AI Web Scraping

Apify

Apify is a full-stack web scraping and data extraction platform for building and running scalable Actors that collect live web data.

What is Apify?

Apify is a platform for web scraping, data extraction, and automation that lets users run and publish scalable Actors to collect live data from websites and integrate it with external tools and workflows.

Apify vs Similar AI Tools

Pricing ModelFree, PaidFree, FreemiumFree, FreemiumFree, Freemium, Paid, Custom Pricing
Free Credits
Key Features
  • Prebuilt and custom scraping Actors
  • Support for websites, social platforms, maps, and product data
  • API access for automation and integration
  • Three-layer anti-blocking (environment, execution, human)
  • Three browser modes: chrome, stealth privacy, stealth fixed identity
  • Zero-interference concurrency: cross-browser parallel, same-browser multi-session, privacy mode
  • Browser automation via screen recording or chat
  • Smart Tables for organizing and querying scraped data
  • Custom App Builder for creating dashboards and tools
  • Managed cloud browser sessions with <50ms latency
  • AI browser agents that follow natural language tasks
  • Serverless browser functions (AWS Lambda for browsers)
Pros
  • Large library of ready-made Actors
  • Built for scalable scraping and automation
  • Designed specifically for AI agent workflows
  • Effective anti-bot capabilities with multiple layers
  • Intuitive screen-recording automation
  • Supports multiple LLMs for flexibility
  • Low latency (<50ms) with global edge network
  • Autoscaling to 1000+ concurrent sessions
Cons
  • Advanced scraping may require technical setup
  • Pricing details are not fully specified on the homepage
  • Limited number of stealth browsers on free plan (5)
  • Managed proxies require payment
  • Limited to browser-based automation
  • May have learning curve for complex workflows
  • Credit-based billing can be complex for high usage
  • Free tier limited to 5 concurrent sessions and 15 min duration
Best For
  • Developers building data pipelines
  • Teams needing live web data for AI
  • AI agents needing reliable browser automation
  • Web scraping projects with anti-bot challenges
  • Teams automating repetitive web tasks
  • Data analysts needing structured web scraping
  • Developers building AI-powered web automation agents
  • Teams needing scalable browser infrastructure for scraping and testing

How to use Apify?

  1. 1Choose or build an Actor for the website or data source you need.
  2. 2Configure inputs such as URLs, search queries, filters, or schedules.
  3. 3Run the Actor manually or via API, then monitor execution and results.
  4. 4Export the extracted data or connect it to tools like Sheets, Slack, GitHub, or other pipelines.
  5. 5Scale usage by scheduling runs, automating workflows, or publishing your own Actors.

Apify Key Features

  • Prebuilt and custom scraping Actors
  • Support for websites, social platforms, maps, and product data
  • API access for automation and integration
  • Scheduled and monitored runs
  • Data export and workflow integrations
  • Scalable cloud execution infrastructure
  • Actor marketplace with 35,000+ ready-made tools
  • Publishing and monetization for creators

Apify Use Cases

  • Competitive intelligence
  • Lead generation
  • Product research
  • Social media monitoring
  • Google Maps business data extraction
  • AI training data collection
  • RAG and LLM content ingestion
  • Automated website monitoring

Apify Pricing & Free Credits

Apify currently operates on a Free, Paid model.

Free TierFree Credits

Free

Free plan available

The site highlights no upfront costs for publishing Actors and includes free platform credits for new creators.

Paid Plans

Paid usage

Usage-based

Customers pay for compute resources when running Actors; billing, taxes, and invoicing are handled by the platform.

Free

Free plan available

The site highlights no upfront costs for publishing Actors and includes free platform credits for new creators.

Paid usage

Usage-based

Customers pay for compute resources when running Actors; billing, taxes, and invoicing are handled by the platform.

Apify Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Large library of ready-made Actors
  • Built for scalable scraping and automation
  • Easy integration with APIs and external tools
  • Supports scheduling, monitoring, and exports
  • Useful for AI data pipelines and research

Cons

  • Advanced scraping may require technical setup
  • Pricing details are not fully specified on the homepage
  • Best fit is narrower if you need only simple one-off scraping

What is Apify best for?

  • Developers building data pipelines
  • Teams needing live web data for AI
  • Growth and research teams
  • Users who need scalable web scraping
  • Creators who want to publish and monetize scraping tools

Apify FAQ

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