Updated March 2026 · 8 min read

Microlink vs Iframely: Link Preview APIs for Developers in 2026

Building link previews — those rich cards showing a title, description, and image when you share a URL — requires extracting meta data from arbitrary web pages. Microlink and Iframely are two of the most popular APIs for this, but they approach the problem differently. We'll compare them head-to-head and introduce a budget-friendly alternative.

Feature	Microlink	Iframely	Strongwell Meta Scraper
Free Tier	50 requests/day	1,000/month	Free tier included
JS Rendering	✅	✅	✅
OG Tags	✅	✅	✅
oEmbed	❌	✅	❌
Screenshots	✅	❌	❌
PDF Generation	✅	❌	❌
Favicons	✅	✅	✅
Paid Plans From	~$15.90/mo	~$17/mo	Pay-per-request
Self-Hostable	✅ (open source)	✅ (enterprise)	❌

Microlink: The Swiss Army Knife

Microlink positions itself as more than a link preview API — it's a browser-as-a-service platform. Beyond meta data extraction, Microlink can take screenshots, generate PDFs, extract structured data, and even run headless browser automation. This makes it powerful but also means you're often paying for capabilities beyond link previews.

What Microlink Does Well

• Rich data extraction: Returns OG tags, meta data, technology stack detection, and content analysis in a single call
• Screenshot generation: Built-in screenshot capability with customizable viewport and device emulation
• Open source: The core is open source (@microlink/mql), so you can self-host if you need full control
• Smart caching: CDN-backed response caching reduces latency on repeated URL lookups

Where Microlink Falls Short

• Tight free tier: 50 requests/day is very limiting — that's roughly 1,500/month, and usage is unpredictable with daily caps
• Price for meta-only use: At ~$15.90/month, you're paying for screenshots and PDF generation even if you only need meta tags
• Complexity: The API surface is large, with many options that add cognitive overhead for simple use cases

Iframely: The Embed Specialist

Iframely's core strength is generating embeddable content previews. Beyond extracting meta tags, it understands oEmbed protocol and can generate responsive embed codes for YouTube videos, tweets, Instagram posts, and hundreds of other embeddable content types. If you're building a CMS or rich text editor that needs to embed third-party content, Iframely is purpose-built for this.

What Iframely Does Well

• oEmbed support: Understands 1,900+ provider-specific embed formats — videos, social posts, maps, slideshows
• Responsive embeds: Generated embed codes are responsive by default, adjusting to container width
• Smart fallbacks: When oEmbed isn't available, falls back to OG tags and generates a preview card
• Publisher-friendly: Designed for CMS platforms with WordPress, Drupal, and other CMS plugins

Where Iframely Falls Short

• Embed-centric: If you just need OG tags for link preview cards, Iframely's embed focus adds unnecessary complexity
• No screenshots: Unlike Microlink, Iframely doesn't generate visual previews for non-embeddable content
• Pricing: Plans start at approximately $17/month (as of 2026), positioned for business use rather than individual developers

Strongwell Meta Scraper: The Free-Tier Alternative

If your use case is extracting meta tags for link preview cards — the most common link preview scenario — Strongwell Meta Scraper API provides exactly what you need without the extra features (and costs) of Microlink or Iframely.

The API extracts Open Graph tags, Twitter Card data, standard meta tags, favicons, and canonical URLs from any page, with full JavaScript rendering to catch dynamically injected meta tags. The response is clean, structured JSON that maps directly to link preview card components.

The key advantage is the pricing model: a free tier for development and low-volume use, with pay-per-request scaling. No monthly subscriptions, no daily request caps, no paying for screenshot or embed features you don't use.

When Strongwell Meta Scraper Is the Right Choice

• You need OG tags, Twitter Cards, and favicons for link preview cards
• You want a free tier without daily request limits
• You don't need oEmbed support or screenshot generation
• You prefer pay-per-request over monthly subscriptions

Decision Framework

Choose based on what your application actually needs:

• Need rich embeds (YouTube, tweets, etc.) in a CMS? → Iframely. Its oEmbed support is unmatched.
• Need screenshots + meta data? → Microlink. It's the only option that combines both in one API.
• Need meta tags for link preview cards? → Strongwell Meta Scraper. Best value for the most common use case.
• Need full control and can manage infrastructure? → Self-host Microlink's open-source core.