BoltShot is a website screenshot API that turns any URL into a high-quality image or PDF (PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF) via a single HTTP request, designed for developers who need reliable, fast captures without managing headless browsers.
What is BoltShot?
BoltShot is a cloud-based screenshot API that accepts a URL and optional parameters (format, device, viewport, CSS selector, caching options, etc.) and returns a screenshot rendered in a headless browser. It supports full-page capture, device emulation (mobile, tablet, desktop presets), and element-level targeting using CSS selectors, making it a drop-in replacement for self-hosted Puppeteer or Selenium setups. The service is operated by BoltShot (no parent company stated), with documentation at docs.boltshot.dev and a free tier available at boltshot.dev/signup.
Key Features
- Multiple output formats — Capture as PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF with customizable quality settings.
- Full-page & element capture — Automatically scroll to capture entire pages or use CSS selectors to render only a specific
<div> or section.
- Device emulation & custom viewports — Use presets (e.g.
iphone-16) or set exact width/height for responsive testing.
- Clean screenshot filters — Block ads, remove cookie banners, and suppress overlays/popups automatically per request.
- Smart caching & S3 storage — Built-in cache with configurable TTL (e.g. 3600 seconds) and direct upload to your S3-compatible storage with a returned URL (response times <100ms via CDN).
- Advanced request options — Set custom user agents, geolocation coordinates, custom HTTP headers, and enable stealth mode to mimic real browser behavior.
- API-first integration — Works with any language via REST (examples for JavaScript, Python, curl, PHP) and returns the screenshot blob or a storage URL.
Who is it for?
- Developers replacing self-managed Puppeteer/Selenium clusters — BoltShot handles headless Chrome scaling and uptime, with claims of 99.9% success rate.
- QA engineers — Automate visual regression testing across multiple device viewports without maintaining browser infrastructure.
- Marketers & content creators — Generate clean product previews or social share images for e-commerce pages, documentation, or tutorials.
- Archivists & compliance teams — Capture full-page screenshots of web content for historical records, audits, or regulatory compliance.
What can you do with BoltShot?
- E-commerce previews — Automatically generate product screenshots in consistent viewports for listing pages, removing cookie banners and ads.
- Web archiving — Capture entire pages (including below-the-fold content) in PNG or PDF for preservation.
- Automated reporting — Schedule API calls to produce visual dashboards or website snapshots for stakeholder reports.
- Visual regression testing — Compare screenshots of the same URL across different devices and cache settings to catch layout changes.
How does BoltShot work?
- Send a GET request to
https://api.boltshot.dev/capture with the target URL and your API key.
- Pass optional parameters like
format, device, fullPage, cacheEnabled, or requestStorageEnabled.
- The API renders the page in a headless browser, applies any filters (ad blocking, cookie removal), and returns the screenshot as a downloadable blob or stores it to your S3 bucket with a CDN-backed URL.
Pricing
BoltShot offers a freemium model: a Free plan ($0/month) with 100 screenshots/month, Starter ($9/month, 2,000 screenshots), Pro ($29/month, 10,000 screenshots), and Ultimate ($89/month, 50,000 screenshots). All plans include the full feature set (clean captures, caching, S3 upload, stealth mode, etc.). Annual billing provides two months off. Custom plans are available by contacting sales.
FAQ
