Microlink alternative
The best Microlink alternatives
Microlink's metadata endpoint is one GET: api.microlink.io?url=… and you get a title, a description, an image and a logo. Here is when that is exactly right, when it isn't, and how each field maps if you move.
By Roger Campos · Last updated: September 2026
TL;DR
Microlink is hard to beat for cheap, CDN-cached link previews: one GET to api.microlink.io returns title, description, image and logo, and cache hits don't count. Look elsewhere when you need an AI summary, keywords or console errors, async delivery, a hosted MCP server, or a plan that keeps going past its quota — URLpipe covers those. For embeds from 1,900+ providers, Iframely.
Free plan, no credit card. 1,000 credits a month.
The endpoint
How Microlink's metadata endpoint works
Microlink is a GET API. You pass the page as a query parameter — https://api.microlink.io?url=https://example.com — and metadata is on by default. The response's data carries title, description, lang, author, publisher, date, url, and image and logo objects with their type and dimensions. Add screenshot=true, pdf=true, insights=true for a Lighthouse report, or data rules with CSS selectors for your own fields — all from the same request.
Because it is a GET, it fits places a POST doesn't: an <img src>, a browser fetch with no server, a CDN-cached URL shared by many visitors. Microlink serves cached responses from its edge and doesn't count them against your quota.
Why switch
Why people look for a Microlink alternative
- The free tier is daily. 25 requests a day with no card: enough to try it, tight for a batch job that runs once a night.
- It pauses at the quota. Microlink never bills overage; at the ceiling, requests stop until the next cycle or an upgrade. Predictable for the budget, awkward for a production feature.
- No AI on top. There is no summary or keyword endpoint, so a link card that also wants a two-line summary needs a second service.
- Synchronous only. No webhook or job token for a single URL — you hold the connection.
- Agents. Microlink's MCP server runs locally over npx, and its repository was archived in July 2026.
Field by field
Microlink's metadata fields, mapped to URLpipe
URLpipe's /meta is a POST that returns one flat JSON object. It reads the page's meta tags, JSON-LD and microdata with a model and reconciles them, which is why it costs 5 credits rather than 1. The fields line up like this:
| Microlink data.* | URLpipe /meta | Note |
|---|---|---|
| title | title | |
| description | description | |
| lang | language | ISO 639-1 |
| author | author_name | Plus additional_author_information (handles, email) |
| date | publication_date | URLpipe returns the first publication date |
| image.url | main_image_url | URLpipe returns no image dimensions |
| logo.url | favicon_url | Close, not identical: a favicon rather than a logo |
| publisher | — | No equivalent |
| url | — | No canonical URL field |
| — | feed_url | RSS or Atom feed, when the page declares one |
curl "https://api.microlink.io?url=https://example.com/post"curl -X POST https://urlpipe.dev/meta \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $URLPIPE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com/post", "sync": true}'{
"title": "Example Domain",
"description": "Illustrative examples in documents.",
"language": "en",
"main_image_url": "https://example.com/cover.jpg",
"favicon_url": "https://example.com/favicon.ico",
"author_name": "Jane Doe",
"feed_url": "https://example.com/feed.xml",
"publication_date": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
"additional_author_information": { "twitter": "@janedoe" }
}Check what a page's tags look like before you write any code:
Beyond metadata
Screenshots, Markdown and one page visit
Microlink bundles outputs as flags on one request. URLpipe's equivalent is /scrape: name the operations and they all come off one page visit, each billed as usual. Its screenshots are full page by default, in PNG, JPEG or WebP, with one element by selector, dark mode, hidden selectors or injected CSS — the same 1 credit whichever you use — and come with a link that needs no key for 30 days.
curl -X POST https://urlpipe.dev/scrape \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $URLPIPE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"url": "https://example.com",
"operations": ["markdown", "meta", "screenshot"],
"report_to": "https://your-app.com/webhooks/urlpipe"
}'Cost
What each costs for link previews
For metadata alone, Microlink is cheaper per call, and it's worth saying plainly. Its Pro plan is 46,000 requests for $49. URLpipe's Pro plan at $49 buys 11,000 metadata calls, because each one runs a model. Where URLpipe comes out ahead is repeat traffic — a cache hit is free on both — the rest of the page (Markdown, summaries, console errors) and never stopping: past its allowance a paid plan carries on at $1.50 per 1,000 credits.
