Question 1

What is Piloterr?

Accepted Answer

Piloterr is a web scraping API platform built for production data pipelines. Send a URL or call one of 500 ready-made endpoints and get structured JSON, Markdown, or plain text back, with proxy rotation, hyper-stealth Chrome, anti-bot bypass, and CAPTCHA solving handled server-side. You integrate via REST or OpenAPI, monitor usage in the dashboard, and pay only for successful requests. No proxy lists, browser fleets, or CAPTCHA solver keys to maintain.

Question 2

What can I scrape with Piloterr?

Accepted Answer

Use dedicated library endpoints for SERP, e-commerce, social, finance, real estate, travel, and hundreds of other targets, or the universal scrape API for any public URL. Typical use cases include price monitoring, SERP tracking, lead enrichment, market intelligence, and LLM/RAG ingestion. Browse the API library to see schemas per endpoint, or start with featured collections like Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, and Walmart.

Question 3

Do I need to manage proxies or browsers?

Accepted Answer

No. Piloterr runs on its own private infrastructure, datacenter and mobile IP pools operated in-house, plus a patched Chromium stack. Every API call includes routing, IP rotation, health checks, geo-targeting, JavaScript rendering, and bypass logic, you send URLs and parameters, not proxy credentials or Selenium drivers.

Question 4

How does JavaScript rendering work?

Accepted Answer

Piloterr runs hyper-stealth Chromium, not stock headless Chrome, with 100+ engine-level patches (Navigator, WebGL, Canvas, CDP, TLS coherence). Dynamic sites (React, Vue, SPAs) are rendered before extraction. You can wait for selectors, run multi-step flows, capture screenshots, and persist cookies across requests. JavaScript rendering uses 2 credits per successful call; failed requests are not billed.

Question 5

What is AI Web Unblocker (WebUnlocker)?

Accepted Answer

Enable anti-bot bypass mode on any Piloterr API request and the platform handles vendor detection, TLS fingerprinting, stealth Chrome, challenge solving, and retries automatically, no proxy URLs or custom headers required. It supports Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai, PerimeterX, Kasada, Imperva, and similar protections. WebUnlocker requests use 3 credits per successful call; failed bypass attempts are not billed.

Question 6

Can I use WebUnlocker or Rendering on any website?

Accepted Answer

WebUnlocker and Rendering work with an allowlist of supported domains. They are not restricted to the 500 APIs in our library, but a domain must first be enabled.

A 403 Forbidden response means the requested domain is not yet supported. Open a support ticket from your Piloterr dashboard to request its activation.

Question 7

Which anti-bot and WAF systems do you bypass?

Accepted Answer

Enterprise protections including Cloudflare WAF, Turnstile, and Bot Fight Mode; DataDome; PerimeterX; Kasada; Shape Security; Akamai Bot Manager; Imperva Incapsula; and custom ModSecurity rules. Vendor-specific technical guides are available at /products/bypass. When a protection layer changes, Piloterr retries with alternate strategies, session rotation, fingerprint refresh, or browser escalation, without you writing retry logic.

Question 8

Do you solve CAPTCHAs automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha, FunCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile, GeeTest, and image CAPTCHAs are solved inside the scraping pipeline using stealth Chrome, no third-party solver keys or browser extensions. Valid tokens can be cached within a session to reduce latency on multi-page flows. Failed solves are retried automatically and are not billed if all attempts fail.

Question 9

What output formats do you support?

Accepted Answer

Structured JSON from dedicated endpoints with predictable schemas; LLM-ready Markdown and plain text for RAG pipelines; raw HTML when you need full page content; and validated field extraction via CSS/XPath selectors on the universal scrape API. Pagination traversal, deduplication, and schema validation are built in so downstream analytics and AI workflows stay reliable.

Question 10

When should I use Scraper APIs vs Headless Browser?

Accepted Answer

Use library endpoints or the universal scrape API when a dedicated schema already exists or when standard HTTP + optional JS rendering is enough, 1 credit for standard requests, 2 with JavaScript rendering. Use Headless Browser when you need full browser automation: multi-step authenticated flows, screenshots, session persistence, or sites that require human-like interaction patterns. Both products share the same proxy pools, bypass stack, and billing model.

Question 11

Do you only charge for successful requests?

