We build and own every scraper
No setup, no configuration, no platform to learn.
ScrapeHero vs Apify
The fully managed Apify alternative built for businesses
Apify hands you a platform. ScrapeHero delivers the data built, validated, and maintained by real experts. No scraper to configure, no proxies to manage, no quality surprises. No engineers required.
Fortune 50 clients
Trusted by 14,707 Businesses
Expertise you can count on
Responses in <1 hour
98%
Customer retention rate
4.7
Avg. review score
10+
Years of experience
AI
Powered Data Quality checks
Media Mentions
The honest comparison
Apify is a capable platform. But a platform is not a partner.
Here’s what the two models actually mean for your team.
ScrapeHero
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Apify
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You configure and run Actors (except on select plans)
Requires platform knowledge and often developer involvement.
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AI + manual QA on every dataset
Hundreds of millions of data points validated daily.
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Quality depends on the Actor maintainer
When community-built Actors break, you must wait for a fix.
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Self-healing scrapers
Website changes trigger automatic adaptation — no disruptions, no waiting on fixes.
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Website changes break your pipeline
Your team monitors and patches unless you're on premium tiers.
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Human experts respond in <1 hour*
Real people who know your project, not a ticket queue.
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Platform support and documentation only
Managed services available only at the enterprise tier.
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Custom AI/ML solutions from your data
We go beyond collection —AI solutions based on what we gather for you.
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No custom AI model building
Apify collects data and feeds your stack. Building models is left to you.
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RPA for complex workflow automation
Automate multi-step processes and site interactions, not just extraction.
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No dedicated RPA capability
Automation beyond extraction requires additional tooling.
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Transparent, scope-based pricing
One number. No credit math, no usage spikes, no surprises on the invoice.
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Usage-based pricing with multiple variables
Credit consumption varies by Actor, compute, and data volume. Hard to forecast.
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True cost of ownership
Apify's $29/month isn't the full picture.
Platform pricing shows you the software cost. It doesn’t show you the engineer cost, the maintenance cost, or the cost of bad data reaching your pipeline.
Fully Managed
ScrapeHero
Scraper development
Included
Proxy management
Included
CAPTCHA & anti-blocking
Included
Data QA & validation
Included
Monitoring & self-healing
Included
Expert support <1hr*
Included
Custom AI/ML builds
Available
Pricing model
Fixed, scope-based
Hybrid Platform
Apify
Platform subscription
From $29/mo
Developer to configure Actors
Your team
Proxy costs above free tier
Extra billing variable
Data validation layer
Your responsibility
Monitoring & breakage response
Your team
Support
Docs + community
AI model building
Not offered
Pricing model
Usage-based, variable
What customers say
The 98% retention rate has a reason
Our customers stay because the data works and the people behind it are exceptional. Here’s what they say
“Quick, Thorough, Impactful”
The ScrapeHero team is friendly – I like working with a real human on the other end that after a few projects, have gotten to know me and my team. They are thorough and run a strong QA process, verifying that the data meets our specifications before executing the full scra … Read more
Posted on
“Dependable and proficient performance.”
I’ve been a customer of their services for several years, and their consistent and outstanding track record in delivering orders during this time has been remarka … Read more
Posted on
“Professional and Fast Data Scraping Service”
These folks are on top of their game – professional, fast, and flexible.Right off the bat, I noticed these guys knew what they were doing. They’ve got that professional vibe going, but in a chill, approachable way. They set clear expectati … Read more
Posted on
Industries & use cases
Whatever the data, we've extracted it
ScrapeHero operates across every major industry vertical. Chances are, we already know your use case
E-Commerce & Retail
Pricing, availability, and reviews. Tracked daily across hundreds of retailers, so you always know where you stand.
Finance & Capital Markets
Alternative data built for analysts and funds. Market signals, commodity trends, and economic indicators. Structured, scheduled, and ready to act on.
Real Estate
Listings, foreclosures, agent data, and mortgage rates. Set your criteria and let the data come to you.
Travel & Hospitality
Live fares, hotel pricing, and occupancy signals. Competitive intelligence that moves as fast as the market does.
Recruiting & HR
Job postings from across the web. Know what your competition is hiring for before it becomes obvious.
AI Training Data
Clean, curated datasets built for LLMs and ML models. We build the data that powers your AI, and we can go further if you need us to.
Note
This comparison is based on publicly available information as of early 2026. Product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Their use does not imply affiliation or endorsement. Readers should conduct their own research before making purchasing decisions.
