MetaLink vs OpenGraph.io — Faster, Cheaper Metadata API

If you're building a link preview feature, a content aggregator, or any tool that needs to extract Open Graph tags and metadata from URLs, you're likely comparing MetaLink and OpenGraph.io. Both are metadata extraction APIs — but they differ significantly in price, scope, and architecture.

This page lays out the facts so you can make an informed decision.

How does MetaLink compare to OpenGraph.io?

MetaLink is a focused metadata extraction API built in Rust. It accepts a URL and returns structured JSON containing Open Graph tags, Twitter Card data, favicon, title, and description. MetaLink's free tier includes 1,000 requests/month.

OpenGraph.io is a broader scraping platform that bundles metadata extraction with screenshots, web scraping, and oEmbed support. Its free tier includes 100 requests/month.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	MetaLink	OpenGraph.io
Free tier	1,000 req/mo	100 req/mo
Cheapest paid plan	$9/mo (10,000 req)	$25/mo (50,000 credits)
Mid tier	$29/mo (50,000 req)	$100/mo (250,000 credits)
Top tier	$79/mo (200,000 req)	$250/mo (1,000,000 credits)
Rate limit (free)	100 req/min	1 concurrent request
Tech stack	Rust (Axum)	Node.js
Overage billing	No (hard cap)	Yes ($0.50–$1.00 per 1K credits)
Scope	Metadata extraction only	Metadata + screenshots + scraping + oEmbed
Authentication	`X-API-Key` header or `?api_key=`	`app_id` query param

Key Differences

1. Free Tier: 10x More Requests

MetaLink's free tier includes 1,000 requests/month with no credit card required. OpenGraph.io's free tier includes 100 requests/month. If you're prototyping or running a small side project, the difference is significant — MetaLink gives you 10x more runway before you hit a paywall.

2. Price per Request

MetaLink's entry paid plan is $9/month for 10,000 requests — that's $0.0009 per request. OpenGraph.io's Developer plan starts at $25/month for 50,000 credits. While OpenGraph.io gives more volume at that price point, MetaLink is the better value if you only need metadata extraction and don't need screenshots or scraping.

3. No Surprise Overage Charges

MetaLink uses hard monthly caps. When you hit your limit, requests return a 429 error. OpenGraph.io charges $0.50–$1.00 per additional 1,000 credits beyond your plan. For teams without strict usage monitoring, this means OpenGraph.io bills can grow unexpectedly.

4. Response Speed

MetaLink is built in Rust with the Axum framework, which has essentially zero runtime overhead. OpenGraph.io runs on Node.js. For pure HTTP fetch + metadata extraction (no browser rendering), Rust-based implementations are consistently faster.

5. API Simplicity

MetaLink's API is a single endpoint:

GET https://api.metalinkapi.com/v1/metadata?url={url}
X-API-Key: your_key

OpenGraph.io supports more parameters and use cases (site scraping, screenshots), which makes it more complex to configure if you only need metadata.

MetaLink Response Format

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "title": "Example Domain",
  "description": "This domain is for use in examples.",
  "favicon": "https://example.com/favicon.ico",
  "og": {
    "title": "Example Domain",
    "description": "This domain is for use in examples.",
    "image": null,
    "url": "https://example.com"
  },
  "twitter": {
    "card": "summary",
    "title": null,
    "description": null,
    "image": null
  }
}

When to Choose OpenGraph.io

OpenGraph.io is the better choice if:

You need web screenshots or full-page renders alongside metadata.
You need web scraping capabilities — extracting custom data from page content.
You need oEmbed support for embedding rich media from providers like YouTube.
You have high monthly volume (1M+ requests) where OpenGraph.io's pricing becomes competitive.

If your use case is purely "give me the Open Graph tags and metadata for this URL," MetaLink is simpler and cheaper.

Which metadata extraction API is better for link previews?

For link previews — showing a title, image, and description when a user pastes a URL — MetaLink is the more cost-effective choice. Link preview use cases don't need screenshots or scraping. MetaLink's free tier (1,000 req/mo) covers most small apps without any payment, and the $9/mo plan covers the majority of indie and mid-size use cases.

Try MetaLink Free

MetaLink's free tier includes 1,000 requests/month with no credit card required. The API is live and ready to use in under 2 minutes.

Get your free API key →