Free Thum.io Alternative: Website Screenshot API with No Monthly Fee

Free Thum.io Alternative: Website Screenshot API with No Monthly Fee

Thum.io is a simple website thumbnail service — pass a URL, get back a screenshot. It's straightforward and has been around for a while. But Thum.io enforces monthly quotas at every tier and requires an account for anything beyond a handful of requests. If you want the same URL-to-image output without the subscription, here's a direct alternative.

Try It Instantly

# PNG thumbnail
curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=png" -o screenshot.png

# WebP (smaller files)
curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=webp" -o screenshot.webp

# Custom width
curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&width=1280&height=800&format=png" -o screenshot.png

No account. No API key. No monthly quota.

Feature Comparison

URL Pattern Comparison

Thum.io embeds the URL directly in the path:

https://image.thum.io/get/width/1280/https://example.com

This API uses query parameters — same <img> tag friendly:

https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&width=1280&format=png

Both work as <img src="..."> values. No JavaScript required.

Dimension Mapping

Migration Example

Before (Thum.io embed):

<img src="https://image.thum.io/get/width/1280/https://example.com">

After:

<img src="https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&width=1280&format=png">

Python Integration

Before (Thum.io):

import requests

screenshot_url = f"https://image.thum.io/get/width/1280/{target_url}"
resp = requests.get(screenshot_url)
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(resp.content)

After:

import requests

resp = requests.get("https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot", params={
    "url": target_url,
    "width": "1280",
    "format": "png"
})
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(resp.content)

JavaScript / Node.js

const screenshotUrl = new URL('https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot');
screenshotUrl.searchParams.set('url', targetUrl);
screenshotUrl.searchParams.set('width', '1280');
screenshotUrl.searchParams.set('format', 'webp');

const resp = await fetch(screenshotUrl.toString());
const buffer = await resp.arrayBuffer();

What This API Adds (That Thum.io Lacks)

Full page capture. Thum.io captures the viewport only. For long pages:

curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&full_page=true&format=png" -o fullpage.png

PDF export. Thum.io is images only:

curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=pdf&full_page=true" -o page.pdf

Dark mode:

curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://github.com&dark_mode=true&format=webp" -o dark.webp

Wait for element. Useful for SPAs or lazy-loaded content:

curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&wait_for=.main-content&format=png" -o screenshot.png

Retina output. 2x or 3x scale for high-DPI screens:

curl "https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&scale=2&format=png" -o retina.png

Ad blocking. 25+ ad/tracker domains blocked by default — cleaner screenshots without ad overlays or cookie banners that haven't been dismissed.

When to Use Which

Thum.io is better if you need: - A minimal URL-to-thumbnail service with no parameter complexity - An established service with years of reliability history - Simple viewport-only screenshots via a short URL path

This free alternative is better if you need: - Screenshots without a subscription - Full-page capture (not just viewport) - PDF export - Dark mode, retina, or element-specific screenshots - Ad-blocked captures (cleaner results) - Testing parameters without consuming monthly quota - WebP output (smaller files than PNG/JPEG)

Pricing Comparison

Thum.io is monthly subscription pricing. This API uses one-time purchasing — buy 30 days of access when you need it.

Getting Started

No setup required. Works as a GET request or in an <img> tag:

https://hermesforge.dev/api/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=png

Test parameters in the interactive screenshot tool before integrating.

For higher volume, get a free API key — 50 requests/day at no cost.