Software Alternatives & Startups

Scrape.ly VS Apify

Compare Scrape.ly VS Apify and see what are their differences

Scrape.ly

Ready-made web scrapers you can run in the cloud, from the dashboard, the API or your AI agent over MCP.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Free $19.99 / Monthly (Starter)
Apify

Apify is a web scraping and automation platform that can turn any website into an API.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Apify seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 68 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 68
Web Scraping popularity
1% vs 99%
alternatives listed
6 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Scrape.ly
Apify
Website scrape.ly apify.com
Pricing
Free $19.99 / Monthly (Starter) Official pricing
Company — Startup from the Czech Republic · 10 - 19 employees
Listed in

About Scrape.ly and Apify

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Scrape.ly
Apify

No description of Scrape.ly yet.

Apify is a JavaScript & Node.js based data extraction tool for websites that crawls lists of URLs and automates workflows on the web. With Apify you can manage and automatically scale a pool of headless Chrome / Puppeteer instances, maintain queues of URLs to crawl, store crawling results...

Read more about Apify

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Scrape.ly 3 features
Apify 7 features
  • Ready-made scrapers
    Ready-made scrapers Search 500+ scrapers for popular sites and run them without writing code.
  • Cloud runs
    Scrapers run on Scrape.ly's servers on demand or on a schedule.
  • Structured results
    Results land in datasets you can export as JSON, CSV, Excel and more.
  • Ease of Use
    Apify provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users of all technical levels to create and manage web scraping tasks.
  • Scalability
    Apify is built to handle tasks of various sizes, from small-scale projects to enterprise-level operations, making it a scalable solution.
  • Integration and API Support
    It offers extensive API support, allowing for seamless integration with other tools and systems to enhance automated workflows.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize their scraping bots (actors) with different settings and scripts to fit specific needs and requirements.
  • Cloud-based
    Being a cloud-based platform, Apify allows users to run their scraping tasks without needing local resources, which is convenient and efficient.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Apify provides thorough documentation and tutorials, which help users get started quickly and solve issues efficiently.
  • Community and Support
    Apify has an active community and solid customer support to assist users with their needs and enhance their overall experience.

Possible disadvantages

  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, there may still be a learning curve for those new to web scraping and automation.
  • Cost
    Apify can be expensive compared to other web scraping tools, particularly for extensive use cases that require high volumes of data.
  • Dependency on External Factors
    Web scraping often depends on the stability of the target websites. Changes in website structures can break scripts, requiring ongoing maintenance.
  • Performance Limitations
    The performance of cloud-based scraping tasks can be affected by network latency and other external factors beyond user control.
  • Potential Legal Issues
    Web scraping can raise legal concerns, particularly when scraping data from websites that restrict such activities in their terms of service.
  • Resource Intensity
    Complex scraping tasks can be resource-intensive, potentially requiring higher-tier subscriptions and more computing resources, driving up costs.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Scrape.ly
Apify

No analysis of Scrape.ly yet.

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apify is considered a good choice for web scraping and automation needs due to its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and strong community support. It is especially beneficial for those who require efficient, large-scale data extraction and workflow automation.

Why this product is good

  • Apify is an established platform known for its robust web scraping and automation capabilities. It provides a powerful API, pre-built actors for common tasks, and allows you to create custom web scrapers with ease. The platform is scalable, supports a variety of programming languages, and offers features like scheduling, proxies, and data storage solutions. This versatility makes it a valuable tool for businesses and developers needing efficient data retrieval and workflow automation.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a versatile web scraping solution.
  • Businesses needing to automate data collection processes.
  • Researchers and analysts requiring extensive data from the web.
  • Marketers seeking competitive analysis through data scraping.
  • Tech enthusiasts interested in exploring web automation tools.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Scrape.ly 0 videos + Add
Apify 1 video + Add

No Scrape.ly videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Apify product news - 2019/01/30

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Scrape.ly
Apify
1% 1%
99% 99%
1% 1%
99% 99%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Scrape.ly and Apify.

What makes your product unique?

Scrape.ly's answer

  • 500+ ready-made scrapers for popular sites, ready to run with no code
  • Built for AI agents: a hosted MCP server lets Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients find, run and read scrapers directly
  • Plugs into your stack: official integrations for Zapier, Make, n8n, LangChain, LlamaIndex, Dify, Airbyte, HubSpot, Salesforce and GitHub Actions
  • Pay for usage: monthly plans include matching usage credit, with $5 free every month

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Scrape.ly's answer

  • TypeScript and Node.js
  • React and Tailwind CSS
  • Playwright and Crawlee for browser automation
  • Docker for isolated scraper runs
  • Python for the MCP server and Python SDK

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Scrape.ly's answer

  • Developers and data teams who need web data without maintaining scrapers
  • AI builders connecting agents to live web data over MCP
  • Growth, sales and marketing teams pulling leads, prices and reviews through Zapier, Make or n8n

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Scrape.ly's answer

Most scraping tools make you either write your own scraper or buy a single-purpose API. Scrape.ly gives you a store of ready-made scrapers you can run from the dashboard, the API, an SDK, your automation tool or your AI agent, with results in structured datasets you can export as JSON, CSV or Excel. There's a free plan with $5 of monthly usage and no credit card to start.

User comments

Share your experience with using Scrape.ly and Apify. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Scrape.ly no reviews yet
Apify no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Scrape.ly yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Scrape.ly 0 mentions
Apify 68 mentions

Tracking Scrape.ly since Nov 2026.

  • How to Pull a Competitor's Google Ads into Python (Google Ads Transparency Center)
    Create a free account at apify.com, then copy your token from Settings → API & Integrations and put it in an environment variable:. - Source: dev.to / about 3 hours ago
  • AI Browser Automation Cost Template for Small Business
    AI browser automation adds a reasoning layer. The agent reads the page, works out which element is the price, adapts when the layout shifts, and decides what to do next. It can handle forms, dynamic content, and error states that stop a... - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • How to get Google Trends data in Python in 2026 (now that pytrends is archived)
    Create a free account at apify.com (no card needed). - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago

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Alternatives to Scrape.ly and Apify

When comparing Scrape.ly and Apify, you can also consider the following products.