Comparison · facts checked 11 November 2026

A Wayback Machine alternative, compared side by side with dated sources.

The Wayback Machine is a service of the Internet Archive that lets people visit archived versions of websites. ^[1] PageVerified is a capture API: it renders a public page as a PNG, a PDF or rendered HTML and returns the SHA-256 hash of the file, the UTC time of the capture and, by default, a public receipt page. Every statement on this page about the Wayback Machine was read from its maker's own public pages and last checked on 11 November 2026.

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The short answer

When to choose which

Choose the Wayback Machine when

You need to see how a page looked in the past. The Internet Archive says it began archiving the web in 1996. ^[1] PageVerified: A capture exists only from the moment you make it. It cannot show how a page looked earlier.
You want a public copy at a permanent address that anyone can browse. Save Page Now saves a single page with its images and CSS and gives you a permanent URL for it. ^[3] The Internet Archive says anyone can access its collections through its website, and that it makes them available at no cost to researchers, historians and scholars. ^[1]
You need an affidavit about an archived page. The Internet Archive says the Wayback Machine was not expressly designed with legal use in mind, and that it has an affidavit request procedure for people who need certified records. ^[2] PageVerified: No affidavits and no witnesses. A capture is not a legal certification.
You need a whole site saved on a schedule. Archive-It is the Internet Archive's paid service for running your own crawls on a schedule you set. ^[3] PageVerified: One public URL per call. It does not crawl a site, open comments or download video.

Choose PageVerified when

You want one call to return the captured file, its SHA-256 hash and the capture time together.
You need the SHA-256 hash of the file and the UTC capture time in the same response as the capture, with a public receipt page by default.
You want a PDF or the rendered HTML of the page as a file, as well as a PNG.
Your agent has to buy its own access. It can pay over HTTP 402 with no person involved.
Your agent speaks MCP and you want a hosted endpoint with nothing to install.

This page lists only what we could confirm on the other product's own pages. A feature that is not listed here may still exist, so check with its maker.

Facts checked 11 November 2026

Side by side

Scroll the table horizontally to see all fields.

PageVerified and Wayback Machine compared
Topic	PageVerified	Wayback Machine
What it is	A paid API that captures one public web page each time you call it.	The Wayback Machine is a service of the Internet Archive that lets people visit archived versions of websites. ^[1] The Internet Archive says it began archiving the web in 1996. ^[1]
API	`POST /api/v1/capture` takes a public URL and returns a download link, the SHA-256 hash of the file, the UTC capture time and, by default, a receipt link.	The Wayback Machine has an Availability JSON API that says whether a URL is archived and returns the snapshot closest to a date, a Memento API, and a CDX Server API for querying capture data. ^[4] Save Page Now also has an API at web.archive.org/save for authenticated users, who sign in with archive.org account keys or cookies. ^[5]
Hash	Every capture returns the SHA-256 hash of the exact file and the UTC capture time from PageVerified's own server clock. By default it also gets a public receipt page that shows both.	The CDX Server API returns a digest field for each capture and can filter or collapse results by it. ^[6]
Saving a page	You, your code or your agent, with one API call. The file link, the hash and the time come back in the same response, with a receipt link by default.	Save Page Now saves a single page with its images and CSS and gives you a permanent URL for it. ^[3] Save Page Now also has an API at web.archive.org/save for authenticated users, who sign in with archive.org account keys or cookies. ^[5]
Pages it cannot save	Public `http` and `https` pages only. It cannot log in, send cookies or set request headers.	The Internet Archive says it does not archive pages that need a password, and that pages can be left out because of robots exclusions or at the site owner's request. ^[1] It says an archived page that relies on forms or JavaScript that must contact the original host does not keep the original site's functionality. ^[1]
Who can see the copy	The file is kept in private storage until you ask for it to be deleted. Download links are signed and expire after 24 hours. By default a capture has a public receipt page, which anyone with its link can open to get a fresh download link.	The Internet Archive says anyone can access its collections through its website, and that it makes them available at no cost to researchers, historians and scholars. ^[1]
Legal use	No affidavits and no witnesses. A capture is not a legal certification.	The Internet Archive says the Wayback Machine was not expressly designed with legal use in mind, and that it has an affidavit request procedure for people who need certified records. ^[2]
Whole sites	One public URL per call. It does not crawl a site, open comments or download video.	Archive-It is the Internet Archive's paid service for running your own crawls on a schedule you set. ^[3]

The PageVerified column is read from the configuration this server runs. The numbers in square brackets point to the sources below.

