Looking for Apify alternatives that are free to start? Teams switch for lightning-fast execution, predictable pay-per-result billing, resumable runs, and lower total cost at the same volume.
See how edge-function speed (near-zero cold start vs ~3s Actor spin-up), pay-per-result billing, upfront estimates, and a ready-made scraper store stack up against Apify's credit-based platform.
| Features |  Scrapy IO | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & billing | ||
| Pay per result | Yes Billed only for rows that return data | No Platform credits burn on compute time — including failed runs |
| Upfront cost estimate before each run | Yes See expected cost and runtime before you start | No Credit usage is hard to forecast until the run finishes |
| Free plan value | Free tier + optional paid plans | $5 in credits, one month only, non-renewing |
| No charge for failed or empty runs | Yes Empty or blocked results are never charged | No Credits consumed even when Actors return nothing |
| Platform | ||
| Lightning-fast execution | Yes Edge functions keep scrapers warm at the edge — near-zero cold-start latency | No Actor cold starts average ~3s latency before a run begins |
| Ready-made scraper store | Yes 150+ pre-built scrapers — no Actor development required | Partial Actor Store exists, but each run spends platform credits |
| Resumable jobs | Yes Interrupted runs resume without re-processing completed rows | No Restarts typically re-run from the beginning |
| Infrastructure overhead | Yes Fully managed — no proxy or compute setup | No Teams often pay for proxies and infra on top of credits |
| Scale | ||
| Self-serve onboarding | Yes Browse, estimate, and run in minutes | Yes Sign up is self-serve, but Actor setup has a learning curve |
| Scheduled & recurring runs | Yes Set cadence and export automatically | Yes Schedules available on paid plans |
| Custom scraper development | Yes Request a custom scraper — we build and host it | Partial Build your own Actor or hire Apify partners |
| Try for free | Explore Apify | |
Scrapy IO validates every input and flags errors clearly, then shows the estimated cost and runtime before execution starts. Once it's running, monitor it live and pause, restart, or cancel at any point. One of Scrapy.io's biggest advantages is speed — our tools are built from the ground up for performance, delivering lightning-fast execution and results.
“Ran 47,000 rows last week. Estimate said $94 before I started, final bill was $87 because some rows got excluded as invalid. No surprises.”
Tools built from the ground up for performance — results come back fast.
Run now or later, and repeat on a cadence automatically.
Pause, restart, or cancel a run while it's in progress.
Every result reachable from your own systems.
See the cost and runtime before you commit.
A blocked or empty run never lands on your bill.
Extract Instagram profile followers in bulk without requiring login, session ID, or cookies. This actor provides complete API support, and seamless export options, making large-scale follower collection efficient and reliable.
LinkedIn Profile with Email & Company Data and get complete lead information, including verified emails, using their username, URL, or URN. This advanced scraper integrates with tools like Apollo, Hunter, Lusha etc. to ensure accurate and up-to-date email data.
Discover Google Maps businesses by keyword, nearby, radius, bounding box, area, or bulk queries — lead-gen search at $0.30 per 1,000 results.
Search Reddit for posts, subreddits, or users by keyword — with sort, time range, and optional comment pulls. Structured results for monitoring and research. $0.50 per 1,000 rows.
Every plan includes the Scrapy Store — ready-made scrapers and APIs for LinkedIn, Instagram, Google Maps, Reddit, YouTube, X, Facebook, and TikTok. Built for speed, no coding required. Need something custom? Submit a request and we'll build it.
“We tried Apify for about six months. Switched because we ended up paying for our own infra on top of credit costs. Bills here are predictable and lower for the same volume.”
Apify's Free plan hands you $5 in prepaid platform usage that burns on compute time whether or not a run finds anything — and unused credits don't roll over. Scrapy IO's Starter plan gets you full API access and priority support — with lightning-fast scrapers and pay-per-result billing, so a blocked page or empty search costs you nothing.
Scrapy IO plans
Free
Get $5 to spend on scrapers. One month only.
$0
Starter
Full API access, priority support
$19/mo
Growth
Most popular10% off every tool bill
$129/mo
Scale
Custom API access, dedicated support, 20% off
$439/mo
Apify plans
Free
$5 prepaid platform usage / month · community support
$0
Starter
$19 prepaid usage / month · chat support
$19/mo
Scale
Mid tier$199 prepaid usage / month · priority chat
$199/mo
Business
$999 prepaid usage / month · account manager
$999/mo
Every paid plan ships with full REST API access, so results flow straight into your CRM, spreadsheet, or internal tool — with the same lightning-fast execution you get in the UI.
“API response times are genuinely under two seconds for the endpoints I use most. We've got it running inside a live CRM enrichment flow.”
Try hundreds of scrapers on Scrapy IO Store — built for lightning-fast execution. Pay only when you outgrow it.
Note: This evaluation is based on publicly available information as of August 2026. Product names, logos, and brands are used for identification only and remain the property of their respective owners. Their use does not imply affiliation or endorsement. Conduct your own evaluation before making a decision.
