Contents
Web scraping solutions are really in high demand nowadays because of people’s interest in acquiring knowledge and information. One of the most well-known web scraping tools is Apify.
This tool has an open-source design which makes it very easy to use. Nevertheless, it has some drawbacks.
If you are looking for an alternative to fill this gap, you are in the right place. This article will review the five best Apify alternatives; but before we go into that, let’s take a look at a short overview of Apify.
Apify: A Brief Overview
The Apify platform was created to make web automation and data extraction as straightforward as possible. It is an open-source platform and one of the most widely used web scraping tools among programmers, particularly those who are skilled at data scraping.
This program offers a web scraper as well as an open-source SDK that you can use to create your own tools if you so choose. If you lack the necessary skills, you can hire a developer to create it for you.
It has many pricing ranges. There is a free plan, pay-per-use plans, and special enterprise plans available.
Overall, Apify is a solid tool but if for any reason you cannot use this solution, then take a look at our recommendations below.
Our Top Picks
- Nimbleway
- BrightData
- ScrapingBee
- Octoparse
- Mozenda
1. Nimbleway
Nimble is a leading data collection platform that was created to transform how companies gather and use data.
The platform is operated by deep learning algorithms, which automatically gather pertinent and necessary data via a specific network architecture.
A team of skilled experts are motivated by Nimble founders, regular clients, and industry veterans with backing from a Tier 1 VC and a strategic Advisory Board.
The platform, while still new, is bursting at the seams with practical features that will shape how online data is used in the years to come. It may provide business companies with end-to-end web data collection solutions for any website.
To get data from the internet, you can utilize this feature-rich proxy application. It contains a strong infrastructure that can serve user needs.
A constant and stable stream of data for your business is ensured by Nimble’s strong IP Infrastructure.
You can make sure that your data gathering technique complies with all legal standards and that the whole process is secure with the aid of the secure platform Nimble.
It is a trustworthy platform that guarantees 99.99% availability, city- and state-level targeting, and more.
Key Features of Nimbleway
- With Nimble, you can easily scale data to meet your needs and access an endless amount of information.
- Nimble includes AES-256 encryption to ensure the security of the entire configuration.
- You may easily collect data by using Nimble’s proxy rotation option.
Pros
- Nimble provides a stable API solution to easily gather data from any web property.
- Nimble is a low-maintenance, straightforward solution for proxy data collection.
- Nimble can collect information from any website.
- Very extensive and robust infrastructure.
- Completely secure platform.
- Stable API for data collection.
- A contemporary proxy solution.
Cons
- Quite new on the market.
2. Bright Data
Bright Data’s architecture for gathering web data from various proxy network outlets provides the most reliable and precise web data collection currently available in the market. They stand out for their precision, 99.9% uptime, and prompt responses.
As a result of communal resource sharing, numerous IP addresses are dispersed globally. Bright Data offers residential, data center, internet service provider, and mobile proxies. It is one of the biggest proxy networks, covering more than 195 countries and having more than 72 million residential IP addresses. It is recognized for its advanced features, high level of confidentiality, and exceptional performance.
Bright Data provides an extraordinarily wide range of products. You can choose from a variety of items depending on how much of your own infrastructure you want to use with Bright Data products and how much of Bright Data’s technology you want to use.
Key Features Of Bright Data
- The residential proxy networks provided by Bright Data are the most dependable.
- Bright Data performs noticeably faster than rotating proxy servers like Storm proxy servers because it has the most efficient rotation management.
- Your local deputies support the socks5 protocol. You are able to send as many sessions at once using Bright Data.
- The customer service team is available around-the-clock.
Pros
- 99.99% network uptime.
- A distribution that is global.
- Completely legal and patented.
- 24-hour professional assistance.
- Multiple concurrent sessions.
Cons
- More pricing alternatives needed.
- Setup can be difficult to understand.
3. ScrapingBee
It is another Apify substitute that you can test out, has solid functionality, and offers developers looking for in-depth data a potential option. Apify mostly works with NodeJS developers, however ScrapingBee also supports other languages.
