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The Apify Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Apify in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Apify

The Insider’s Guide

Scraping platform with a store of ready-made Actors, Google included

Apify, as pictured on apify.com

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SERP and SEO data APIs, read from Apify’s own pages.

Made by Apify Technologies s.r.o. · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.8GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Apify’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Apify’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.8

GPA, above 35 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade

Apify is a cloud platform for running web scrapers and automations, called Actors. Its store lists nearly 97,000 of them built by Apify and outside developers, including a Google Search Results Scraper, and you can build and host your own with the open-source Crawlee library. Plans are a monthly amount of prepaid usage, with anything beyond it billed as you go.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Apify, taken from its own pages and our grades.

Judged on how fast a developer gets a first result: ready-made Actors, Python, JavaScript and TypeScript templates, and a CLI.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for ready-made scrapers, Google results included

    Apify runs scrapers called Actors in the cloud: nearly 97,000 in its store, its own Google Search Results Scraper among them, or your own built with Crawlee.

  2. 2

    Paid plans start at $19 a month

    As its pricing page puts it: $19 per month, billed monthly, with $19 of usage included.

  3. 3

    There is a free plan

    $5 of platform usage each month for Store Actors or your own, 16 GB of Actor memory, 5 concurrent runs and community support. No card needed.

  4. 4

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  5. 5

    Apify Store

    Nearly 97,000 ready-made Actors for sites such as Google, Google Maps, TikTok and Instagram. Each sets its own price, usually per result or per event.

  6. 6

    Google Search Results Scraper

    Apify's own Actor returns organic and paid results, People Also Ask, related queries, AI Overviews and AI Mode by country and language, from $1.80 per 1,000 pages.

  7. 7

    Build and host your own Actors

    Start from Python, JavaScript or TypeScript templates, use the open-source Crawlee library, and run, schedule and monitor the Actors on Apify.

  8. 8

    A 2.8 GPA, above 35 of 38

    That is against the other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  9. 9

    Keep it

    To replace Apify you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Apify at a glance

Pricing
Free plan, from $19 per month, billed monthly, with $19 of usage included
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web
Made by
Apify Technologies s.r.o., since 2015
Category
SERP & SEO Data APIs
Our grade
2.8 GPA, good

The report card

Best for ready-made scrapers, Google results included

Apify runs scrapers called Actors in the cloud: nearly 97,000 in its store, its own Google Search Results Scraper among them, or your own built with Crawlee. Each Actor sets its own price, so a job's cost depends on which one runs it, and prepaid usage you don't spend expires at the end of each billing cycle.

ToolGPA report cardApifyGraded Oct 24, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyBStarter is $19 a month, on the line of this category's cheaper quarter, and the $19 is all usage you can spend. Apify's own Google scraper is from $1.80 per 1,000 result pages, inside the $1 to $4 most rivals here charge. Paying yearly takes 10% off.
Free plan and trialBA free plan for good with no card: $5 of usage every month, 5 concurrent runs and 16 GB of memory. At the Google scraper's rate from $1.80 per 1,000 pages that covers a small side project, and Actors stop once the $5 is spent.
FeaturesBNearly 97,000 store Actors for sites such as Google, Google Maps, TikTok and Instagram; Apify's own Google scraper returns organic and paid results, People Also Ask, AI Overviews and AI Mode by country and language. You can build and host your own too. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job.
Ease of useCJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: ready-made Actors, Python, JavaScript and TypeScript templates, and a CLI. No rating on record, and costs come as compute units, proxy traffic and each Actor's own price, which takes reading.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb, with a REST API, a CLI, webhooks and an MCP server, plus Make, n8n, Zapier, Workato, Zoho Flow and coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor and OpenAI Codex. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.8

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Apify is for

  • Fits if you'd rather run a ready-made Google or Maps scraper than write one
  • Works for developers who want their own scrapers hosted, scheduled and monitored

Who it is not for

  • Watch out: each store Actor sets its own price, usually per result or per event, so two jobs that look alike can cost different amounts
  • Tight if you're on Free, where Actors stop once the month's $5 of usage is spent
  • Watch out: prepaid usage you don't spend expires each billing cycle, and use beyond it lands on the next invoice
  • Pricey if you need residential proxies at $7 to $8 per GB or Google SERP proxies at $1.70 to $2.50 per 1,000 searches
  • Pricey if you outgrow Starter, since the next plan is Scale at $199 a month

Good to know

Good for

  • Teams that want a ready-made scraper instead of writing one
  • Developers hosting their own scrapers without running servers
  • Collecting Google results alongside social, maps and shop data
  • Feeding web data to AI agents through MCP

Worth knowing

  • Store Actors set their own prices, so the cost of a job depends on which Actor runs it and how many results it returns.
  • Use beyond a paid plan's prepaid amount is added to the next invoice; on the free plan, Actors stop until the next month.
  • Prepaid usage that is not spent expires at the end of each billing cycle.
  • Residential proxies cost $7 to $8 per GB and Google SERP proxies $1.70 to $2.50 per 1,000 searches, depending on plan.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$19

A month to start. There is a free plan too

Apify has a free plan. Paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly, with $19 of usage included.

  • Free

    $0

    $5 of usage a month at $0.20 per compute unit, 16 GB of Actor memory and 5 concurrent runs. Stops when the $5 is spent.

