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Apify is listed at $19 to start, with a free plan, and remains a fit for teams that need varied Actors or custom data workflows. But flexible scraping can get expensive: Reddit users report costs rising with custom code, heavy browser use and premium proxies. For Google Maps leads, one commenter called Apify pricey and said it lacked built-in data management. These alternatives trade Apify’s breadth for more specific jobs; compare the listed starting prices, then check the usage terms before switching.
01Why people leave Apify
Compute and proxy costs can climb
A Reddit commenter warns that custom code, heavy browser usage and premium proxies can push Apify costs up quickly.
You only need a focused workflow
One Google Maps lead-generation thread weighs alternatives for niche-and-city searches; a commenter calls Apify pricey for that job.
Data management may be missing
A commenter comparing Google Maps tools says Apify lacks built-in data management. That is one user’s report, not a verified platform-wide limitation.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Google Maps leads
OutscraperOutscraperFor local lead generation, Outscraper is the closest fit in this list: its description names Google Maps data, pay-as-you-go collection and API access. It starts at $1 and has a free plan, according to the published pricing summary. A Reddit commenter called it less relevant than Apify for their results, so check sample coverage for your target locations before moving a lead workflow.
Trade-off: Reddit users report service complaints, so reliability is a question mark.
7.0/10from
$1/mofree plan - Multi-site scraping
Bright DataBright DataBright Data fits teams collecting data across multiple sites that want proxy and API options, rather than a catalog of prebuilt Actors. The pricing page shows a free plan and a $0 starting price; it does not give enough detail here to estimate your usage bill. Its description specifically advises checking usage costs and data-access rules before committing.
Trade-off: You give up Apify’s stated emphasis on varied Actors and custom workflows.
7.1/10from
$499/mofree plan - Search and scraping APIs
OxylabsOxylabsOxylabs is a fit if your replacement needs search and scraping APIs, multiple proxy types or web data for AI agents. Its listing shows a free plan and a $15 starting price. The published description flags usage caps and target-site risks, so it is worth checking those against your actual sources before moving a production workflow.
Trade-off: Usage caps and target-site risks need checking; the published material gives no cap figures.
7.5/10from
$15/mofree plan - AI web data
FirecrawlFirecrawlFirecrawl is positioned for AI apps that need web search, structured page extraction or a small web-data API project. The published pricing summary lists a free plan and a $16 starting price. That is a more focused match than Apify’s varied-Actor pitch when the job is extracting web content for an AI application, rather than running many kinds of scraping tasks.
Trade-off: The listing flags rising usage costs and mixed self-hosting reports.
7.4/10from
$16/mofree plan - No-code monitoring
Browse AIBrowse AIBrowse AI suits recurring no-code scraping, website change tracking and sending extracted data to spreadsheets. Its listed starting price is $19, with a free plan. That makes it a candidate if your Apify workload is mainly repeat monitoring and you want a no-code fit, not a broad collection of Actors. The published description says to check credit and website caps.
Trade-off: Credit and website caps may constrain the workflow; figures are not published here.
7.2/10from
$19/mofree plan - Template-based no-code
OctoparseOctoparse
Octoparse is aimed at small teams building no-code scrapers, using templates or running cloud collections. The pricing page starts at $69 and includes a free plan. Consider it when a template-based workflow covers the job you currently run in Apify; the description cautions that annual pricing and run limits need to fit before you commit.
Trade-off: Annual pricing and run limits may not suit a small or variable workload.
7.4/10from
$69/mofree plan - Managed scraping APIs
ScrapingBeeScrapingBeeScrapingBee is described as an option for replacing self-managed proxy infrastructure, rendering JavaScript and using supported dedicated APIs. Its listing shows a $19 starting price and a free plan. It may fit teams trying to simplify those specific parts of a scraping setup, but the published material does not establish that it replaces Apify’s wider Actor and workflow breadth.
Trade-off: Check credit costs and results for your target sites before switching.
6.5/10from
$19/mofree plan - Small web datasets
Data MinerData MinerData Miner is aimed at marketers collecting smaller web datasets, exporting to CSV or Excel, and automating multi-page browser scraping. Its listed starting price is $19.99, with a free plan. It is a narrower option to consider if those tasks make up your Apify workload; the published description says to check the page cap and domain restrictions first.
Trade-off: Page caps and domain restrictions may rule out larger or broader jobs.
6.8/10from
$19.99/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Apify Apify (current) | 7.4 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams needing varied scraping Actors |
| Outscraper Outscraper | 7.0 | $1/mo | Yes | Local lead generation from Google Maps |
| Bright Data Bright Data | 7.1 | $499/mo | Yes | Teams scraping across multiple sites |
| Oxylabs Oxylabs | 7.5 | $15/mo | Yes | Teams needing search and scraping APIs |
| Firecrawl Firecrawl | 7.4 | $16/mo | Yes | AI apps that need web search |
| Browse AI Browse AI | 7.2 | $19/mo | Yes | Recurring no-code website scraping |
| Octoparse Octoparse | 7.4 | $69/mo | Yes | Small teams building no-code scrapers |
| ScrapingBee ScrapingBee | 6.5 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams replacing self-managed proxy infrastructure |
| Data Miner Data Miner | 6.8 | $19.99/mo | Yes | Marketers scraping smaller web datasets |
Questions people ask
Is there a free version of Apify?
Yes. The published pricing summary lists Apify with a free plan and a starting price of $19. It does not include the free plan’s usage limits or explain what the starting price covers, so check Apify’s current pricing page before comparing your expected workload.
Is Apify legal?
The published material does not establish that Apify scraping is always legal or illegal. The answer can depend on the target site, the data collected and the rules that apply to your use. Review the relevant site terms and data requirements before scraping; this comparison is not legal advice.
Which scraping service is best, and what are the top 10?
There is no single best fit in this list: Outscraper is positioned for Google Maps leads, Browse AI for no-code monitoring, and Firecrawl for AI web data. The ten services covered here are Apify, Bright Data, Captain Data, Firecrawl, PhantomBuster, Oxylabs, Data Miner, Outscraper, Browse AI and Octoparse. That is a coverage list, not a ranking.