As a web API, ScrapingBee allows you to send an API request and instantly obtain the data that has been scraped. It features a unique SDK that serves as a library to collect structured data from many websites. It presents the data that has been scraped in JSON format. One thousand API calls can be sent during the free trial period, while over one million API credits can be used each month on the offered plan.
Key Features Of ScrapingBee
- Users of ScrapingBee can carry out common online scraping jobs including price monitoring, collecting real estate information, and extracting reviews.
- Additionally, it enables users to carry out efficient backlink analysis.
- It supports a number of languages, including JavaScript and Python. It can therefore be used by users for all of their web scraping needs.
- All requests and responses from ScrapingBee are SSL encrypted for maximum security, protecting the privacy and security of all users’ data.
- Users may concentrate entirely on extracting the necessary data thanks to the API’s intelligent handling of headless browsers and proxies.
Pros
- Simple to use.
- Outstanding customer service.
- It is an excellent option for people who prefer not to deal with manual coding because of its API, which automatically addresses all web scraping-related issues.
- Users give it high ratings.
Cons
- It might not get all the data needed if some demands authenticated access.
- Expensive.
4. Octoparse
Octoparse is an extremely potent web scraping tool that greatly streamlines the data extraction process. Users can extract data from any website—static or dynamic—with only a few clicks thanks to the user-friendly point-and-click interface it offers.
The support of numerous export formats, including CSV, Excel, HTML, and TXT, allows for the presentation of the extracted data to users in a more organized and thorough manner.
This application is famous for making data extraction simple by emulating online user behavior to enhance interaction with web pages. It imitates common human online browsing actions such as opening a page, typing in text, logging into an account, and more.
The software also comes with a built-in browser that can be employed to perform extraction by simply clicking the information present on the web page you want to scrape.
The extraction projects facilitated by Octoparse can either run on your own device (local extraction) or in the cloud (cloud extraction). It is also incredibly powerful if you want to scrape multiple pages in a very short span of time, thanks to the tool’s cloud-based service.
Key Features Of Octoparse
- With the help of this program, you can scrape data without revealing your identity, allowing you to carry on with the extraction without worrying that the targeted website would prohibit your IP.
- It uses techniques like pagination scraping, data extraction from behind logins, and infinite scrolling scraping to easily collect data from complicated domains.
- The function works well for extracting web pages with infinite scrolling, tables, listings and load more buttons, such category pages and search result pages, etc.
- If you want to get rid of intrusive banners, pop-ups, and adverts that could interfere with your website scraping process, Octoparse is a perfect alternative.
Pros
- Simple workflow panel with a clear, user-friendly design.
- Simple to use; no special knowledge required.
- Variable research skills and abilities.
Cons
- The initial task-starting process and tool setup take some time.
- There is no customer support offered.
- Problems take time to be resolved.
5. Mozenda
With Mozenda, you have access to some of the most effective web scraping tools available. Their web scraping technologies are used by a number of Fortune 500 enterprises and large corporations to advance research and commercial expansion.
When you use Mozenda’s scraping technology to assist you find bargains, you no longer need to have your own web scraper. One of its greatest advantages is that it extracts online data five times faster than the majority of other solutions.
The program is compatible with the JSON, CSV, XML, TSV, and XLSX file types. It may obtain and export data from files, pictures, and even PDF documents in any format. The company is capable of handling data and can even offer expert data services.
Key Features Of Mozenda
- Users of Mozenda can integrate collections from many data sources into unified data feeds.
- The entire data gathering process is managed and automated with the aid of Mozenda’s scheduling, publishing, and notification tools.
- It can recognize and automatically format name value pair lists and complex data tables into rows of information.
- Mozenda gives eCommerce experts the equipment they need to mine secret online data.
- The method makes it easier to manage intricate websites with layered categories and challenging paging systems.
Pros
- Quick prototyping.
- Simple to understand and use.
- No technological expertise is necessary.
- Customer service that is efficient and trustworthy.
Cons
- If the page’s code is altered, your scraping solution might fail.
- In comparison to an API call, it is slower.
Conclusion – Final Say
We have come to the end of this review. Like I said earlier, if you are looking for a good alternative to Apify, then do well to check out the ones listed above. They are all of the top quality and will serve you as well as Apify will.
