6 alternatives to Apify
Reviewed by Cheetah Systems Lab research team on 2026-07-30. Competitive set: Scraping and browser infrastructure. The reviewer profile includes the editorial and corrections policy.
Compare Apify on price and setup. Check Apify against 6 rivals on developer access, buyer fit and tradeoffs.
Apify current baseline
Founded in 2015 by Jan Čurn and Jakub Balada out of a Y Combinator Fellowship (team since based in Prague), Apify is both an execution platform and a two-sided marketplace: developers publish "Actors" to the Apify Store and get paid when others run them, while buyers rent pre-built Actors or write their own with the Apify SDK/CLI.
- Apify Store: a marketplace of 54,000+ ready-made Actors (scrapers, crawlers, automations) covering social media, e-commerce, search engines, maps, and AI/agent use cases
- Anti-blocking infrastructure: residential, datacenter, and SERP proxy services with IP rotation built into the platform
- Cloud storage primitives (datasets, key-value stores, request queues) that every Actor run writes to
- Integrations with n8n, Make, LangChain, Zapier, and direct LLM/agent pipelines for feeding scraped data into AI applications
- Published starting point
- $0 (Free plan)
- Setup
- 5m setup assessment
- Developer access
- API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification
When to replace Apify
The Store is a marketplace of community- and vendor-built Actors of uneven quality and maintenance, so teams that need one narrowly-scoped, fully-supported data source rather than an ecosystem to evaluate may prefer a single-purpose vendor instead. Billing is compute-unit and proxy-usage based, which is harder to forecast than a flat per-seat price, so teams that want predictable fixed costs at high scrape volumes should model usage carefully before committing.
How each alternative compares with Apify
Bright Data vs Apify
Choose Bright Data when
Choose Bright Data over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: Free (5,000 Web Unlocker requests/month, no credit card); 30m setup assessment; Bright Data's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than Bright Data's 30m setup assessment, Free (5,000 Web Unlocker requests/month, no credit card), and Bright Data's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
Bright Data versus Apify on published starting price: Bright Data - Free (5,000 Web Unlocker requests/month, no credit card); Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, Bright Data has a 30m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, Bright Data's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For Bright Data versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-31: Website used for Bright Data versus Apify, Documentation used for Bright Data versus Apify, Pricing used for Bright Data versus Apify, API documentation used for Bright Data versus Apify, OpenAPI specification used for Bright Data versus Apify, MCP documentation used for Bright Data versus Apify. These Bright Data sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
Browser Use vs Apify
Choose Browser Use when
Choose Browser Use over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: $0 (Free, 10 agent tasks/month); 5m setup assessment; Browser Use's checked sources link API documentation, OpenAPI specification. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than Browser Use's 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free, 10 agent tasks/month), and Browser Use's checked sources link API documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
Browser Use versus Apify on published starting price: Browser Use - $0 (Free, 10 agent tasks/month); Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, Browser Use has a 5m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, Browser Use's checked sources link API documentation, OpenAPI specification; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For Browser Use versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-31: Website used for Browser Use versus Apify, Documentation used for Browser Use versus Apify, Pricing used for Browser Use versus Apify, API documentation used for Browser Use versus Apify, OpenAPI specification used for Browser Use versus Apify. These Browser Use sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
Browserbase vs Apify
Choose Browserbase when
Choose Browserbase over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: $0 (Free plan); 30m setup assessment; Browserbase's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than Browserbase's 30m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Browserbase's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
Browserbase versus Apify on published starting price: Browserbase - $0 (Free plan); Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, Browserbase has a 30m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, Browserbase's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For Browserbase versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-31: Website used for Browserbase versus Apify, Documentation used for Browserbase versus Apify, Pricing used for Browserbase versus Apify, API documentation used for Browserbase versus Apify, OpenAPI specification used for Browserbase versus Apify, MCP documentation used for Browserbase versus Apify. These Browserbase sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
Firecrawl vs Apify
Choose Firecrawl when
Choose Firecrawl over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: $0/month (free tier, 1,000 credits/month); paid plans from $16/month billed yearly; 5m setup assessment; Firecrawl's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than Firecrawl's 5m setup assessment, $0/month (free tier, 1,000 credits/month); paid plans from $16/month billed yearly, and Firecrawl's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
Firecrawl versus Apify on published starting price: Firecrawl - $0/month (free tier, 1,000 credits/month); paid plans from $16/month billed yearly; Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, Firecrawl has a 5m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, Firecrawl's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For Firecrawl versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-30: Website used for Firecrawl versus Apify, Documentation used for Firecrawl versus Apify, Pricing used for Firecrawl versus Apify, API documentation used for Firecrawl versus Apify, MCP documentation used for Firecrawl versus Apify. These Firecrawl sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
Oxylabs vs Apify
Choose Oxylabs when
Choose Oxylabs over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: Free trial (up to 2,000 results, no credit card); 30m setup assessment; Oxylabs's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than Oxylabs's 30m setup assessment, Free trial (up to 2,000 results, no credit card), and Oxylabs's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
Oxylabs versus Apify on published starting price: Oxylabs - Free trial (up to 2,000 results, no credit card); Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, Oxylabs has a 30m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, Oxylabs's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For Oxylabs versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-31: Website used for Oxylabs versus Apify, Documentation used for Oxylabs versus Apify, Pricing used for Oxylabs versus Apify, API documentation used for Oxylabs versus Apify, MCP documentation used for Oxylabs versus Apify. These Oxylabs sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
ScrapingBee vs Apify
Choose ScrapingBee when
Choose ScrapingBee over Apify when these published constraints align more closely with the requirement: $49/mo (Freelance, 250,000 credits); 5m setup assessment; ScrapingBee's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation. The corresponding Apify constraints are $0 (Free plan); 5m setup assessment; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah comparison of published constraints
Keep Apify in contention when
Keep Apify when 5m setup assessment, $0 (Free plan), and Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification are the more workable constraints for the team than ScrapingBee's 5m setup assessment, $49/mo (Freelance, 250,000 credits), and ScrapingBee's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation.
Cheetah assessment
Key tradeoff
ScrapingBee versus Apify on published starting price: ScrapingBee - $49/mo (Freelance, 250,000 credits); Apify - $0 (Free plan). On setup, ScrapingBee has a 5m setup assessment; Apify has a 5m setup assessment. On developer access, ScrapingBee's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation; Apify's checked sources link API documentation, MCP documentation, OpenAPI specification.
Cheetah assessment
For ScrapingBee versus Apify, official pages checked 2026-07-31: Website used for ScrapingBee versus Apify, Documentation used for ScrapingBee versus Apify, Pricing used for ScrapingBee versus Apify, MCP documentation used for ScrapingBee versus Apify. These ScrapingBee sources inform comparison with Apify, not every sentence individually.
Apify baseline sources
- Apify Official website
- Apify Official documentation
- Apify Official API documentation
- Apify Official machine-readable API specification
- Apify Official MCP documentation
- Apify Official pricing page
- Apify Official changelog
- Apify Official status page
Verify before deciding
- Exact current funding total/valuation (about page references a 2016 seed round and a separate €2.8M raise for AI data mining, but no consolidated funding figure was found)
- Enterprise/custom plan pricing (Business plan tops the public pricing page; anything above it requires contacting sales)
- Independent verification of the 74,000 customers / 1PB monthly data / $1.4M developer payout figures - these are vendor-stated and not independently confirmed
Cheetah assessed Apify buyer fit, setup and tradeoffs. Shortlist reviewed 2026-07-31.