Apify Review 2026

Name: Apify
Brand: Apify
Availability: InStock

Honest pros, cons, and verdict on this web scraping tool

✅ Skip building scrapers with 21,000+ ready-made Actors for major sites

Starting Price

$0/month

Free Tier

Yes

What is Apify?

Web scraping platform with 21,000+ pre-built Actors for extracting data from websites without coding scrapers from scratch.

The Web Scraping Problem

Apify solves a specific problem: you need data from websites but don't want to build and maintain scrapers. Instead of fighting with Puppeteer, Scrapy, Beautiful Soup, or Selenium, you browse their marketplace of 21,000+ ready-made Actors, click run, and get structured data back.

Key Features

✓Web scraping

✓Data extraction

✓API integration

✓Scheduled runs

Pricing Breakdown

Free

$0/month

per month

✓$5/month compute credits
✓Public Actors only
✓Basic support

Starter

$29/month

per month

✓$50/month included credits
✓Private Actors
✓Scheduled runs
✓API access

Scale

$199/month

per month

✓$500/month included credits
✓Priority support
✓Team collaboration
✓Advanced monitoring

Pros & Cons

✅Pros

•Skip building scrapers with 21,000+ ready-made Actors for major sites
•Handles JavaScript, CAPTCHAs, and anti-bot detection out of the box
•Pay-per-use pricing avoids paying for idle capacity
•Active community contributes and maintains popular Actors
•Residential proxy networks included, no separate proxy subscription needed

❌Cons

•Costs scale with volume and site complexity, no unlimited plan
•Actors break when target sites change, especially niche ones
•Custom Actor development requires JavaScript/Node.js skills
•More expensive than self-hosted Scrapy for high-volume simple sites

Who Should Use Apify?

✓E-commerce Price Monitoring
Track competitor pricing across Amazon, Shopify stores, and marketplaces without building scrapers
✓Lead Generation
Extract business contact data from Google Maps, LinkedIn, and industry directories
✓Market Research
Gather product reviews, social media posts, and industry data at scale for analysis

Who Should Skip Apify?

×You're on a tight budget
×You're concerned about actors break when target sites change, especially niche ones
×You're concerned about custom actor development requires javascript/node.js skills

Our Verdict

✅

Apify is a solid choice

Apify delivers on its promises as a web scraping tool. While it has some limitations, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for most users in its target market.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Apify?

Web scraping platform with 21,000+ pre-built Actors for extracting data from websites without coding scrapers from scratch.

Is Apify good?

Yes, Apify is good for web scraping work. Users particularly appreciate skip building scrapers with 21,000+ ready-made actors for major sites. However, keep in mind costs scale with volume and site complexity, no unlimited plan.

Is Apify free?

Yes, Apify offers a free tier. However, paid plans start at $0/month and unlock additional functionality for professional users.

Who should use Apify?

Apify is best for E-commerce Price Monitoring and Lead Generation. It's particularly useful for web scraping professionals who need web scraping.

What are the best Apify alternatives?

There are several web scraping tools available. Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to find the best option for your needs.

📖 Apify Overview 💰 Apify Pricing 🆚 Free vs Paid 🤔 Is it Worth It?

Last verified March 2026

What is Apify?

Web scraping platform with 21,000+ pre-built Actors for extracting data from websites without coding scrapers from scratch.

The Web Scraping Problem

Pricing Breakdown

Free

$0/month

per month

✓$5/month compute credits
✓Public Actors only
✓Basic support

Starter

$29/month

per month

✓$50/month included credits
✓Private Actors
✓Scheduled runs
✓API access

Scale

$199/month

per month

✓$500/month included credits
✓Priority support
✓Team collaboration
✓Advanced monitoring

Pros & Cons

✅Pros

•Skip building scrapers with 21,000+ ready-made Actors for major sites
•Handles JavaScript, CAPTCHAs, and anti-bot detection out of the box
•Pay-per-use pricing avoids paying for idle capacity
•Active community contributes and maintains popular Actors
•Residential proxy networks included, no separate proxy subscription needed

❌Cons

•Costs scale with volume and site complexity, no unlimited plan
•Actors break when target sites change, especially niche ones
•Custom Actor development requires JavaScript/Node.js skills
•More expensive than self-hosted Scrapy for high-volume simple sites

Who Should Use Apify?

✓E-commerce Price Monitoring
Track competitor pricing across Amazon, Shopify stores, and marketplaces without building scrapers
✓Lead Generation
Extract business contact data from Google Maps, LinkedIn, and industry directories
✓Market Research
Gather product reviews, social media posts, and industry data at scale for analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Apify?

Web scraping platform with 21,000+ pre-built Actors for extracting data from websites without coding scrapers from scratch.

Is Apify good?

Is Apify free?

Yes, Apify offers a free tier. However, paid plans start at $0/month and unlock additional functionality for professional users.

Who should use Apify?

Apify is best for E-commerce Price Monitoring and Lead Generation. It's particularly useful for web scraping professionals who need web scraping.

What are the best Apify alternatives?

There are several web scraping tools available. Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to find the best option for your needs.