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It's a split decision.
Firecrawl is a web data API for developers who want to search, scrape and interact with pages through a focused interface. Apify is a hosted platform built around ready-made and custom Actors, with APIs and exports for running data-collection jobs. Firecrawl’s pricing uses monthly credits; Apify combines prepaid usage with compute-unit charges. Pick Firecrawl for agent-ready web extraction and a stated open-source project. Pick Apify when its Actor marketplace, integrations and run-management features fit your workload.
01Side by side
| Firecrawl | Apify | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly credits; add-ons and capped pay-as-you-go | Prepaid usage, then compute-unit charges |
| Free tier | 1,000 credits; two concurrent requests | $5 monthly usage; five concurrent runs |
| Open source and licence | Open-source API; check the licence before adopting | Open-source status not published |
| API and SDKs | Web data API; Python and Node.js examples | Run Actors through the API; build custom Actors |
| CLI and agent access | CLI and MCP clients; Python and Node.js examples | CLI, MCP, Skills and Actor setup prompts |
| Integrations | OpenAI, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and MCP | Zapier, GitHub, Sheets, Slack, LangChain and more |
| Limits and scaling | 2–100 concurrent requests across listed plans | 5–256 concurrent runs across listed plans |
| Lock-in and data export | Markdown, JSON and screenshot outputs | Export Actor data; marketplace-specific workflows |
Firecrawl Choose Firecrawl if
- Choose Firecrawl if you need a direct API for search, scraping and page interaction.
- Choose Firecrawl if monthly credits map cleanly to your request volume.
- Choose Firecrawl if you want an open-source project and agent integrations.
Apify Choose Apify if
- Choose Apify if a ready-made Actor already handles your target site.
- Choose Apify if you need scheduled, monitored runs and data exports.
- Choose Apify if its compute, proxy and concurrency options fit your workload.
02Pricing at real usage
Firecrawl’s free plan gives 1,000 credits monthly, listed as 500 searches or 1,000 scraped pages, with two concurrent requests. Paid monthly plans start at Hobby for $19; annual billing lowers its per-month equivalent to $16. Standard is $99 monthly or $83 annually, with 100,000 credits. Extra credits cost $5 in plan-specific bundles; paid plans can also add pay-as-you-go credits in $5 increments, subject to a customer-set monthly cap.
Apify’s free plan includes $5 monthly prepaid usage, priced at $0.20 per compute unit. Starter is $19 monthly ($17.10 annually) and includes $19 prepaid usage, then pay-as-you-go. Scale is $199 monthly, with a $0.16 compute-unit rate. Unused prepaid credits expire each billing cycle; overages go on the next invoice. Compare expected runs and compute, not headline fees.
03API, SDKs and integration
Firecrawl is a web data API: use it to search, scrape pages into Markdown or JSON, and interact with pages using prompts or code. The homepage lists Python, Node.js, cURL and CLI, with a Python example using the firecrawl-py package. It also lists connections to OpenAI, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and MCP clients. Its API covers page extraction as well as search and interaction.
Apify centers on Actors, which developers can run from its marketplace or build and deploy using code templates and guides. The platform exposes an API for running Actors and supports exports of collected data. Its homepage lists MCP, CLI and Skills for agent connections, plus integrations including Zapier, GitHub, Google Sheets, Claude, n8n, Slack, LangChain and LlamaIndex. Check the documentation for the specific Actor’s inputs and outputs before building around it.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Firecrawl describes itself as open source, but does not identify a licence on its homepage. Confirm the repository licence and its terms before depending on code reuse or modification. Firecrawl’s self-hosting options are not published on the homepage; ask the vendor if running it in your own environment is a requirement.
Apify’s homepage does not publish an open-source status or self-hosting terms. Its product is presented as a hosted platform with cloud infrastructure for deployment, proxies, monitoring and data processing. Apify says users can export scraped data, which gives you a way to move collected results; Actor-specific workflows and marketplace tools may still need replacing if you leave. Firecrawl returns formats including Markdown and JSON, but confirm the export and retention behavior you need before committing either service to a production pipeline.
Questions people ask
Is Firecrawl or Apify cheaper?
It depends on workload. Firecrawl charges by monthly credits, with paid plans starting at $19 monthly and a free tier of 1,000 credits. Apify’s free plan includes $5 of monthly usage; paid plans start at $19 monthly, then usage is billed by compute units. Estimate requests or Actor runtime before comparing totals.
Can I use Firecrawl and Apify with AI agents?
Yes. Firecrawl lists connections to AI agents and MCP clients, with examples including OpenAI, Claude, Cursor and Windsurf. Apify lists MCP, CLI and Skills for agent connections, and integrations including Claude, LangChain and LlamaIndex. Check each tool’s API and data format against your agent workflow.
Can I self-host Firecrawl or Apify?
Neither product’s homepage publishes self-hosting terms. Firecrawl describes itself as open source, but check its repository licence and ask about supported deployment options. Apify presents a hosted platform with cloud infrastructure; ask the vendor about deployment and data residency requirements before adopting it.
Which is better for scraping social media?
Apify is a stronger fit when a ready-made Actor covers the target service: its marketplace lists tools for TikTok, Instagram and Facebook data collection. Firecrawl focuses on web search, page scraping and interaction. Compare the relevant Actor’s inputs, outputs and costs with your data needs before selecting a platform.