# What can you build with a web reader API?

> What teams build with a web reader API: fetch tools for AI agents, RAG ingestion, page change monitoring and website-to-Markdown exports. From $0.07/1K pages.

- URL: https://webreaderapi.com/use-cases/
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: WebReaderAPI (https://webreaderapi.com)

Four jobs account for most of what people do with clean page text: give an agent a way to read, feed a knowledge base, watch pages for changes, and move a site's content into Markdown. Each has its own page with code and costs.

**Quick answer — What is a web reader API used for?**

Teams use a web reader API to give AI agents a fetch tool, to ingest sites into RAG indexes, to monitor public pages for changes, and to convert their own websites to Markdown. **WebReaderAPI** covers all four with one key: `/read` for a page, `/batch` for a list, `/crawl` for a site, at one credit per page from $0.07/1K pages as of October 2026. No KYC; pay in crypto.

## Which use case is yours?

- **[AI agents](https://webreaderapi.com/use-cases/ai-agents/)** — A read_url tool for Claude, Cursor, OpenClaw, n8n or your own agent, with a length cap per page.
- **[RAG ingestion](https://webreaderapi.com/use-cases/rag/)** — Crawl documentation and blogs into Markdown chunks that keep their headings and source URL.
- **[Change monitoring](https://webreaderapi.com/use-cases/monitoring/)** — Read pricing pages, policies and changelogs on a schedule and get the differences as text.
- **[Website to Markdown](https://webreaderapi.com/use-cases/website-to-markdown/)** — Export your own site to Markdown files for a migration, a backup or your own assistant.
- **[PDFs](https://webreaderapi.com/pdf-to-markdown-api/)** — Reports, papers and manuals from a link, converted to Markdown text.
- **[llms.txt](https://webreaderapi.com/guides/llms-txt-generator/)** — Build an llms.txt file for your own site from a crawl, with one line per page.

## Which endpoint and how many pages does each use case need?

Typical volumes for a small team, to size a first pack. One credit per page, two when the page needs a browser.

| Use case | Endpoint | Typical pages per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Agent that reads 5 pages per task, 100 tasks a day | `/read` | About 15,000 |
| RAG index of 3 documentation sites, refreshed weekly | `/crawl`, then `/batch` | 6,000 to build, a few hundred a week after |
| Watching 200 competitor and policy pages daily | `/batch` | About 6,000 |
| Exporting a 2,000-page site once | `/crawl` | 2,000, one time |

## Which problem do these four jobs share?

They all need the readable part of a page, not its layout. An agent wastes tokens on menus; an index ranks boilerplate; a change monitor raises false alarms when an ad rotates; a migration copies cookie banners into the new site. Main-content extraction fixes the same problem in each case.

They also share the same limits. Pages behind a login or a paywall are out of reach, and sites that refuse robots are skipped and not charged. We respect robots.txt: our crawler identifies itself as WebReaderAPI, follows the rules written for it or for all robots, and does not read a page that a site disallows. Refused pages are not charged.

## How do I choose between /read, /batch and /crawl?

Use the smallest tool that does the job.

- **`/read`** returns one page synchronously. It suits agents, which decide page by page what to read next.
- **`/batch`** reads up to 100 URLs you already know, as a background job. It suits monitoring lists and refreshes.
- **`/crawl`** discovers and reads a whole site from a start URL, up to 10,000 pages, following its sitemap and robots.txt. It suits first builds and exports.

All three take the same options, such as `format`, `main_content`, `render` and `max_chars`, and bill the same way.

## What will a first project cost?

Most first projects fit in one small pack. A prototype agent, a single documentation index or a monitoring list of a few hundred pages uses a few thousand to fifteen thousand credits a month. 10,000 pages cost $3.75 and 50,000 pages cost $14.25, as of October 2026.

Credits never expire, so buying the larger pack for a project that may grow costs nothing extra in a quiet month. Failed pages and pages refused by robots.txt are free.

## Packs for a first project

Start small; credits carry over with no end date. 1 credit = 1 page read without a browser; 2 credits when the page needs a browser to render JavaScript. A request that fails, or that a site's robots.txt refuses, is not charged.

| Plan | Quantity | Price | Price per unit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Test | 10,000 pages | $3.75 | $0.38/1K pages |
| Starter | 50,000 pages | $14.25 | $0.28/1K pages |
| Build | 100,000 pages | $21.75 | $0.22/1K pages |

In every plan: Main-content extraction · JavaScript rendering when needed · Failed and refused pages not charged · Credits never expire

**Before you pay**

- Minimum top-up $25. Top up once in crypto, then buy any plan from your balance.
- Your balance has no end date and can buy page credits at any time. If a pack costs less than the minimum top-up, the amount you added only to reach that minimum can be sent back on request within 30 days of the payment, in USDT or USDC, as long as you have not spent it. Any other balance is not refunded unless the law says otherwise.
- Credited once your payment is checked on the blockchain. Typical network confirmation time: BTC ≈ 20 min · USDT TRC-20 ≈ 1 min · USDT ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · USDC ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · ETH ≈ 5 min · SOL ≈ 1 min · LTC ≈ 15 min

## Use cases: common questions

### Can I use one key for several projects?

Yes, or create one key per project so you can see usage separately and revoke one without touching the others. Create several API keys, for example one per agent or project, and revoke any of them from your dashboard.

### Which use case needs JavaScript rendering?

Any that reads modern web apps, single-page documentation sites or pages that load content after the first response. With `render=auto`, the API renders only when the raw HTML holds too little text.

### Is there a use case WebReaderAPI is not for?

Yes: collecting personal data about private people, reading content behind a login or a paywall, and anything that requires getting around a site's refusal. Our [Acceptable Use Policy](https://webreaderapi.com/acceptable-use/) lists the rules.

### Do I need an ID to start?

No. WebReaderAPI asks for no ID, no selfie and no documents. A top-up starts at $25, in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC.

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WebReaderAPI: WebReaderAPI is a web reader API for AI agents that turns any public web page into clean Markdown, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid credits from $0.07/1K pages never expire, and robots.txt is respected. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.