disk)
Emergency kill endpoint (POST /admin/kill)
Rate limiting (per-model 1-minute sliding windows)
Scrape any website into markdown, JSON, or raw HTML
Full-site crawling at 100K+ pages/sec
10,000 core API requests per minute default
Web Search API: SERP + scraping + extraction in one call
/ai/search endpoint with relevance gate to skip irrelevant pages
Silk AI model: HTML-to-structured data and captcha solving on GPUs
Browser Cloud: full browser sessions over CDP
AI commands (Act, Extract, Observe) via WebSocket with AI Studio
Multiple output formats: HTML, raw, plain text, markdown, JSON, JSONL, CSV, XML
Stealth browser layer and Unblocker for anti-bot sites
Proxy pool with 215M+ residential and ISP IPs across 199+ countries
Robots.txt compliance on by default, disable per-request
data_connectors parameter: pipe results to S3, GCS, Google Sheets, Azure Blob, Supabase
extraction_schema parameter: AI output conforms to JSON schema
1,000+ ready-made scraper examples across 32 categories
Integrations
Anthropic
OpenAI
Google Gemini
xAI Grok
OpenRouter
DeepSeek
Groq
Mistral
Together
Fireworks
Perplexity
Claude Code
Cursor
Aider
OpenClaw
LangChain
LlamaIndex
CrewAI
FlowiseAI
AutoGen
Agno

What real users say: Proxy vs Spider Cloud

Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.

Proxy

105 mentions across 6 sources · 8% positive — critical

Hacker News, Product Hunt, App Store, Bluesky, Stack Overflow, Lemmy

What users praise

  • • Open-source MIT license allows full code transparency and customization.
  • • Local proxy adds zero latency overhead (~6ms) and no cloud dependency.
  • • Smart model routing cuts API costs by assigning cheaper models to simple tasks.
  • • Multi-credential pool avoids rate limits by round-robining across keys.

What frustrates them

  • • No community feedback available to verify claimed features or reliability.
  • • Telemetry on by default may conflict with local-first privacy expectations.
  • • Response cache is exact-match only, limiting benefit for varied prompts.
  • • Dashboard requires localhost access; no cloud monitoring option.

Researched Jul 6, 2026

Spider Cloud

41 mentions across 2 sources · 0% positive — critical

YouTube, Lemmy

What users praise

  • • Competitive pay-as-you-go pricing at $1/GB with no expiry.
  • • Default rate limit of 10,000 requests per minute is generous.
  • • Broad output formats (HTML, markdown, JSON, CSV) cover diverse needs.
  • • Integrated Web Search API bundles SERP and extraction for AI agents.

What frustrates them

  • • No community feedback to confirm reliability or performance.
  • • Self-reported metrics lack independent verification.
  • • Stealth browser success may vary across real sites.
  • • Potential legal risks from scraping; compliance is user's responsibility.

Researched Aug 26, 2026

Who should pick which

  • Solo founder
    Pick: Proxy

    Free and open-source, Proxy eliminates ongoing proxy costs while cutting LLM API bills. Easy setup with one env variable and live cost tracking help manage tight budgets.

  • AI agent developer needing web data
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's Rust engine provides fast, reliable crawling with AI extraction and Browser AI commands, perfect for feeding fresh web data into RAG pipelines or agent workflows.

  • Enterprise team using Claude Code
    Pick: Proxy

    Proxy's per-agent budget caps, anomaly detection, and multi-credential pools prevent runaway costs in team environments. No code changes needed.

  • RAG pipeline builder
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's structured output (markdown, JSON), data connectors to S3/GCS/Supabase, and 99.9% success rate make it ideal for ingesting web content into vector databases.

  • Cost-conscious non-technical user
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's cloud API requires no self-hosting, and its freemium tier lets you start free. While per-page costs apply, the managed service avoids operational overhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Proxy vs Spider Cloud: which should you choose?

If you're running AI coding agents like Claude Code and want to slash API costs while keeping full data control, Proxy is the clear choice — it's free, open-source, and actively adding cost-tracking features. If you need real-time web data for RAG or agent workflows, Spider Cloud's high-speed Rust crawling and AI extraction (including new Browser AI commands) are more relevant. The two tools solve different problems: Proxy optimizes LLM spend, Spider Cloud feeds agents with fresh external content.

Can I use Proxy with non-Anthropic models?

Yes, Proxy supports over 11 providers including OpenAI, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, and OpenRouter. The smart routing can direct tasks to cheaper models across these providers.

Does Spider Cloud offer a free trial?

Yes, Spider Cloud has a freemium model. The free tier likely includes a limited number of pages. Check their website for current limits.

Is Proxy difficult to set up?

No. Set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:4100 and start the proxy. It runs locally with <6ms latency. No code changes required.

Can Spider Cloud handle JavaScript-heavy websites?

Yes, Spider Cloud includes Browser Cloud with stealth anti-detection and Browser AI commands (Act, Extract, Observe) that can interact with dynamic pages via WebSocket.

Does Proxy support real-time cost tracking?

Yes. The live dashboard at localhost:4100 shows per-agent spend, model distribution, and cost guardrails. The CLI ticker (`relayplane watch`) provides terminal-based visibility.

What data output formats does Spider Cloud support?

It supports markdown, HTML, JSON, CSV, XML, and plain text. You can also capture screenshots and extract links.

Which tool is better for reducing LLM API costs?

Proxy is specifically designed to cut costs by routing tasks to cheaper models, applying budget caps, and auto-downgrading. It can reduce API spend by up to 80%.

Can both tools be used together?

Yes. You could use Proxy to optimize LLM API costs and Spider Cloud to fetch web data for RAG or agent context—they solve different problems and complement each other.

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Explore each tool further

Proxy
View Proxy reviewProxy alternatives
Spider Cloud
View Spider Cloud reviewSpider Cloud alternatives

Browse these categories

Best AI LLM Gateways & Model Routers toolsBest AI Web Scraping & Search APIs toolsBest AI Browser & Computer-Use Agents tools
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Last reviewed: July 3, 2026