TL;DR
An actor is any program on Apify. A scraper extracts data from specific pages. A crawler visits many pages on a site. Most tools in the Apify Store are scrapers. Use crawlers for entire websites.
What is an Actor?
"Actor" is Apify's term for any program that runs on their platform. It comes from the actor model in computer science.
An actor can be:
- A web scraper
- A data processor
- An automation tool
- An API integration
- Anything else you can code
Think of "actor" as the container. What the actor does depends on its code.
What is a Scraper?
A scraper extracts structured data from web pages. You give it a URL or search query. It returns data in a clean format.
Example: Google Maps Scraper takes a search query like "coffee shops in Seattle." It returns a list of businesses with names, addresses, phone numbers, and reviews.
Scrapers are targeted. They work with specific websites or page types.
What is a Crawler?
A crawler visits multiple pages on a website by following links. It explores the site structure and collects data from each page it visits.
Example: Website Content Crawler takes a starting URL. It follows all links on that site and extracts text from every page it finds.
Crawlers are broad. They work with any website but need more configuration.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Scraper | Crawler |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Extract data from specific pages | Explore and collect from entire sites |
| Input | Search query or specific URLs | Starting URL (seed) |
| Scope | Targeted to one website or type | Works with any website |
| Speed | Fast (direct extraction) | Slower (must explore) |
| Configuration | Minimal (pre-built) | More setup required |
When to Use Each
Use a Scraper When:
- You need data from a specific platform (Google Maps, Instagram, Amazon)
- You want structured, clean data immediately
- The actor already exists in the store
- You know exactly what data you want
Use a Crawler When:
- You need content from an entire website
- No specific scraper exists for your target
- You want to explore a site's structure
- You need to index pages for search or AI training
Popular Examples
Top Scrapers
- Google Maps Scraper - 237,000+ users. Business data from Google Maps.
- Instagram Scraper - 161,000+ users. Posts, profiles, hashtags.
- TikTok Scraper - 110,000+ users. Videos, profiles, trends.
Top Crawlers
- Website Content Crawler - 93,000+ users. Text from any website.
- Web Scraper - 99,000+ users. Generic page extraction.
- Sitemap Crawler - Extracts all URLs from a sitemap.
Common Questions
Q: Can I build my own actor?
A: Yes. Apify provides SDKs for JavaScript and Python. You can build custom actors and publish them to the store.
Q: Which is cheaper?
A: Scrapers are usually cheaper per result because they are optimized for specific sites. Crawlers use more compute time exploring.