TL;DR
Apify provides 2,000+ pre-built scrapers. ScraperAPI provides proxy + HTML fetching. Choose Apify if you want ready-to-use tools. Choose ScraperAPI if you want to write your own parsing logic with reliable proxies.
Key Difference
Apify is a full scraping platform. You pick a scraper, configure inputs, and get structured data. No coding needed for most use cases.
ScraperAPI is a scraping API. You send a URL, they return HTML. You must write code to parse the data yourself.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Apify | ScraperAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-built Scrapers | 2,000+ actors | None |
| Output Format | JSON, CSV, Excel | Raw HTML |
| JavaScript Rendering | Included in actors | Extra credits |
| CAPTCHA Solving | Handled by actors | Automatic |
| Free Tier | $5/month | 5,000 requests |
| Starting Price | $49/month | $49/month |
Pricing Breakdown
Both start at $49/month, but you get different things:
Apify $49/month
- $49 in platform credits
- Access to 2,000+ actors
- Structured data output
- 5 concurrent runs
ScraperAPI $49/month
- 100,000 API credits
- Proxy rotation
- Raw HTML only
- You parse the data
Example: Scraping Google Maps
With Apify
- Find Google Maps Scraper actor
- Enter search query: "coffee shops Seattle"
- Click "Start"
- Download structured JSON with names, addresses, ratings
Time: 5 minutes. No code needed.
With ScraperAPI
- Write code to construct Google Maps URLs
- Send URLs to ScraperAPI
- Receive HTML responses
- Write parser to extract data from HTML
- Handle pagination
Time: Hours to days. Coding required.
When to Choose Apify
- You need to scrape common platforms (social media, maps, e-commerce)
- You want structured data without coding
- Speed matters more than full customization
- You are not a developer
When to Choose ScraperAPI
- You are scraping unique sites without existing tools
- You enjoy writing parsing code
- You need maximum control over the scraping logic
- You want simple proxy + HTML with no platform overhead
Our Verdict
For most users, Apify saves significant time and effort. The actor marketplace covers 90%+ of common scraping needs. You get structured data immediately.
ScraperAPI makes sense if you are building something highly custom and want simple proxy infrastructure without a full platform.
Our Recommendation
Start with Apify. Check if an actor exists for your use case. Only go to ScraperAPI if you need to build something completely custom.
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