Apify
by Apify
Web scraping and browser automation platform with 2,000+ pre-built scrapers Apify is a cloud platform for web scraping, data extraction, and browser automation. The platform provides serverless infrastructure for running web scrapers and automation scripts written in Node.
Performance Scores
1 ranking evaluated
Score range: 7.0 – 7.0
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#9Best ETL & Data Pipeline Tools 2026
Score: 7.0 · Best for: Teams that need to extract and pipeline web data at scale, particularly for market research, price monitoring, or lead generation
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Built Scrapers (Actors) | 2,000+ | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Starter Plan | $49/month | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Free Tier | $5/month in platform credits | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Open-Source Framework | Crawlee (Node.js/Python) | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Anti-Blocking Features | Proxy rotation, browser fingerprinting, CAPTCHA handling | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Founded | 2015 | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Web Scraping Focus | Primarily a web scraping and data extraction platform; used for price monitoring, lead generation, market research, and content aggregation at scale | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Apify Store | The Apify Store marketplace offers over 3,000 ready-made scrapers ("Actors") for popular websites including Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, and social media platforms | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Proxy Infrastructure | Built-in proxy infrastructure with residential, datacenter, and Google SERP proxies to handle anti-bot protections and IP rotation automatically | Mar 2026 | Apify |
| Headless Browser Support | Native support for headless browsers via Playwright and Puppeteer for scraping JavaScript-rendered websites; the Crawlee open-source library provides a unified interface for both | Mar 2026 | Apify / Crawlee |
Strengths
- ●3,000+ pre-built scrapers in the Apify Store marketplace
- ●Built-in proxy infrastructure for avoiding IP blocks
- ●Headless browser support (Playwright, Puppeteer) for JavaScript-heavy sites
Limitations
- ●Primarily focused on web data — not a general-purpose ETL tool
- ●Compute-unit pricing can be difficult to predict for variable workloads
- ●Self-hosted deployment requires more infrastructure management
Based on evaluations in 1 ranking: Best ETL & Data Pipeline Tools 2026
About Apify
Apify is a cloud platform for web scraping, data extraction, and browser automation. The platform provides serverless infrastructure for running web scrapers and automation scripts written in Node.js or Python, which Apify calls Actors. The Apify Store marketplace contains over 2,000 pre-built Actors for scraping specific websites and services, contributed by both the Apify team and the developer community.
The company also maintains Crawlee, an open-source web scraping and browser automation framework for Node.js and Python. Crawlee provides HTTP crawling, browser automation via Playwright and Puppeteer, automatic proxy rotation, and request queuing. Apify's cloud platform is built on top of Crawlee and adds managed infrastructure, scheduling, storage, and monitoring.
Apify's anti-blocking infrastructure includes automatic proxy rotation, browser fingerprint management, and CAPTCHA handling for supported sites. As of March 2026, the platform offers a free tier with $5 in monthly platform credits, with paid plans starting at $49 per month. Costs scale based on compute usage (measured in compute units) and proxy consumption.
Integrations (6)
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ETL & Data PipelinesSee How It Ranks
Best Automation Tools for Data Teams in 2026
A ranked list of the best automation and data pipeline tools for data teams in 2026. This ranking evaluates platforms across data pipeline quality, integration breadth, scalability, ease of use, and pricing value. Tools are assessed based on their ability to handle ETL/ELT workflows, data transformation, orchestration, and integration tasks that data engineers and analysts rely on daily. The ranking includes both dedicated data tools (Apache Airflow, Fivetran, Prefect) and general-purpose automation platforms (n8n, Make) that have developed strong data pipeline capabilities. Each tool is scored on a 10-point scale across five weighted criteria.
Best ETL & Data Pipeline Tools 2026
Our ranking of the top ETL and data pipeline tools for building reliable data workflows and transformations in 2026.
Questions About Apify
What are the best Apify alternatives in 2026?
The top Apify alternatives in 2026 are Bardeen (browser-based scraping with automation), n8n with HTTP nodes (self-hosted scraping workflows), Scrapy (Python scraping framework), and Bright Data (proxy-first data collection). Bardeen is the easiest for non-developers; Scrapy offers the most flexibility for engineers.
How much does Apify cost in 2026?
Apify offers a free tier with $5 of included usage. Paid plans start at $49/month (Starter) and $499/month (Scale), both based on compute usage credits. Enterprise pricing with dedicated infrastructure is custom as of March 2026.
Is Apify worth it in 2026?
Apify scores 7.5/10 in 2026. The platform offers 2,000+ pre-built web scrapers, serverless execution, and the open-source Crawlee framework. Costs scale quickly at high volumes, and building custom scrapers requires developer skills.