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Most buyers should pick Apify.
Choose Apify if you want ready-made or custom Actors, exports, and agent connections; its Starter plan is $19/month ($17.10 billed annually). ScraperAPI fits teams that want a managed scraping API, structured endpoints, or asynchronous collection, but starts at $49/month ($44.10 annually). Both offer free access: Apify lists $5 in monthly usage, while ScraperAPI includes 1,000 API credits. Compare compute and proxy costs against credit use before scaling.
01Side by side
| Apify | ScraperAPI | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/month; $17.10/month billed annually | $49/month; $44.10/month billed annually |
| Free plan | $5 usage, 16 GB RAM, five concurrent runs | 1,000 API credits, five concurrent connections |
| Best for | Actor marketplace, custom scrapers, and AI-agent workflows | Managed scraping, structured endpoints, and async requests |
| Core strength | Actor choice, cloud runs, exports, APIs, and agent connections | Proxy rotation, CAPTCHA handling, and browser handling |
| Learning curve | Ready-made Actors help; custom Actors require building | Low-code tools; API workflows still need configuration |
| Integrations/data | Exports, API, MCP, CLI, and Skills connections | Structured JSON, DataPipeline, SERP, and async scraping |
| Team/seat costs | Seat pricing not published; concurrent-run add-ons cost $5 each | Seat pricing not published; concurrency excess requests receive 429 |
| Support | Community on Free; chat on Starter; priority chat on Scale | Priority support on Professional; dedicated support on Enterprise |
Apify Choose Apify if
- Choose Apify if you want ready-made Actors across many site types.
- Choose Apify if MCP, CLI, or Skills connections matter.
- Choose Apify if the $19 Starter entry price fits your budget.
ScraperAPI Choose ScraperAPI if
- Choose ScraperAPI if you want proxy and CAPTCHA handling included.
- Choose ScraperAPI if structured endpoints for Amazon, Google, or Walmart fit.
- Choose ScraperAPI if you need asynchronous requests or no-code DataPipeline.
02Pricing compared
Apify costs less to start: its Starter plan is $19 per month, or $17.10 per month on annual billing, and includes $19 in monthly prepaid usage. After that, usage is pay as you go. The Free plan includes $5 in monthly usage. ScraperAPI’s Hobby plan starts at $49 monthly, or $44.10 per month billed annually, for 100,000 API credits; its free account includes 1,000 credits. These allowances measure different things, so the starting prices are not a direct cost comparison. Apify lists compute-unit rates from $0.20 on Free and Starter to $0.13 on Business, plus proxies from $0.60 per datacenter IP. ScraperAPI’s pay-as-you-go credit rate is not published. It rejects requests beyond concurrency limits with a 429 response, while some plans can auto-upgrade when credits run out.
03Features and depth
Apify is built around Actors: ready-made tools for collecting data from sites including social media, maps, and e-commerce, plus the option to build and deploy your own. Its platform also supports data exports and API runs, and connects AI agents through MCP, CLI, or Skills. Apify includes cloud infrastructure for proxies, unblocking, deployment, monitoring, and data processing. That breadth gives teams more options, but means comparing Actor and compute costs matters as usage grows.
ScraperAPI centers on a managed scraping API. Its listed features include proxy rotation, CAPTCHA and browser handling, structured JSON endpoints for domains such as Amazon, Google, and Walmart, and asynchronous requests. DataPipeline offers no-code collection automation, while SERP tools return structured search results. ScraperAPI says its proxy pool covers more than 40 million proxies across 50-plus countries. It is the more focused option if you want an API or structured endpoints rather than a marketplace of reusable Actors. The right fit depends on whether you need configurable tools or a managed request pipeline.
04Ease of use and learning curve
ScraperAPI should take less setup for teams that want to send requests without managing proxies, browsers, or CAPTCHA handling; its DataPipeline also offers no-code data collection. Its API still requires a workflow that can make requests and handle returned data, and its credit limits and concurrency caps need attention.
Apify can be as simple as running a ready-made Actor, but building and deploying custom Actors adds a coding path. You also need to understand compute units and, depending on the job, proxy costs. Its API, exports, and MCP, CLI, and Skills connections offer more ways to integrate results, but they do not make every Actor equally simple to configure. Choose based on whether you want a managed scraping endpoint or more control over the collection tools.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Apify or ScraperAPI?
Apify has the lower listed entry price: Starter is $19 monthly, or $17.10 per month billed annually. ScraperAPI Hobby is $49 monthly, or $44.10 annually. Their included usage is measured differently—Apify usage and compute units versus ScraperAPI credits—so compare expected workload costs, not just plan prices.
Can Apify replace ScraperAPI?
Possibly, if the Actors you need cover your target sites and workflow. Apify offers ready-made and custom Actors, API runs, and data exports. ScraperAPI instead lists managed proxy, CAPTCHA, and browser handling, structured endpoints, async requests, and DataPipeline. Check the required site coverage and integrations before switching.
What do the free plans include?
Apify’s Free plan includes $5 in monthly prepaid usage, charges $0.20 per compute unit, and allows five concurrent runs. ScraperAPI’s free account includes 1,000 API credits and up to five concurrent connections. The allowances are not equivalent, so estimate usage against each product’s billing unit.
What happens when I exceed the included usage?
Apify says usage beyond prepaid credits is billed on the next invoice, with compute-unit rates varying by plan; unused prepaid credits expire at the end of the billing cycle. ScraperAPI offers pay as you go on higher plans, but its per-credit rate is not published. Concurrency overages are rejected with a 429 response.