# Z.ai, top-up: Cached web scraping API

> Reads and parses the content of the specified URL. Supports selectable return formats, cache control, image retention, and summary options.

Z.ai's cached web scraping API on its Pay as you go plan. It returns none of the 7 key fields we check: Screenshot, Markdown, HTML, Text and 3 more.
The cheapest of the 76 plans we rank by price is [Firecrawl, $399 monthly](https://datacircle.dev/cached-web-scraping-apis/firecrawl/399-monthly/llms.txt), at $0.798 per 1,000 pages.
[ScraperAPI](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/scraperapi/475-monthly-scaling-get-sync-api/llms.txt), [Scrapestack](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/scrapestack/79-99-monthly-professional-get-scrape-scrape/llms.txt) and [HasData](https://datacircle.dev/web-scraping-apis/hasdata/249-monthly-growth-3m-post-scrape-web-web-scraping-api/llms.txt) are the best web scraping API providers in our benchmark.

- This page: https://datacircle.dev/cached-web-scraping-apis/z-ai/top-up
- [Best web scraping API in 2026](https://datacircle.dev/best-web-scraping-api.txt)
- Get it: https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing
- Request: `POST https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/reader`
- API key: with the plan, on https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing
- Its API docs: https://docs.z.ai/api-reference/tools/web-reader
- Sold by: Z.ai (https://z.ai)
- Checked: 2026-10-28

## In the answer

- Completeness: 0%

## Price

- Billing: pay first

## Charges

- Also pays for: from the same budget: Web Search · Chat Completion · Generate Image · Generate Image(Async) · Generate Video(Async) · Audio Transcriptions · Layout Parsing · Agent Chat

## In their words

- Their pitch: Reads and parses the content of the specified URL. Supports selectable return formats, cache control, image retention, and summary options.

## Data

- Freshness: stored
- Keep data: no limit
- Use data: You and End Users must not engage in any of the following improper uses of the Z.ai during your use of our API Services, including but not limited to: i. Use the Services and End User Content (as defined in Section 3) in a way that violate applicable laws or our policies, ii. Any attempt to extract data, parameters, or code from the Z.ai, [...] vii. Any exploitation of our intellectual property through use, lease, lending, copying, modification, linking, reposting, compilation, publication, or establishment of mirror sites, [...] xii. Except for authorized integration with your specific business scenarios, any use of the Z.ai's models, prompts, or model-generated content for the development, training, labeling, fine-tuning, optimization, iteration, or similar activities related to external models is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, any utilization of platform models or exported data to develop, train, or enhance algorithms or models that compete with us, [...] xiv. Any other unauthorized actions or usage potentially detrimental to our interests. You must truthfully and accurately disclose the use of models from the Z.ai (and other models, if applicable) in accordance with relevant regulations and supervisory requirements.

## Speed

- Answer: in the call

## The call

- You send: url. Optional: timeout, no_cache, return_format, retain_images, no_gfm, keep_img_data_url, with_images_summary, with_links_summary
- Path: /api/paas/v4/reader

## About the plan

- Plan: Pay as you go
- Who can get it: anyone not on an export control or sanctions list and not in Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Crimea, Donetsk or Zaporizhzhia, with an account

## The 14 fields the plan's answer can hold

task ID, created at, request ID, model code, page content, page description, page title, URL, external stylesheets, stylesheet type, keywords, viewport, meta description, format detection

## Z.ai's plans (1)

- [Z.ai, top-up](https://datacircle.dev/cached-web-scraping-apis/z-ai/top-up/llms.txt): 0% complete, stored

## Z.ai's calls for this API (1)

- `POST /api/paas/v4/reader`: [Z.ai, top-up](https://datacircle.dev/cached-web-scraping-apis/z-ai/top-up/llms.txt)

## Z.ai's APIs (2)

- [Z.ai: cached web scraping API pricing, 1 plan](https://datacircle.dev/cached-web-scraping-apis/z-ai/top-up/llms.txt)
- [Z.ai: web search API pricing, 1 plan](https://datacircle.dev/web-search-apis/z-ai/top-up/llms.txt)

## Sources

From each provider's own pricing page and docs, and from what providers tell us. We read this row from these pages on 2026-10-28.

- https://docs.z.ai/api-reference/tools/web-reader
- https://docs.z.ai/api-reference/tools/web-search
- https://docs.z.ai/devpack/notice/api-key-management
- https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/concept-param
- https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing
- https://docs.z.ai/legal-agreement/terms-of-use