Apify is presented as a one-stop shop for web scraping, data extraction, and robotic process automation (RPA) needs. The web is the largest source of information ever created by humankind, and Apify is presented as a software platform that aims to enable forward-thinking companies to leverage its full potential and rich data that it has to offer.…
$0
per month
Zapier
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
The Zapier Automation Platform designed to integrate data between web apps. It is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, with a functional but limited free version of the program.
$29.99
per month 750 tasks per month
Pricing
Apify
Zapier
Editions & Modules
Starter Plan
49 USD
per month
Scale Plan
499 USD
per month
Business Plan
999 USD
per month
Apify for Enterprise
Custom
Fully-customized web scraping and automation solution for any scale.
Apify for Individuals
Freemium
The easiest way to get started with Apify. Forever free, but with limits.
Starter
$29.99
per month 750 tasks per month
Professional
$73.50
per month 2k tasks per month
Team
$103.50
per month 2k tasks per month
Company
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apify
Zapier
Free Trial
Yes
No
Free/Freemium Version
Yes
Yes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Yes
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
Optional
No setup fee
Additional Details
The lowest-priced plan that has all the features needed is recommended. If users exceed the platform usage credits for a plan, a notification is sent, and the excess usage will be added to the next invoice or the user can upgrade to a higher plan.
It is common practice for developers to search for REST endpoints on other websites in order to retrieve data from other websites in a structured format such as JSON. However, not all websites have built distinct REST APIs; in this situation, Apify is quite beneficial. The majority of the time, the data that an organization collects is what is considered to be of the utmost importance. In comparison to the other systems that are currently accessible, Apify makes it simple to supply clean data.
Zapier is perfect for simple integrations and setting up generally low-volume accounts that require very little configuration and maintenance. For a distributed structure where a client/outside party is responsible for billing, it’s easy to create an account, put them on a low-cost plan, configure a simple integration and teach them how to alter the setup. Its webhook-based setup is perfect for many simple use cases and there’s no reason to use a more complex or expensive solution.
However, if you have integrations that are increasingly complex (involve parsing, multiple non-linear steps, the integration of non-native APIs), significant in overall volume/data or require additional features (time delays for API limits), Zapier likely isn’t your best choice. Other integration platforms offer higher levels of customization and capability, though they’re typically significantly more complex and expensive.
Ease of use - multiple people in the organization can set up and run Zaps per their specific use cases without much training.
Connectivity - Zapier is able to connect to multiple applications we use on a regular basis.
Functionality - Zapier provides embedded functionality within the app itself (email, data conversion), but also appropriate triggers and actions for apps it connects to.
Versatile - Zapier can execute complicated and simple tasks and thus has many use cases.
Zapier is very user-friendly. They walk you through each step of the zap-building process in an orderly and easy to understand way. Each step of the zap is tested before moving onto the next step. For simple zaps, you can have them up and running within minutes. For more complicated zaps, it may take some experimentation, but Zapier is there to help you troubleshoot.
Before we purchased Zapier, I contacted support and asked them if Zapier could support my intended workflow (this is actually a selection on their support form - awesome). Within 2 hours, I was contacted by a support team member who seemed sure it would work, but granted me premium access for 2 weeks to try it out for myself. Sure enough, it did! Ever since then, support has replied rapidly to any problems I have experienced and answered my questions within a few sentences.
Although the purposes and aims of all three products vary widely, I have found Apify to be the most effective option for web scraping for academic purposes. As someone with only a few months' worths of experience with web scraping, I have found Apify's detailed blog posts and very friendly customer support invaluable in my research.