Apify
Apify is a comprehensive web scraping and automation platform that allows you to extract data from any website and automate manual web workflows using ready-made or custom tools.
ScrapingBee
ScrapingBee is a specialized web scraping API that handles headless browsers and rotates proxies for you to ensure you can extract data from any website without getting blocked.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Apify | ScrapingBee |
|---|---|---|
| Website | apify.com | scrapingbee.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $49/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✘ No product demo |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2015 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic | Paris, France |
Overview
Apify
Apify is a versatile platform designed to help you collect data from the web and automate repetitive browser tasks. You can choose from hundreds of ready-to-use scrapers for popular sites like Amazon, Google Maps, and Instagram, or build your own custom automation tools using JavaScript or Python. It handles the heavy lifting of proxy management, browser scaling, and scheduling so you can focus on the data itself.
You can integrate the extracted data directly into your existing workflows using webhooks or native connectors for tools like Zapier and Make. Whether you are a developer looking for a scalable infrastructure or a business analyst needing clean market data, the platform provides the flexibility to crawl at any scale. It effectively solves the problem of manual data entry and brittle DIY scraping scripts.
ScrapingBee
ScrapingBee is a powerful web scraping API designed to simplify the process of extracting data from the web. You can manage thousands of headless browsers in the cloud, allowing you to focus on the data you need rather than the infrastructure required to get it. It automatically handles proxy rotation and solves CAPTCHAs, ensuring your requests look like organic traffic and reducing the risk of being blocked by sophisticated anti-bot systems.
You can use the platform to scrape modern JavaScript-heavy websites, perform SEO monitoring, or conduct competitive price tracking across e-commerce sites. Whether you are a solo developer or part of a large data engineering team, the API scales to meet your needs with simple integration into your existing codebase. It eliminates the headache of maintaining your own proxy pools and browser instances, saving you significant development time and operational costs.
Overview
Apify Features
- Apify Store Access hundreds of pre-built scrapers for popular websites so you can start extracting data in minutes without writing any code.
- Smart Proxy Management Rotate through data center and residential proxies automatically to avoid IP bans and bypass sophisticated anti-scraping bot protections.
- Custom Actor Development Build and deploy your own scraping scripts in the cloud using JavaScript, TypeScript, or Python with built-in library support.
- Automated Scheduling Set your scrapers to run at specific intervals so you always have the most up-to-date information for your reports.
- Webhooks and API Trigger actions in other apps automatically when a crawl finishes or access your data programmatically via a REST API.
- Headless Browser Support Run Playwright, Puppeteer, or Selenium in the cloud to scrape modern, dynamic websites that require user-like interactions.
ScrapingBee Features
- Headless Browser Rendering. Render JavaScript-heavy websites effortlessly using a fleet of headless browsers to capture data exactly as a real user would see it.
- Automatic Proxy Rotation. Access a massive pool of residential and data center proxies that rotate automatically to prevent IP bans and ensure high success rates.
- CAPTCHA Solving. Bypass annoying CAPTCHAs and anti-bot challenges automatically without writing custom logic or integrating third-party solving services.
- Geotargeting. Route your requests through specific countries to see localized content and track prices or search rankings across different global markets.
- Custom JavaScript Execution. Run your own JavaScript snippets on the target page to click buttons, scroll down, or interact with elements before extracting data.
- Screenshot Capture. Take full-page or element-specific screenshots of any website to monitor visual changes or archive page layouts for your records.
Pricing Comparison
Apify Pricing
- $5 platform credits monthly
- 20 shared proxy IPs
- Unlimited local runs
- Discord community support
- Access to Apify Store
- Everything in Free, plus:
- $49 platform credits monthly
- 30-day data retention
- Email support
- Shared and residential proxy access
ScrapingBee Pricing
- 150,000 API credits
- 10 concurrent requests
- JavaScript rendering
- Premium proxies
- Geotargeting
- Email support
- Everything in Freelance, plus:
- 1,000,000 API credits
- 40 concurrent requests
- Priority email support
- Advanced geotargeting
- Higher throughput
Pros & Cons
Apify
Pros
- Extensive library of ready-made scrapers saves significant time
- Excellent documentation makes it easy for developers to start
- Reliable proxy rotation effectively bypasses most website blocks
- Highly scalable infrastructure handles large-scale crawls easily
Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Credit consumption can be difficult to predict initially
- Residential proxies can become expensive for high-volume tasks
ScrapingBee
Pros
- Extremely easy to integrate with simple API calls
- Reliably bypasses tough anti-bot protections and CAPTCHAs
- Excellent documentation makes setup fast for developers
- Responsive customer support helps solve technical hurdles quickly
Cons
- Credits can be consumed quickly on complex sites
- JavaScript rendering costs more credits per request
- Concurrent request limits on lower tiers can slow throughput