| capability | LinkFetch | Proxycurl |
|---|---|---|
01Active in 2026 | yes | no |
02Time to first call | 90 sec | — |
03Free tier | $5 credit | no |
04Annual commit required | no | — |
05MCP-native (Claude Desktop) | yes | no |
06Dataset product (jobs) | yes | no |
07User-is-principal model | yes | no |
08GDPR + CCPA aligned | yes | Partial |
09Provenance on every row | yes | no |
10MCP server for Claude / Cursor | yes | no |
11Plain HTTPS + JSON (no SDK required) | yes | SDK-first |
LinkFetch: typed SDKs · 90s to first call
Proxycurl: service terminated · 2025-07-31
import { Proxycurl } from "proxycurl-py";
const client = new Proxycurl({ apiKey });
const { data } = await client.person.get({
url: "linkedin.com/in/jane-doe",
});
// data.occupation, data.country…const res = await fetch(
"https://api.linkfetch.io/v1/profiles?url=linkedin.com/in/jane-doe",
{ headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LINKFETCH_KEY}` } },
);
const { data, meta } = await res.json();
// data.headline, meta.provenance, meta.fetched_atNo — Proxycurl's service is fully terminated. We can't read their balances. We do offer a $5 free credit to every new signup, plus a migration discount of 20% on your first 3 months if you email info@linkfetch.io with evidence of prior Proxycurl usage.
Roughly 90% overlap. LinkFetch uses canonical field names (`headline` not `occupation`, `current_role` not `occupation_role`). We publish a full field map in the Proxycurl field-mapping cheatsheet at /blog/proxycurl-field-mapping-cheatsheet. Most migrations finish in 30 minutes with a thin adapter.
Yes. Proxycurl's model involved rented LinkedIn accounts and session-rotation — the exact approach that eventually got them enforcement action. LinkFetch runs through the end-user's own session via a Chrome extension; the user is always the principal. We've never had LinkedIn take issue with the model.
LinkFetch ships a dedicated jobs database — 8M+ public postings with applicant counts and an applicant-count time series. $199 buys a one-time full dump (PostgreSQL, CSV, JSONL), or $49/mo buys read-only live Postgres access with unlimited queries. No credits and no minimum order. Details at /linkedin-jobs-data.