One POST

A real PageVerified capture

A request like this one:

curl -s -X POST https://pageverified.com/api/v1/capture \
  -H "authorization: Bearer $PAGEVERIFIED_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://pageverified.com/pricing","format":"png","viewport":{"width":720,"height":400}}'

returns HTTP 201 with this body. The hash, time and receipt are from a real capture made by the production service. Only the download link is shortened.

{
  "id": "6c5dbd00-8f1c-4b3a-9456-6d585e615e51",
  "artifact_url": "https://... signed download link, valid for 24 hours ...",
  "sha256": "748c89348b38d4e14e731d5071e409262a2f644c03461034d8c30e3353c5469c",
  "captured_at": "2026-11-10T15:46:35.948Z",
  "evidence_url": "https://pageverified.com/e/6c5dbd00-8f1c-4b3a-9456-6d585e615e51"
}

The receipt for that capture is public: /e/6c5dbd00-8f1c-4b3a-9456-6d585e615e51. It shows the same hash and time and lets anyone download the 42,580-byte PNG. How to check a file against its hash.

No key yet? This issues one with 25 credits. The key is shown once, so save it.

curl -s -X POST https://pageverified.com/api/v1/keys \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"label":"my agent"}'

POST /api/v1/capture/record takes the same body and also returns a signed Capture Record, for the capture cost plus 4 credits. Anyone can check its signature against the public keys at /.well-known/pageverified-keys.json.

Read this part

What a PageVerified capture is, and is not

The hash ties one file to one capture. If a file's SHA-256 equals the value on the receipt, it is byte for byte the file that receipt describes.
The capture time is UTC from PageVerified's own server clock. For a signed Capture Record, outside time-stamp authorities later sign the record's hash with their own time, usually within 15 minutes; the record check at /verify shows it.
A capture records what PageVerified's renderer saw at the recorded time. It is not a forensic chain of custody, proof of who wrote a page, or a legal certification.
It captures public pages only. It cannot log in, send cookies or set request headers, and a site can show the renderer something different from what you see in your own browser.
No uptime guarantee and no security or compliance certifications.
Nothing on this page is legal advice.

From the live price list

PageVerified prices

Free key. A free key holds 25 credits, with no email and no card. The credits are given once.
Packs. One-time credit packs: $19 for 3,000 credits, $49 for 12,000 credits, $149 for 60,000 credits. A PNG or HTML capture costs 1 credit and a PDF costs 2 credits.
Paying. Credit packs are one-time payments by card checkout, and a pack does not renew. Plans that renew each month are sold too. An agent can buy credits over HTTP 402 with no person involved.
Limit. One key can run up to 120 captures an hour, free or paid. Each key also has a daily share of the shared browser pool. A key capturing at that rate reaches it in under an hour.

These numbers are read from the price list this server runs. The full list, with the cost of every tool, is on the pricing page.

Last checked 11 November 2026

Sources and dates

Internet Archive help: Wayback Machine general information. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://help.archive.org/help/wayback-machine-general-information/
Internet Archive help: using the Wayback Machine. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://help.archive.org/help/using-the-wayback-machine/
Internet Archive help: save pages in the Wayback Machine. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://help.archive.org/help/save-pages-in-the-wayback-machine/
Internet Archive: Wayback Machine APIs. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://archive.org/help/wayback_api.php
Internet Archive: Save Page Now public API documentation. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nsv52MvSjbLb2PCpHlat0gkzw0EvtSgpKHu4mk0MnrA/mobilebasic
Internet Archive: Wayback CDX Server API documentation. Checked on 11 November 2026 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/internetarchive/wayback/master/wayback-cdx-server/README.md

Prices and features change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will check it again. After 120 days without a fresh check this page takes the comparison down by itself.

PageVerified has no connection with the Wayback Machine. The name is used only to say which product is being compared. This page has no affiliate links, and PageVerified is paid nothing if you choose the other product.

Next steps

Get a free key: no signup.
Pricing: packs and the cost of every call.
Documentation: quickstart, MCP setup and every tool's reference page.
Capture a web page as evidence: how to capture a web page as evidence, and what a capture does and does not show.
Verify a capture: how to check a capture against its SHA-256 hash and public receipt, with exact commands.

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