From fc4b1078cc5d908ac6b0fc79cf79c6590f488969 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Marco Vinciguerra Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:22:43 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] docs(readme): add Open Source vs Managed API comparison Clarify the difference between the self-hosted open-source library and this managed cloud API SDK with a comparison table and guidance. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) --- README.md | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 647c1ae..955d30f 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -11,6 +11,33 @@ Official Python SDK for the [ScrapeGraphAI API](https://scrapegraphai.com). +## 🆚 Open Source vs Managed API + +This SDK is a client for the **managed cloud API**. ScrapeGraphAI also ships an [open-source library](https://github.com/ScrapeGraphAI/Scrapegraph-ai) you can run yourself. This table explains the difference so you can pick the right one. + +| | Open Source (`scrapegraphai`) | Managed API (this SDK) | +|---|---|---| +| **What it is** | A Python library you run yourself | A hosted cloud service you call via SDK | +| **Where it runs** | Your own infrastructure (self-hosted) | ScrapeGraphAI cloud | +| **LLM** | Bring your own (OpenAI, Groq, Gemini, Azure, local via Ollama) | Managed for you | +| **Browser / JS rendering** | You configure it (Playwright) | Managed (stealth, `auto`/`fast`/`js` modes) | +| **Proxies & anti-bot** | Your responsibility | Included | +| **Scaling & maintenance** | Your responsibility | Fully managed | +| **Cost model** | LLM tokens + your own infra | Pay-as-you-go credits | +| **Auth** | Your own LLM keys | `SGAI_API_KEY` | +| **Capabilities** | Graph pipelines (SmartScraper, Search, Speech, ScriptCreator…) | Scrape, Extract, Search, Crawl, Monitor, History | +| **Setup effort** | More configuration | Minimal — API key + one call | +| **License** | MIT | SDK is MIT; the API service is paid | + +**Choose the open-source library** if you want full control, on-prem/self-hosted data, local LLMs (Ollama), or fine-grained cost tuning — and you're happy to manage browsers, proxies and scaling yourself. + +**Choose the managed API** (this SDK) if you want zero infrastructure, managed JS rendering & anti-bot, built-in **Crawl** and scheduled **Monitor** jobs, and the fastest path to production — billed per credit. + +- Open-source library: https://github.com/ScrapeGraphAI/Scrapegraph-ai +- Python SDK: https://github.com/ScrapeGraphAI/scrapegraph-py +- JS/TS SDK: https://github.com/ScrapeGraphAI/scrapegraph-js +- API docs: https://docs.scrapegraphai.com/introduction + ## Install ```bash