Apify vs ScrapingBee: Which Scraping API is Better?

Quick answer: which should you choose?

Choose Apify if you need to scrape specific platforms (LinkedIn, Amazon, Google Maps, TikTok, Instagram) with pre-built actors. The marketplace has thousands of ready-to-use scrapers that return structured data without coding.

Choose ScrapingBee if you need to scrape arbitrary websites with custom extraction logic. The API handles proxies, JavaScript rendering, and CAPTCHAs, giving you raw HTML to parse with your own selectors.

Head-to-head comparison

We tested both tools on the same task: scraping product data from an e-commerce site.

• Model: Apify → actor marketplace (pre-built scrapers); ScrapingBee → generic API (send URL, get HTML)
• Ease of use: Apify > ScrapingBee for specific platforms (no code needed); ScrapingBee > Apify for custom sites
• Pre-built scrapers: Apify > ScrapingBee (thousands of actors vs none)
• Custom scraping: ScrapingBee > Apify (generic API for any URL vs actor-dependent)
• Proxy handling: Both handle proxy rotation automatically
• JavaScript rendering: Both handle JS-rendered pages
• CAPTCHA handling: ScrapingBee > Apify (built-in CAPTCHA solving vs varies by actor)
• Data output: Apify > ScrapingBee (structured JSON from actors vs raw HTML)
• Scheduling: Apify > ScrapingBee (built-in scheduler and webhooks vs API-only)
• Storage: Apify > ScrapingBee (built-in datasets and key-value stores vs none)
• Pricing: Apify from $49/mo (Starter); ScrapingBee from $49/mo (30,000 pages)
• Free tier: Apify $5/mo credit; ScrapingBee 1,000 free API credits

Where Apify wins

Apify wins on pre-built scrapers and workflow automation. The actor marketplace has thousands of scrapers for specific platforms — LinkedIn, Amazon, Google Maps, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more. You do not need to write scraping code; you configure an actor, run it, and get structured JSON data.

Apify also wins on infrastructure: built-in scheduling, webhook integrations, dataset storage, and proxy rotation are all included. For marketing teams that need recurring data collection (weekly price monitoring, daily lead scraping), Apify's scheduler and storage save significant engineering time.

Where ScrapingBee wins

ScrapingBee wins on flexibility and simplicity for custom scraping. You send a URL with your API key, and ScrapingBee returns the rendered HTML. You parse it with your own CSS selectors or XPath. This is ideal for scraping websites that do not have a dedicated Apify actor.

ScrapingBee also has better CAPTCHA handling out of the box. While Apify actors may or may not handle CAPTCHAs (depending on the actor), ScrapingBee includes CAPTCHA solving as a core feature of its API.

Pricing comparison

Apify: Free tier with $5 monthly credit. Starter at $49/mo (includes compute units for running actors). Pricing is based on compute units consumed — complex actors with proxy usage cost more than simple ones.

ScrapingBee: Free tier with 1,000 API credits. Freelance plan at $49/mo (30,000 credits). Business at $99/mo (100,000 credits). Each API call costs 1-5 credits depending on features used (JS rendering, premium proxy, CAPTCHA solving).

Pricing is comparable at entry level. Apify's compute-based pricing is less predictable — heavy scraping with proxies can consume credits quickly. ScrapingBee's credit system is more transparent — you know exactly how much each API call costs.

The verdict by use case

• Scrape LinkedIn/Amazon/Google Maps: Apify — pre-built actors with structured output
• Scrape arbitrary/custom websites: ScrapingBee — generic API for any URL
• Recurring scheduled scraping: Apify — built-in scheduler and storage
• One-off scraping tasks: ScrapingBee — simpler API, no actor configuration needed
• Lead generation from specific platforms: Apify — dedicated lead scrapers
• Price monitoring across multiple sites: ScrapingBee — flexible API for different site structures
• No-code users: Apify — actors require no coding
• Developers with custom needs: ScrapingBee — more control over extraction logic