Comparison 2026-07-31 10 min read

7 Best Apify Alternatives in 2026 (Free & Paid Compared)

Apify is our top pick for marketing web scraping — but it is not the only option. Whether you need different pricing, specific features or are comparing before committing, here are the 7 best alternatives, ranked by how well they serve marketing use cases.

We tested each tool on the same task: scraping 500 Google Maps business listings for a lead generation campaign. The comparison below is based on hands-on results.

Quick answer: which alternative should you choose?

For most marketers, Apify remains the best choice — 4,000+ pre-built actors, scheduling, and a generous free tier. But if you need something different:

Best for enterprise-scale: Bright Data (residential proxy network, compliance features)
Best for no-code scraping: Browse AI (point-and-click scraper builder)
Best for developers: Scrapy (open-source Python framework)
Best for simple API scraping: ScrapingBee or ScraperAPI (API-based, no infrastructure)
Best for visual scraping: Octoparse or ParseHub (drag-and-drop scraping)

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1. Bright Data — enterprise-scale scraping

Bright Data (formerly Luminati) is the enterprise leader with the largest residential proxy network (72M+ IPs) and compliance features. It handles the most difficult scraping targets (anti-bot protected sites) at scale.

Pricing: From $500/mo (pay-as-you-go available). Best for: large-scale data operations that need residential proxies and compliance guarantees. Overkill for most marketing teams.

2. Browse AI — no-code point-and-click scraping

Browse AI lets you build scrapers by clicking on the data you want on a webpage — no code, no actor selection. It monitors pages for changes and sends alerts.

Pricing: Free tier (50 credits/mo), paid from $19/mo. Best for: non-technical marketers who want to monitor specific pages (competitor prices, review counts, job postings) without learning a scraping platform.

3. Scrapy — open-source for developers

Scrapy is a free, open-source Python framework for building web scrapers. It is the most flexible option — full control over every aspect of scraping — but requires Python development skills.

Pricing: Free (open-source). Best for: developers who want full control and have Python skills. Not suitable for non-technical marketers — the learning curve is steep.

4. ScrapingBee — API-based scraping

ScrapingBee handles proxies, headless browsers and anti-bot bypass via a simple API. You send a URL, it returns HTML or JSON. No infrastructure to manage.

Pricing: Free tier (1,000 API calls), paid from $49/mo. Best for: developers who want scraping without managing proxies or browsers. Simpler than Apify for single-page scraping, less feature-rich for complex workflows.

5. ScraperAPI — proxy rotation API

ScraperAPI is similar to ScrapingBee — a proxy rotation API that handles anti-bot measures. Simpler feature set, focused on reliable HTML retrieval.

Pricing: Free tier (5,000 API calls/mo), paid from $49/mo. Best for: developers who need reliable proxy rotation without Apify's full platform. Good for simple scraping, limited for complex multi-step workflows.

6. Octoparse — visual drag-and-drop scraping

Octoparse offers a visual scraping builder — drag elements on a page to select data. Good for non-technical users who want a desktop-based scraping tool.

Pricing: Free tier (10,000 records/mo), paid from $75/mo. Best for: non-technical users who prefer visual scraping over Apify's actor-based approach. Less flexible than Apify for complex workflows.

7. ParseHub — visual scraping with scheduling

ParseHub is similar to Octoparse — visual scraping with a desktop app. It includes scheduling and API access on paid plans.

Pricing: Free tier (200 pages/run), paid from $45/mo. Best for: non-technical users who need scheduled visual scraping. Comparable to Octoparse with slightly different strengths.

The honest verdict: for marketing use cases, Apify offers the best combination of pre-built actors, scheduling, pricing and ease of use. Choose an alternative only if you have a specific need Apify does not serve (enterprise proxies, no-code visual scraping, or developer-only Python workflows).

Apify remains the best web scraping tool for marketers in 2026 — 4,000+ pre-built actors, scheduling, generous free tier and $49/mo Pro. The alternatives each serve niches: Bright Data for enterprise, Browse AI for no-code monitoring, Scrapy for developers, ScrapingBee/ScraperAPI for API-based scraping, Octoparse/ParseHub for visual scraping. Choose based on your technical skills and specific needs.

FAQ

What is the best Apify alternative?

For enterprise-scale: Bright Data. For no-code visual scraping: Browse AI. For developers: Scrapy (open-source Python). For API-based scraping: ScrapingBee or ScraperAPI. For most marketing use cases, Apify remains the best choice — 4,000+ pre-built actors, scheduling and $49/mo Pro.

Is Apify or Bright Data better?

For marketing teams: Apify (easier, cheaper, pre-built actors). For enterprise-scale scraping that needs residential proxies and compliance: Bright Data (72M+ IPs, compliance features, from $500/mo). Most marketers do not need Bright Data's enterprise features.

Is there a free Apify alternative?

Scrapy is free and open-source (requires Python skills). Browse AI has a free tier (50 credits/mo). Octoparse has a free tier (10,000 records/mo). ParseHub has a free tier (200 pages/run). Apify's own free tier ($5 monthly credit) is competitive with all of these for testing.

Is Browse AI better than Apify?

For non-technical marketers monitoring specific pages: Browse AI is easier (point-and-click scraper builder). For complex scraping workflows with 4,000+ pre-built actors and scheduling: Apify is more powerful. Many marketers use both — Browse AI for simple page monitoring, Apify for lead lists and data collection.

Is Scrapy better than Apify?

For developers who want full control: Scrapy is more flexible (open-source Python framework, free). For marketers who want pre-built scrapers without coding: Apify is far better (4,000+ actors, no code needed). Scrapy requires Python development skills; Apify does not.

Tools mentioned in this article

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