*during business hours
Feature Comparison Table
Everything, side by side.
| Feature |
ScrapeHero
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Apify
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|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| Service model | Fully managed |
Self-serve platform |
| Scraper implementation | Built & managed by us |
You run / configure Actors |
| Learning curve | None |
Platform & workflow training required |
| Technical expertise required | Not required |
Often developer-level |
| Data Quality | ||
| Data quality assurance | AI + manual QA daily |
Actor-dependent |
| Self-healing on website changes | Automatic |
Manual patching required |
| JavaScript / AJAX / CAPTCHA handling | Transparent |
Available |
| Capabilities | ||
| Custom AI / ML / NLP model building | Full capability |
Not offered |
| Robotic Process Automation (RPA) | Dedicated service |
Not dedicated |
| Real-time custom APIs | Built for you |
Available via the platform |
| Retail / POI data store | Millions of locations, instant download |
Not available |
| Data Delivery | ||
| Data delivery formats | JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, SQL, custom |
JSON, CSV, HTML, XML, RSS, Excel |
| Cloud storage integrations | S3, Azure, GCS, Snowflake, FTP, Dropbox |
GDrive, Dropbox, S3, and more |
| Support | ||
| Support response time | <1 hour (business hours) |
Platform support / community |
| Dedicated account contact | All clients |
Enterprise tier only |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Fixed, scope-based |
Usage-based, variable |
| Free tier | No (quote-based) |
$5/mo credits free tier |
You don't need a data team. You need us.
Talk to a ScrapeHero expert. No obligations, no sales scripts, just a direct conversation about your data needs and how we can solve them.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Is ScrapeHero a good Apify alternative for enterprise teams?
Yes, and for most enterprise teams, it’s a significantly better fit. Apify is a capable self-serve platform, but enterprise data operations typically don’t need another platform to manage; they need a partner who handles everything end-to-end. ScrapeHero is fully managed from day one: we build your scrapers, maintain them, validate the data, and deliver it in whatever format your pipeline requires. No platform learning curve, no engineers pulled off core work, no quality surprises. That’s why Fortune 50 companies and 14,700+ customers have chosen ScrapeHero.
What's the main difference between ScrapeHero and Apify?
The fundamental difference lies in where managed service sits within the business model. Apify is primarily a self-serve platform, with managed delivery layered on top for those who need it. ScrapeHero is a fully managed service by design: we build your scrapers, maintain them, validate the data, and deliver it. There is no platform to learn, no configuration on your end, and no community Actor quality variability to navigate. If you’re evaluating Apify’s professional services against ScrapeHero, the distinction comes down to this: with Apify, managed delivery is an option. With ScrapeHero, it’s the only thing we do, and our 98% retention rate reflects the results of that focus.
Does ScrapeHero require technical work on our end?
No. That’s the point. You tell us what data you need, in what format, where, and how often it should be delivered, and we handle everything else. There’s no platform to onboard, no scrapers to configure, no proxies to set up. Our team responds within the hour and manages the full transition.
How does ScrapeHero handle data quality compared to Apify?
Apify’s quality depends heavily on which Actor you’re using and how actively it’s maintained; community-built Actors vary significantly. ScrapeHero runs automated AI and ML-powered quality checks across hundreds of millions of data points every day, backed by manual QA. We also monitor thousands of alerts daily to catch any changes in website structure or data integrity before they reach your pipeline. The result is consistent, validated data, not a best-effort approximation.
What happens when a website changes its structure and breaks the scraper?
With Apify, that’s your problem to detect and fix, or wait for a community Actor update. With ScrapeHero, our self-healing technology automatically adapts to website changes. If something requires a manual fix, our team handles it before it disrupts your delivery schedule. You don’t file a ticket. You don’t notice.
Does ScrapeHero offer capabilities that Apify doesn't?
Several. The two most significant are Custom AI/ML/NLP model building and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Apify focuses on data collection and feeding it into your existing stack. ScrapeHero goes further — we build custom AI and ML models trained on the data we gather for you, and we can automate complex multi-step workflows that go well beyond extraction: form submissions, login-gated sites, and multi-page interactions. We also maintain a Retail & POI data store with millions of brand locations available for instant download, something Apify doesn’t offer.
How does ScrapeHero's pricing compare to Apify's?
Apify’s base plan starts at $29/month, which looks attractive — until you factor in what’s not included: developer time to build and maintain Actors, proxy costs above the free tier, your own data validation layer, and monitoring for pipeline breakages. ScrapeHero uses transparent, scope-based pricing: one number that covers everything, scraper development, proxy management, CAPTCHA handling, QA, monitoring, and expert support. For enterprise teams running production data pipelines, ScrapeHero’s total cost of ownership is typically lower once all those hidden Apify costs are accounted for.
What kind of support does ScrapeHero offer compared to Apify?
ScrapeHero’s experts respond in under one hour during business hours — every client, from day one, at every tier. You work with real people who know your project and your data. Apify does offer professional services and managed solutions, but these are a complement to its self-serve platform, not the foundation of how it operates. At ScrapeHero, fully managed delivery isn’t an add-on — it’s the only way we work. Every client gets the same direct, expert-led service from the first conversation.