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It's a split decision.
Choose Apify if you want a marketplace of ready-made web tools, custom Actors, and connections to AI agents through MCP, CLI or Skills. Choose ScraperAPI if your code needs a scraping API, structured JSON endpoints, asynchronous requests or no-code collection pipelines. Apify bills around compute units and concurrent runs; ScraperAPI plans are based on API credits and concurrent threads. Both are hosted services, so compare their usage models and output formats against your workload.
01Side by side
| Apify | ScraperAPI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly prepaid usage, compute-unit charges, usage-based overages | Monthly API-credit plans; pay-as-you-go on upper tiers |
| Free access | $5 monthly prepaid usage; five concurrent runs | 1,000 API credits; up to five concurrent connections |
| API and SDKs | Run Actors and access exports through API; SDK languages unnamed | Scraping and structured-data APIs; SDK languages unnamed |
| CLI and agent access | Connect agents through MCP, CLI or Skills | API-focused; no CLI or agent protocol named |
| Integrations | Zapier, GitHub, Sheets, Claude, n8n, Slack, LangChain | API connects to in-house web scrapers |
| Deployment model | Hosted Actor runs with cloud infrastructure | Hosted scraping API and low-code tools |
| Concurrency and scaling | Plan-based concurrent runs, Actor RAM and compute units | Credit plans with concurrent-thread limits |
| Data export | Export scraped data; formats not named | Structured JSON; some scrapers return JSON or CSV |
Apify Choose Apify if
- Choose Apify if you want ready-made Actors for specific sites.
- Choose Apify if agents need MCP, CLI or Skills connections.
- Choose Apify if you want to build and deploy custom Actors.
ScraperAPI Choose ScraperAPI if
- Choose ScraperAPI if your application needs a scraping API.
- Choose ScraperAPI for structured endpoints covering Amazon, Google or Walmart.
- Choose ScraperAPI if you want async requests or no-code DataPipeline automation.
02Pricing at real usage
Apify’s Free plan includes $5 in monthly prepaid usage, with compute units priced at $0.20 each. Starter is $19 per month and includes $19 in prepaid usage; Scale is $199 with $0.16 per compute unit, and Business is $999 with $0.13 per unit. Unused prepaid credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. The pricing page lists extra concurrent runs at $5 per run and Actor RAM at $1 per GB. Annual billing is 10% off.
ScraperAPI’s free account includes 1,000 API credits and up to five concurrent connections; a seven-day free trial is also listed. Paid plans start at $49 monthly for 100,000 credits, then $149 for one million and $299 for three million. Higher tiers include pay-as-you-go, but its per-credit rate is not published. Annual billing is 10% off.
03API, SDKs and integration
Apify is organized around Actors: you can run marketplace tools or build and deploy your own. Its API runs Actors, and the platform supports exporting scraped data. For agent workflows, Apify lists MCP, CLI and Skills connections. Its homepage names integrations including Zapier, GitHub, Google Sheets, Claude, n8n, Slack, LangChain and LlamaIndex. The homepage does not name SDK languages.
ScraperAPI is an API-first service for collecting public website data. Its scraping API handles proxy rotation, CAPTCHA and browser handling; separate structured endpoints return data for domains including Amazon, Google and Walmart. It also offers asynchronous requests and DataPipeline for no-code automation. The homepage says the API can connect to in-house web scrapers, but names no third-party integrations or SDK languages. Check the API documentation for the request and response details your code needs before choosing either platform.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source licence or self-hosting option on its product pages. Both are presented as hosted services: Apify runs Actors on cloud infrastructure, while ScraperAPI provides a hosted scraping API and collection tools. If self-hosting or licence rights are requirements, ask each vendor directly before building around the service.
Apify lets users export scraped data and run Actors through an API. Its marketplace also lets users build and publish Actors. The export formats are not named, so confirm whether they fit your storage and downstream processing. ScraperAPI returns structured JSON from its endpoints, and some scrapers offer JSON or CSV output. Migration from either service means replacing its API calls and adapting collection workflows to the new service. Keep downstream code tied to your own data schema rather than a vendor-specific response where possible.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Apify or ScraperAPI?
Apify has a free plan and paid plans starting at $19 per month, with compute-unit charges. ScraperAPI’s free account includes 1,000 credits; its first paid plan is $49 per month for 100,000 credits. The costs are based on different usage units, so estimate against your request volume and workload.
What does each free tier include?
Apify’s Free plan includes $5 in monthly prepaid usage, $0.20 per compute unit, 16 GB Actor RAM and five concurrent runs. ScraperAPI’s free account includes 1,000 API credits and up to five concurrent connections. ScraperAPI also lists a seven-day free trial.
Which is better for AI agent workflows?
Apify explicitly lists connections through MCP, CLI and Skills, and names Claude, LangChain and LlamaIndex among its integrations. ScraperAPI’s homepage describes an API, structured endpoints and DataPipeline; it does not name agent protocols. Choose based on how your agent calls tools and consumes returned data.
Can I self-host Apify or ScraperAPI?
Both are presented as hosted services, and neither vendor publishes a self-hosting option on its product pages. Apify runs Actors on cloud infrastructure; ScraperAPI offers a hosted API and collection tools. Ask the vendors about deployment requirements before committing to either.