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Apify alternatives for simple scraping

Want one request instead of an Actor? Here are honest options and when each one fits.

In short

To turn a URL into Markdown with one request, try Spicrawl. For crawling whole sites, try Firecrawl or Crawl4AI. For ready-made big-site APIs, try ScrapingBee.

Apify alternatives

  1. 1. Spicrawl

    A hosted web scraping API for apps and AI agents. Free during beta, no credit card.

    What it does

    • Turns a URL into clean Markdown or JSON with one request.
    • Scrapes up to 10,000 URLs in one batch call.
    • Keeps logins going with cookies and storage, and runs browser actions.
    • Lets you use your own proxy, and connects to AI agents through MCP.

    What it does not do yet

    • No crawling of a whole site.
    • No managed proxies, stealth mode or remote browser yet.
    • No prompt-based AI extraction yet.

    Scrape APIBatch scrapingScrape behind a loginMCP serverSpicrawl vs Apify

  2. 2. Firecrawl

    Firecrawl can crawl a whole site and find its URLs. It also has built-in web search and managed proxies with country targeting.

    Pick it if you need crawling, search, or many SDK languages and self-hosting.

    Spicrawl vs Firecrawl

  3. 3. Crawl4AI

    Crawl4AI is open source under Apache-2.0, so you can run and change it. It crawls whole sites and has stealth mode.

    Pick it if you want to host it yourself or use LLM extraction with your own model.

    Spicrawl vs Crawl4AI

  4. 4. ScrapingBee

    ScrapingBee has ready-made APIs for Google, Amazon and Walmart. It also offers managed premium and stealth proxies.

    Pick it if you scrape those big sites or want published plans and limits.

    Spicrawl vs ScrapingBee

  5. 5. ZenRows

    ZenRows gives you a remote browser for Puppeteer or Playwright. It takes batches of up to 100,000 URLs.

    Pick it if you need managed residential proxies today or SDKs in Python, Node.js or Go.

    Spicrawl vs ZenRows

How to choose

  • You want one URL in, Markdown out: pick a scrape API.
  • You need a scraper for one big site: look for ready-made ones.
  • You need whole sites: pick a tool that crawls.
  • You want a cost you can predict: check the price per request.

When Apify is still the best choice

  • You need a ready-made scraper for a specific site.
  • You need to crawl whole sites or follow links.
  • You want to run your own scraping code in the cloud.
  • You need managed proxies or open-source Crawlee.
Read the full Spicrawl vs Apify comparison

Apify alternatives: common questions

What is the best Apify alternative?

It depends on your job. Spicrawl fits simple URL to Markdown. Firecrawl and Crawl4AI fit crawling. ScrapingBee fits big-site APIs.

Does Spicrawl have ready-made scrapers like Apify?

No. Spicrawl has one API for any URL. Apify has thousands of ready-made scrapers.

How do I scrape one URL with Spicrawl?

Send one POST request with the URL. You get clean Markdown or JSON back.

Is Spicrawl free?

Spicrawl is free during beta. You do not need a credit card to sign up.

What can Spicrawl not do yet?

Spicrawl does not crawl whole sites. It has no managed proxies, stealth mode, remote browser or prompt-based AI extraction yet. You can bring your own proxy.

Try Spicrawl free while it’s in beta

Run the pages you scrape today and compare the results yourself. No credit card required.

Get free beta access