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It's a split decision.
YepAPI is a metered API for developers who want SEO, scraping, social and e-commerce data, and AI models behind one key and JSON interface. Apify is a hosted Actor platform for teams that want ready-made or custom data-collection tools, cloud execution, and exports. YepAPI has no monthly subscription and gives $5 in signup credit. Apify has a free plan with $5 monthly usage, but compute-unit charges and run limits shape scaling.
01Side by side
| YepAPI | Apify | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-call usage; no subscriptions or monthly minimums | Monthly prepaid plans, then usage-based compute charges |
| Free tier | $5 signup credit; no card required | $5 monthly prepaid usage on Free plan |
| API | Shared key; endpoints and models return JSON | Run Actors and access results through APIs |
| CLI and docs | Docs, llms.txt, MCP server, and agent skills | CLI, MCP, Skills, and Actor guides |
| Integrations | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, MCP clients | Zapier, GitHub, n8n, LangChain, LlamaIndex |
| Deployment model | Hosted, usage-billed API | Cloud platform for deploying and running Actors |
| Limits and scaling | No rate limits listed; pay per call | Plan-based concurrency and compute-unit rates |
| Data handling | Consistent JSON responses across endpoints | Export scraped data from Actor runs |
YepAPI Choose YepAPI if
- Choose YepAPI if one key and JSON format simplify your integrations.
- Choose YepAPI if you need SEO, scraping, social, and AI APIs together.
- Choose YepAPI if you prefer per-call billing without monthly plans.
Apify Choose Apify if
- Choose Apify if ready-made website and social scraping Actors fit your work.
- Choose Apify if you need custom Actors, scheduled runs, and monitoring.
- Choose Apify if dataset exports and a marketplace matter to your workflow.
02Pricing at real usage
YepAPI charges per call or other metered unit, with no subscription or monthly minimum. It gives new users $5 in signup credit, and the homepage lists Google SERP and web scraping at $0.01 per call; the keyword overview starts at $0.03. Failed calls are not charged, and the pricing page lists no rate limits. Apify's Free plan includes $5 in monthly prepaid usage, with compute at $0.20 per compute unit (CU), 16 GB Actor RAM, and five concurrent runs. Starter costs $19 monthly, including $19 prepaid usage, then pay-as-you-go charges; its CU rate is also $0.20. Scale is $199 monthly with a $0.16 CU rate, while Business is $999 monthly with a $0.13 rate. Apify lists 10% off annual billing; unused prepaid credits expire each billing cycle. Compare expected calls with Actor compute and concurrency before choosing.
03API, SDKs and integration
YepAPI uses HTTP endpoints such as POST /v1/seo/keywords/overview, /v1/serp/google, and /v1/scrape. Calls share one API key and return JSON, including when accessing its catalog of 285 AI models. Its homepage links to docs and llms.txt, and names a hosted MCP server and agent skills, with Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex as agent workflows. The homepage does not identify language-specific SDKs, so check the docs for SDK coverage before standardizing on a language. Apify centers on Actors: run marketplace tools or build and deploy custom ones, then call them through the API. Its integration options include CLI, MCP, Skills, Zapier, GitHub, Google Sheets, Claude, n8n, Google Drive, Slack, LangChain, and LlamaIndex. Actor pages describe their inputs and outputs; the platform also supports scheduling, monitoring, and data exports. The architecture choice is a common endpoint contract with YepAPI versus Actor-specific tools and run workflows with Apify.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source license or self-hosting option on its homepage. Apify describes cloud infrastructure for running, monitoring, and processing Actor jobs; YepAPI presents a hosted API with usage billing. Ask each vendor about deployment control and contractual data handling if those are requirements. Apify lets users export scraped data, which gives an exit path for collected datasets, though replacing an Actor may still require adapting its input, output, and run workflow. YepAPI returns JSON through a shared API interface, but its homepage does not describe a separate bulk-export or migration feature. Moving integrations between the products is not a direct endpoint swap: YepAPI's endpoint and model calls differ from Apify's Actor-specific configuration and execution. Keep your own copies of outputs and isolate vendor-specific request handling behind an internal interface.
Questions people ask
Is Apify free?
Apify has a Free plan that includes $5 in monthly prepaid usage, $0.20 per compute unit, 16 GB Actor RAM, and five concurrent runs. Usage beyond the included amount can add costs. Unused prepaid credits expire at the end of the billing cycle.
Is it legal to use Apify?
Using a scraping platform does not by itself determine whether a particular data-collection job is legal. The answer depends on the target site, data, jurisdiction, and how you use the results. Review applicable laws and site terms, and confirm your intended use with qualified counsel.
Is Apify reliable?
Apify lists cloud infrastructure, deployment, monitoring, and Actor run controls. Those features support operational workflows, but they do not guarantee a given Actor's uptime or data quality. Evaluate the specific Actor, its maintenance, failure handling, and your monitoring needs before putting it in production.
Can I earn money from Apify?
Apify lets creators publish Actors in its marketplace and handles billing, taxes, and invoicing for creators. That provides a way to sell tools, but the platform's homepage does not guarantee earnings. Review marketplace terms and account for the costs of building and maintaining an Actor.