Is Thumbalizr Still Working for Full-Page Website Screenshots?
Thumbalizr still documents full-page screenshots for paid plans. Here’s what its API and migration announcement say, what to check, and an alternative.
Short answer: Thumbalizr still presents its screenshot service and API as active, and its documentation lists full-page capture for paid plans. The free tier is limited to screen-sized captures. This is based on Thumbalizr’s own current service pages and documentation; it does not independently confirm successful captures for every account or that its announced backend migration is complete for everyone.
If an existing integration stopped returning full pages, check the account’s plan, the requested size, and the response status and error headers. Thumbalizr announced on April 8, 2026 that it was moving its capture backend in stages from Browshot to ScreenshotCenter. It said existing API calls and embed codes would remain unchanged, but the announcement does not establish that every legacy account has completed the move. Read Thumbalizr’s migration announcement.
1. Does Thumbalizr support full-page screenshots?
Thumbalizr’s API documentation describes size=page for page-sized captures and size=screen for viewport-sized captures. Its published tier information reserves full-page capture for Silver, Gold, and Platinum memberships; the free tier is screen-only. The free demo is also described as screen-sized, with a fixed 1280 × 1024 browser size and a watermark.
That means a free account may return a valid screenshot while still not capturing the entire document. Confirm that the account has a plan that includes page-sized output before treating a screen-sized result as an API failure. Plan quotas and prices on the features page are published figures and may change, so check the current page before subscribing.
Sources: Thumbalizr API documentation, free demo, and features and pricing.
2. How to check a Thumbalizr API capture
- Confirm the account is active and includes full-page capture. Thumbalizr’s homepage offers API key registration, but an account or key alone does not mean the free tier supports page-sized output.
- Use the Embed API credentials for the account: an API key and a token derived from the URL query string and secret. Follow the documentation’s token-generation instructions exactly.
- Set the capture size to
pagewhen you need the full document. Usescreenwhen you intentionally want only the visible viewport. - Encode the target URL and other query parameters correctly. URLs with their own query strings need careful encoding so their ampersands and values are not mistaken for API parameters.
- Inspect
X-Thumbalizr-Statusand the error information inX-Thumbalizr-Error. A request being accepted is not the same as a completed screenshot.
Thumbalizr documents QUEUED, OK, and FAILED values in X-Thumbalizr-Status, along with X-Thumbalizr-Generated and X-Thumbalizr-Error response headers. Use its API documentation for the precise endpoint, token construction, and request format: those details depend on the documented Embed API authentication scheme.
3. What the 2026 backend migration means
Thumbalizr’s April 8, 2026 post announced a phased transition from its Browshot-powered backend to ScreenshotCenter. The post said new accounts would use ScreenshotCenter first and existing accounts would be moved in batches over the following weeks. It also said integrations, API calls, embed codes, and settings would remain unchanged.
Read that as a compatibility announcement and rollout plan, not proof that every account has already migrated. If an older integration behaves differently, record the account, request settings, returned status, and error header, then compare them with the current API documentation or ask Thumbalizr support to confirm the account’s migration state.
The post describes expected improvements to speed and reliability but gives no independently attributable uptime figure or benchmark. It also mentions capabilities as planned or being introduced progressively; verify availability instead of assuming that every announced capability is live for your account.
4. Common problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The screenshot stops at the visible viewport | The request uses screen-sized capture, or the account is on the free tier. | Use size=page and confirm the account has a paid tier that includes full-page capture. |
| The API request is queued but no image is ready | QUEUED indicates the capture has not completed. |
Follow the documented result retrieval flow and check status again; do not treat request acceptance as success. |
| The response says the capture failed | The service reports a failed job or invalid request. | Read X-Thumbalizr-Error, then check credentials, parameter encoding, target URL, and account access. |
| A target URL with query parameters is captured incorrectly | Reserved characters in the URL were not encoded, so parts of the target became API parameters. | URL-encode the complete target URL according to the API documentation. |
| An older integration’s behavior changed during the migration | The account may be in a staged migration, or the request may expose an account-specific issue. | Check response headers and ask Thumbalizr whether that account has migrated; the announcement does not confirm status per account. |
| The result has a watermark or fixed dimensions | The request may be using the free demo or free membership limits. | Check the plan’s documented limits and use the paid tier if full-page output or other dimensions are required. |
5. Reliability, performance, and cost considerations
- Reliability: The service’s homepage and recent migration post show that Thumbalizr presents the product as active. They do not establish measured uptime or guarantee that a particular URL will capture successfully. Check job status and error headers for each request.
- Performance: The migration post describes faster processing as an expected benefit, but provides no test method or benchmark. Measure completion time for your own targets if latency matters.
- Full-page access: The documented full-page option is a paid-plan feature. The free tier is screen-only, so it is not a like-for-like test of paid full-page capture.
- Published quotas and prices: Thumbalizr’s features page lists Free at 100 screenshots per month, Silver at 2,000, Gold at 3,000, and Platinum at 5,000 or more. It displays Silver at €8 / $9, Gold at €12 / $13, and Platinum tiers at €18 / $20 for 5,000, €34 / $37 for 10,000, and €80 / $86 for 25,000. These are the page’s displayed figures; verify current pricing and terms before making a purchase decision.
- Operational checks: Log the requested size, account plan, response status, error header, and capture duration. This makes it easier to distinguish plan limits, request problems, and incomplete jobs.
6. ScreenshotNeo as an alternative
If you want a screenshot API with documented full-page capture options and a single GET request, try ScreenshotNeo first: it removes consent banners, popups, and chat widgets before capture, bills only clean shots, and its paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Its parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can make switching easier.
ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients, with tools for screenshots, page information, and PDF capture. It offers 1,000 screenshots per month free with no card; all features are available on every plan. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpimport requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Replace the example target URL with the page you need. The API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; consult the docs for output and capture parameters. For Thumbalizr-specific integrations, keep its documented plan and response checks in view when deciding whether to stay or switch.
Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
7. FAQ
Can I verify full-page capture with Thumbalizr’s free tier?
No. The published documentation and demo describe the free tier as screen-sized; full-page capture is listed for paid membership tiers.
Does Thumbalizr’s migration mean my API key changed?
The migration announcement says integrations and API calls are intended to remain unchanged. It does not confirm the migration state of every account, so check the account and response if an existing integration has a problem.
Does an accessible homepage prove the API is working?
No. It shows the service is presented as available. For an API request, check the documented status and error headers and confirm the account includes the requested capture size.
Is there an independently verified Thumbalizr uptime figure?
None is provided in the sources reviewed for this guide. The migration post’s reliability language is a vendor expectation, not an independently measured uptime statistic.