Side by side
URLpipe and Microlink, feature by feature
| Capability | URLpipe | Microlink |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Markdown from a URL | Yes | Yes |
| Renders JavaScript (real browser) | Yes | Yes |
| Rendered HTML | Yes | Yes |
| Screenshots | Yes | Yes |
| Full-page screenshots | Yes | Yes |
| Element, dark-mode and hidden-selector screenshots | Yes | — |
| Metadata / Open Graph | Yes | Yes |
| AI summary | Yes | — |
| Keyword extraction endpoint | Yes | — |
| Lighthouse audits | Yes | Yes |
| JavaScript console capture | Yes | Partial |
| Several outputs from one page visit | /scrape | Yes |
| Whole-site crawling | No | — |
| Schema-based structured extraction | No | CSS selector rules |
| PDF input or output | No | Output |
| MCP server | Hosted | Local (npx), archived |
| Async + webhook for a single URL | Yes | — |
| Idempotency key on retries | Yes | — |
| Your own labels on requests, usage by label | Yes | — |
| Cached results cost nothing | Yes | Yes |
| Residential-IP fetching | One exit, +25 credits/visit | — |
| Official SDKs | No | JavaScript |
| Self-hostable | No | metascraper (MIT) |
| Free tier | 1,000 credits/mo | 25 requests/day |
| EU processing, AI included | Yes | — |
Microlink: checked against microlink.io/pricing, microlink.io/docs/api/parameters/meta, microlink.io/docs/api/parameters/insights, microlink.io/docs/guides/content-conversion/url-to-markdown, microlink.io/integrations/mcp on September 24, 2026. Products change — confirm on each vendor's site before you decide.
Pricing
What each one costs
| URLpipe | Microlink | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | $0 — 1,000 credits/mo, no card | $0 — 25 requests/day, no card |
| Entry paid plan | Starter $19/mo — 20,000 credits | Pro $49/mo — 46,000 requests |
| Mid plan | Pro $49/mo — 55,000 credits | — |
| Billing unit | Credits per call: Markdown, HTML, screenshot or console 1, Lighthouse 2, metadata 5 | Requests |
| Overage | Paid plans never cut off — $1.50 per 1,000 credits | Paused until the next cycle; no overage fees |
| Cache hits | Free, up to 30 days old | Free |
Microlink's free tier resets daily; URLpipe's 1,000 credits a month resets on the 1st and buys 200 metadata calls or 1,000 screenshots. Cache hits are free on both.
Who it's for
An honest recommendation
Choose URLpipe if…
- You want a summary, keywords, Markdown or console errors next to the metadata
- A production feature can't pause at a quota — overage is fine
- You want async delivery to a signed webhook, and idempotency keys on retries
- Your agent should unfurl links over a hosted MCP server
- You need AI processing kept in the EU
Choose Microlink if…
- You need the cheapest possible metadata at volume
- You want a GET URL you can drop into an img tag or call from a browser
- You want image and logo dimensions, or the publisher field
- You'd rather requests pause than ever see an overage line
- You want a Lighthouse report and tech detection bundled with the preview
Keep comparing
More on Microlink and its category
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is URLpipe a good Microlink alternative?
What is the Microlink API metadata URL endpoint?
Does Microlink have a free plan?
Why does URLpipe's /meta cost more than a page fetch?
Can I get a screenshot and metadata in one call?
Try URLpipe on the free plan.
1,000 credits a month, no card. Confirm your email and your key is live — most people make their first request inside five minutes.