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Apify: Flexible automation and web scraping for AI and data-driven teams

Turn the modern web into structured data at scale with Actors, Crawlee SDK, and hybrid workflows.

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Overview

Apify helps engineering, product, and research teams extract structured, machine-readable data from the modern web without managing custom infrastructure.

With its Actor-based automation platform and open-source Crawlee SDK, it supports both low-code users and advanced developers, making it ideal for AI/ML pipelines, RAG workflows, and real-time analytics systems.

Main Features

  • Actor-based automation

    Serverless cloud programs that perform tasks like scraping, automating social media, or data processing. Thousands of prebuilt Actors are available in the Apify Store.

  • Crawlee SDK

    Open-source Node.js framework for building reliable scrapers and browser automation, with smart proxy rotation, session management, and support for Playwright or Puppeteer.

  • Cloud storage and workflow orchestration

    Actors automatically store structured outputs in datasets and support key-value stores, request queues, retries, scheduling, and chaining via webhooks.

  • Proxy and anti-blocking infrastructure

    Built-in IP rotation and browser automation help scale operations on dynamic, JavaScript-heavy websites.

  • Hybrid workflows

    Supports no-code users through the Actor marketplace and advanced developers with SDKs and APIs, allowing teams to combine low-code speed with deep customization.

  • Scalable infrastructure

    Handles millions of pages reliably, with monitoring, logging, and run visualization for enterprise-scale pipelines.

Use Cases

  • Hybrid teams

    Data analysts and PMs use marketplace Actors while engineers customize Crawlee workflows

  • Startups and SMBs

    Quickly access data without investing in infrastructure.

  • AI/ML prototyping

    Source datasets for training, fine-tuning, or RAG pipelines.

  • Agencies and freelancers

    Manage automation and scraping across multiple clients.

  • Market research & lead generation

    Extract structured data from Google Maps, LinkedIn, Amazon, and more.

Integrations

CLI or REST API and more…

Why Teams
Choose Apify

  • Hybrid workflow flexibility

    Supports both no-code users and developers, unifying them in one platform.

  • Extensive Actor marketplace

    5,000+ prebuilt Actors accelerate prototyping and reduce development time.

  • Robust browser automation

    Excels at handling JavaScript-heavy and dynamic sites reliably.

  • Developer control

    Crawlee and SDKs provide granular customization of scraping logic and pipelines.

  • Scalable infrastructure

    Runs from small tasks to millions of pages without custom server management.

Alternatives

  • Bright Data Review

    Bright Data provides enterprise-grade infrastructure for public web data collection, built to support the entire AI data lifecycle.

    Learn more

  • ZenRows Review

    Excels at bypassing anti-bot technologies and CAPTCHAs using advanced browser automation and proxy rotation, supporting large-scale, reliable data collection.

    Learn more

  • Firecrawl Review

    Specializes in converting complex websites—including dynamic, JavaScript-heavy pages—into structured markdown or JSON for AI ingestion.

    Learn more

  • SerpApi Review

    Purpose-built for large-scale SERP scraping, ideal for raw data collection from Google, Bing and other engines.

    Learn more

Final Thoughts

Apify combines the convenience of a prebuilt Actor marketplace with the power of the Crawlee framework, making it a versatile platform for both non-technical users and developers.

Its hybrid model helps teams balance speed with control, making it a practical choice for AI, automation, and large-scale data extraction.

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