Accepted Answer

Credits apply to successful requests: HTTP 200 for synchronous calls, 201 for async jobs, and 404 when the resource is not found. Some library endpoints do not bill 404, look for the badge on the endpoint page. Client errors (400, 401, 402, 403) and platform errors (5xx/6xx) are not billed. Failed bypass attempts after retries and unsuccessful CAPTCHA solves are not billed either. Standard API calls use 1 credit, JavaScript rendering uses 2, and WebUnlocker uses 3. See https://docs.piloterr.com for the full status-code and credit rules.

Question 12

How frequently are new APIs added? Can I suggest new ones?

Accepted Answer

We regularly ship new endpoints based on customer demand and emerging targets. Request a custom API from the dashboard or contact support@piloterr.com with the site, fields, and volume you need. Solution engineering can deliver library endpoints, schema-validated extraction, and target-specific routing for domains not yet in the 500 catalog. We cannot build every website for legal, technical, or maintenance reasons, but we prioritize additions where demand and feasibility align.

Question 13

Can I request custom API endpoints?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Contact our data team at hello@piloterr.com or use the dashboard to describe your targets, data schema, and expected volume. We deliver custom library endpoints, validated JSON schemas, and routing tuned to your use case, from mid-market teams on self-serve plans through Enterprise deployments with dedicated account management.

Question 14

How can I access private APIs?

Accepted Answer

A "Forbidden" response means that the API is currently private and not yet available for public production use. Piloterr may already have the technical capability to collect data from the target website, but the parsing layer, response structure, and related unit tests may still need to be completed.

Private API pages remain visible for discoverability and SEO, and to show the websites we are technically able to support. If you have a specific use case, target fields, and expected volume, contact our team. We may be able to prioritize and productionize the API quickly based on your requirements.

Question 15

How do credits work?

Accepted Answer

Each successful API request consumes credits based on the mode you use: 1 credit for a standard API call, 2 credits when JavaScript rendering is enabled, and 3 credits when WebUnlocker (advanced anti-bot bypass) is active. Your plan includes a monthly API quota (subscription allowance) that resets each billing period. One-time top-ups add extra API capacity that persists until consumed—they do not reset monthly. Extra credits are a separate balance used only after your API quota is exhausted. Display prices on /pricing show the equivalent cost per 1,000 successful requests. Full details are in our documentation at https://docs.piloterr.com.

Question 16

What is the difference between API quota, top-ups, and extra credits?

Accepted Answer

Piloterr uses two separate balances:

API quota combines your monthly subscription allowance (renewed each billing period) and any remaining one-time top-ups. Subscription quota resets each period; top-ups are purchased once and consumed over time—they do not reset monthly. In the dashboard sidebar, Total is your combined remaining capacity; Subscription is the monthly plan portion; Top-ups is the consumable one-time portion. API calls consume subscription quota first, then top-ups. Example: Premium 18,000/month + a Small top-up of 18,000 gives 18,000 per month plus 18,000 total top-up capacity. If you use 25,000 in month one, 7,000 top-up remains for later months when subscription resets.

Extra credits are a separate balance, shown only when you have some. They are used only after your API quota (subscription + top-ups) is fully exhausted. They do not reset each month. You can get them from onboarding rewards or manual extra-credit purchases.

A 402 error means your API quota is exhausted and you have no extra credits left, until your subscription renews or you add capacity.

Question 17

Not sure which option you need? Compare Crawler, Rendering, and WebUnlocker.

Accepted Answer

Piloterr offers three website request modes billed at 1, 2, or 3 credits. Use Crawler for static HTML and APIs (fastest, lowest cost), Rendering for JavaScript-heavy pages that need DOM-aware waits, and WebUnlocker for enterprise anti-bot systems on allowlisted domains (Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, Akamai). Read our guide for a full comparison, decision matrix, and documentation links: /blog/website-crawler-vs-rendering-vs-webunlocker

Question 18

How are API calls calculated?

Accepted Answer

Credits apply to successful requests: HTTP 200, 201, and 404 when the resource is not found. Some endpoints do not bill 404, indicated by a badge on the endpoint page in the API library. Client errors (400, 401, 402, 403) and platform errors (5xx/6xx) are not billed. Failed bypass attempts after retries and unsuccessful CAPTCHA solves are not billed either. Your dashboard shows credit consumption by endpoint, status codes, and latency. Full rules are in our documentation at https://docs.piloterr.com.

