unfurlr vs linkpreview.net
linkpreview.net has run since 2014 and returns a simple title/description/image/url object. unfurlr returns a fuller object and has a larger commercial-use free tier, but it's brand new.
| unfurlr | linkpreview.net | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 500 requests/month, 10/min | 60 requests/hour, personal use only |
| Commercial use | Allowed on the free tier | Pro plan, $25/month (1,000 requests/hour) |
| Other plans | None yet | Basic $8/month (personal), Enterprise $119/month |
| Response | Title, description, images, favicon, large icon, site name, canonical, language, raw OG/Twitter tags, oEmbed, field sources | title, description, image, url (more fields on paid plans) |
| Batch | 10 URLs per call | Not compared |
| robots.txt | Not applied to single, keyed, user-triggered previews (like Slack and Discord unfurls); honoured for batch and the anonymous demo. Site owners can opt out (/bot) | Respected (423 error) |
| Track record | Launched 2026 | Operational since 2014 |
Choose linkpreview.net if
- you want a long-running service with a simple 4-field response;
- you need more than 500 requests a month and can pay.
Choose unfurlr if
- you're building a commercial product and want to start free;
- you need favicons, oEmbed, canonical URLs or batch calls.
Sources: linkpreview.net pricing, linkpreview.net/#pricing, and homepage FAQ (Retrieved 2026-10-16).