  • Starter

    $19

    per month, billed monthly, with $19 of usage included

    $0.20 per compute unit, 64 GB of Actor memory, 32 concurrent runs, chat support and the Bronze Store discount. Extra usage is billed.

  • Scale

    $199

    per month, billed monthly, with $199 of usage included

    $0.16 per compute unit, 256 GB of memory, 128 concurrent runs, priority chat support, the Silver Store discount and lower proxy rates.

  • Business

    $999

    per month, billed monthly, with $999 of usage included

    $0.13 per compute unit, 512 GB of memory, 256 concurrent runs, an account manager and the Gold Store discount.

  • Enterprise

    Custom

    Custom scraping solutions, pricing and limits, with SLAs on data and a dedicated team. Through sales.

The free plan

$5 of platform usage each month for Store Actors or your own, 16 GB of Actor memory, 5 concurrent runs and community support. No card needed.

Read from apify.com on Oct 23, 2026.

Ways to pay less

  • Annual discount

    Save 10% with annual billing

    Apify's pricing page shows a 10% discount for billing annually instead of monthly.

    Stated on apify.com

  • Education

    30% off Starter and Scale for students

    Apify's pricing FAQ says students are eligible for 30% off the Starter and Scale plans.

    Stated on apify.com

  • Nonprofit

    Personalized discount for nonprofits

    Apify's pricing FAQ says nonprofit organizations can get a personalized discount on paid plans.

    Stated on apify.com

  • Startups

    30% off the Scale plan for startups

    Apify's pricing FAQ offers startups a 30% discount on the Scale plan.

    Stated on apify.com

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Web

Scraping platform with a store of ready-made Actors, Google included. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, sERP API.

Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job.
From our grade for features
Apify Store
Nearly 97,000 ready-made Actors for sites such as Google, Google Maps, TikTok and Instagram. Each sets its own price, usually per result or per event.
Google Search Results Scraper
Apify's own Actor returns organic and paid results, People Also Ask, related queries, AI Overviews and AI Mode by country and language, from $1.80 per 1,000 pages.
Build and host your own Actors
Start from Python, JavaScript or TypeScript templates, use the open-source Crawlee library, and run, schedule and monitor the Actors on Apify.
Proxies and unblocking
Datacenter and residential proxies, Google SERP proxies priced per 1,000 searches, and an unblocker billed per 1,000 requests.
API, CLI, webhooks and MCP
Run Actors and fetch results over a REST API or CLI, get webhooks when runs finish, chain Actors together, or call them from AI agents through an MCP server.
Automation integrations
Connectors for Make, n8n, Zapier and other automation tools, and setups for coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor and OpenAI Codex.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • Make
  • n8n
  • Zapier
  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • OpenAI Codex
  • Workato
  • Zoho Flow

Apify is made by Apify Technologies s.r.o., and has been around since 2015.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

35/38

Other SERP and SEO data APIs it is graded above

Apify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 35 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 3.

It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 38) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).

Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $29.49 for the category: 3 of the 25 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 39 SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, cut by the letter each got. Apify’s own letter is outlined.

  • BValue for moneyAbove 21 of 38
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 35 of 38
  • BFeaturesAbove 26 of 38
  • CEase of useAbove 0 of 38
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 9 of 38

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 26 SERP and SEO data APIs. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Apify is the marked dot.

C2.0B3.0A4.0$2$5$10$20$50$100$200$500More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessApifySerpBaseZenserpScrape.do

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Apify you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 35 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade. It costs $228 a year.

What you could not

  • Search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.
  • It plugs into other products, Make, n8n and Zapier among them, and has an API.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Apify’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Outscraper, ScrapingBee, Zyte, Bright Data SERP API and SerpApi

The 5 tools Apify is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

15

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Apify free?

Apify has a free plan. $5 of platform usage each month for Store Actors or your own, 16 GB of Actor memory, 5 concurrent runs and community support.

How much does Apify cost?

Apify lists 5 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does Apify work on?

Apify is available on Web.

Does Apify offer any discounts?

Apify publicly lists the following: Save 10% with annual billing; 30% off Starter and Scale for students; Personalized discount for nonprofits; 30% off the Scale plan for startups.

Does Apify have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Apify is listed for Web.

Does Apify have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Apify is listed for Web.

Is Apify open source?

Apify is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.

Does Apify have an API?

Yes. Apify offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Apify integrate with?

Apify's listing names Make, n8n, Zapier, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Workato and Zoho Flow.

Does Apify have a student discount?

30% off Starter and Scale for students. Apify's pricing FAQ says students are eligible for 30% off the Starter and Scale plans.

Who makes Apify?

Apify is made by Apify Technologies s.r.o. It dates from 2015.

What are the alternatives to Apify?

The closest alternatives to Apify in our directory are Outscraper, ScrapingBee, Zyte, Bright Data SERP API and SerpApi.

How does Apify compare with other SERP and SEO data APIs?

Apify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 35 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 3.

Is Apify good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Apify B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $29.49 for the category: 3 of the 25 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Apify?

To replace Apify you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Apify’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 24, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Apify's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Apify Technologies s.r.o. Prices change, so check apify.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Apify: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/apify

Know someone choosing between SERP and SEO data APIs?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/apify/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded SERP and SEO data APIs after Apify, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Apify’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Apify is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Apify Technologies s.r.o. Prices and plans change: check apify.com before you buy.