Question 19

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sign up and receive +500 credits with no credit card required. Test library endpoints, JavaScript rendering, and WebUnlocker on your real targets before choosing a paid plan. When you subscribe, plan changes take effect immediately from the dashboard.

Question 20

Can I upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Active plans can be upgraded, downgraded, or cancelled at any time from the dashboard. Changes are immediate. When changing plans, remaining unused credits from your current plan are applied from your next invoice amount according to your billing terms.

Question 21

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

You may cancel your plan at any time from your dashboard or by contacting support@piloterr.com. Your subscription will not renew at the end of the current billing period, and access continues until then. Refund requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis at our sole discretion, as set out in our Terms of Service. Contact support@piloterr.com if you need help.

Question 22

Do unused credits roll over to the next month?

Accepted Answer

Your monthly subscription allowance resets each billing period—unused subscription quota does not roll over. One-time API top-ups are different: they persist until fully consumed, even across billing periods. Extra credits do not reset monthly either. Plan your volume accordingly or add a top-up if you need more capacity mid-cycle.

Question 23

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept major credit cards on self-serve plans. Enterprise and Custom customers can use invoicing, annual agreements, and procurement-friendly billing. Payment method logos are shown on the pricing page.

Question 24

How do I avoid wasting credits?

Accepted Answer

Cache results on your side when data will not change between calls (e.g. static product pages vs live auction listings). Use library endpoints instead of universal scrape when a dedicated schema exists, they are optimized for cost and reliability. Enable JavaScript rendering or WebUnlocker only when the target requires it. Monitor the dashboard to spot retry loops or redundant calls.

Question 25

My API calls return 402: what should I do?

Accepted Answer

A 402 response means your API quota is exhausted and you have no extra credits left. This response is not billed. Purchase a top-up or upgrade your plan from the billing section in the dashboard, then retry the same request with your API key.

Question 26

I keep getting 500 errors. Should I retry?

Accepted Answer

Yes, retry with exponential backoff (e.g. wait 1s, 2s, 4s). Transient platform or target errors often resolve on retry. 5xx responses are not billed. If errors persist, check the status page, contact support@piloterr.com with request IDs from your dashboard logs, or open a ticket, we typically respond within one business day.

Question 27

How do I get started with the API?

Accepted Answer

Create an account at app.piloterr.com, copy your API key, and send it as the x-api-key header on each request. Store the key in an environment variable, never expose it in client-side code or public repositories. Use the OpenAPI reference at https://docs.piloterr.com for parameters, the API library for ready-made endpoints with copy-paste examples (Python, Node.js, curl), and the live playground to test calls before writing code.

Question 28

Where should I store my API key?

Accepted Answer

In a server-side environment variable or secrets manager, sent as x-api-key on each HTTP request. Never embed API keys in browser JavaScript, mobile apps distributed to users, or public Git repositories. Rotate keys from the dashboard if a key is ever exposed.

Question 29

Can I use n8n, Make, or Zapier?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Ready-made automation templates connect Piloterr to n8n, Make, and Zapier so you can trigger scrapes and route structured JSON into CRMs, spreadsheets, and alerting tools without writing glue code. Browse templates at /templates or start from the integrations page at /integrations.

Question 30

Can I use Piloterr with LangChain, LlamaIndex, or LLM pipelines?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Structured JSON and LLM-ready Markdown output are designed for RAG and agent workflows. Use library endpoints for predictable schemas or the universal scrape API with Markdown output for page-level ingestion. Combine with your vector store and orchestration layer of choice via standard REST calls.

Question 31

Do you offer SDKs or OpenAPI documentation?

Accepted Answer

Full REST API documentation with OpenAPI spec lives at https://docs.piloterr.com. Copy-paste examples are provided per endpoint in the API library. Because the API is standard HTTP + JSON, you can integrate from any language without a proprietary SDK.

Question 32

Do you offer technical support?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All plans include email support; higher tiers add chat and priority response. Enterprise and Custom plans include a dedicated account manager. Reach us at support@piloterr.com, via in-app chat, or on Discord, we aim to respond within one business day. For custom endpoints, volume planning, or procurement, contact hello@piloterr.com.

Question 33

Are Piloterr solutions secured and GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

We have implemented industry-standard security measures to ensure the safety of your data. Our platform uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect your API requests. We follow GDPR-conscious data handling practices and are aligned with CCPA compliance standards where applicable. Enterprise customers can request security questionnaires and discuss data retention, access controls, and routing isolation for regulated use cases.

Question 34

What uptime and SLAs do you offer?

Accepted Answer

The platform targets 99.9% uptime with proactive monitoring. Enterprise and Custom plans include a 99.9% platform uptime SLA. Deep Testing runs hourly and daily against Scraper APIs, proxy pools, and routing paths, we watch targets continuously and publish results on our public status page so issues surface before your pipelines do.

Question 35

Who is Piloterr Enterprise for?

Accepted Answer

Teams that need committed credit volume, invoicing, annual agreements, multi-user workspace access, custom endpoints, dedicated account management, or vendor security reviews. Many customers start on self-serve plans and move to Enterprise when volume, SLAs, or procurement requirements increase. See /enterprise and /pricing for plan details.

Question 36

Do I need to buy proxy bandwidth separately?

Accepted Answer

No. Routing over Piloterr's private infrastructure is included in API credits, you pay per successful request, not per GB transferred. Geo-targeting, rotation, and health checks are part of every call on Scraper APIs, Headless Browser, and Web Unblocker.

Question 37

What company sizes does Piloterr typically work with?

Accepted Answer

We support fast-growing mid-market teams through global enterprises. Many customers start on self-serve plans and move to Enterprise or Custom when volume, SLAs, or procurement requirements increase.

Question 38

Can we start without a sales call?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Teams can register, receive +500 credits, and integrate via REST API or OpenAPI docs. Enterprise engagements add account management when you need custom volume, invoicing, or infrastructure.

Question 39

Do you offer SLAs and uptime commitments?

Accepted Answer

Enterprise and Custom plans include a 99.9% platform uptime SLA. Deep Testing runs hourly and daily against Scraper APIs and platform routing, we monitor targets continuously so issues surface before your pipelines do.

Question 40

Can Piloterr build custom endpoints for our targets?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Solution engineering can deliver library endpoints, schema-validated extraction, and target-specific routing for domains not covered by the 500 API catalog.

Question 41

How does billing work for large teams?

Accepted Answer

Committed monthly API quota with transparent per-success pricing. Enterprise customers can use invoicing, annual agreements, and multi-user workspace access on Corporate tiers.

Question 42

What about security reviews and data handling?

Accepted Answer

We assist with vendor security questionnaires. Piloterr operates owned datacenter infrastructure and can discuss data retention, access controls, and routing isolation for regulated use cases.

Question 43

How quickly can we integrate Piloterr?

Accepted Answer

Most teams can start testing within minutes using our REST APIs and documentation. For larger deployments, our team can support onboarding, architecture reviews, and production rollout.

Question 44

Can Piloterr replace our existing in-house scrapers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Piloterr can replace or complement internal scraping infrastructure, allowing your engineering teams to spend less time maintaining scrapers, handling anti-bot changes, and fixing broken data pipelines.

Question 45

How fresh is the data returned by Piloterr?

Accepted Answer

Piloterr collects data on demand directly from the source. This means you receive current web data in real time rather than relying on outdated or pre-built datasets.

Question 46

Can Piloterr handle sudden increases in request volume?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Piloterr is designed for high-volume production workloads and can scale from initial testing to millions of requests, with custom capacity planning available for enterprise teams.

Question 47

What support is included for enterprise customers?

Accepted Answer

Enterprise customers can receive priority support, technical onboarding, implementation guidance, usage monitoring, and direct assistance from our data and engineering teams.

Question 48

Can we communicate directly with the Piloterr team?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enterprise customers can benefit from a dedicated shared Slack channel or Discord channel for direct communication with our technical and customer success teams throughout the collaboration.

Question 49

How resilient is Piloterr's infrastructure?

Accepted Answer

Piloterr controls most of its infrastructure and operational processes rather than relying entirely on third-party providers. This helps reduce external points of failure and gives us greater control over service continuity, performance, and production capacity.

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