The best alternative to Bright Data
Bright Data, a prominent proxy provider, has recently stepped up its web scraping solutions. But how does its scraping APIs compare to Apify's full-stack platform?
When we say free, we mean it
Bright Data offers 1,000 free requests per scraper. To use their service after the trial requests, you'll be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis or need to subscribe to a monthly plan. Apify offers a free forever trial that provides $5 of credit every month. This gives you access to all areas of the Apify platform with no export limitations.
Cut costs, not features
Each Bright Data solution has its own pricing model. Multiple APIs can result in accumulating costs, with some monthly plans starting at $499 per API. So things can get expensive real fast. Apify’s entry-level plan costs only $49 per month, giving you full access to all platform features and unlimited use of any scrapers (Actors) within your credit limit.
Flexibility is part of our code
Bright Data lets you build your own scrapers but restricts you to using their Web IDE. You must pay separately for local development. Apify empowers you by offering full control over the creation, deployment, and monitoring of your scraping solutions. Build your Actors both locally or directly in the platform’s Web IDE at no additional cost.
Access thousands of scrapers on Apify Store
Every Apify plan grants full access to the Actors listed on Apify Store. This community-driven marketplace allows you to use or rent any Actor to scrape a variety of websites, including Twitter (X), Instagram, and Facebook. Almost any website you need is likely covered. That means you don't need to build every single scraper you need.
Integrate Actors with your favorite apps
With Apify, you can schedule jobs to run automatically and integrate your workflows with services like Gmail, Airtable, Make, Zapier, Google Drive, GitHub, Keboola, and more. Connect your Apify tasks with cloud services and web apps to enhance your automation capabilities.
Combine Actors into powerful workflows
Bright Data doesn’t offer an easy way to chain scrapers into a single workflow. With Apify, you can build fully functioning automation flows with bundles. Instead of using multiple Actors for scraping, automation, and third-party integration, a bundle can handle it all, saving time and resources.
Apify
Unlimited free plan
$5 worth of platform credits per month
Library of ready-to-use APIs
Thousands of Actors available
Scrape dynamic web pages (JavaScript rendering)
Web IDE
JSON, HTML, XML, CSV, RSS, Excel
Available data export formats
General Scraper API (for any web page)
Create, deploy and manage your own scrapers
High-scale enterprise plans
Integrations
GDrive, GMail, Slack, Actor-to-Actor, Zapier, Make, Webhooks, Telegram, and more
Proxy rotation, browser emulation, CAPTCHA bypass
Schedule one-off or repeating extractions
Pricing
Plans start at $49/month and give you access to all features of the platform, with no restrictions on which tools you can use. Credits are charged by platform usage and rates defined by Actors you're using.
Unlimited free plan
Library of ready-to-use APIs
Scrape dynamic web pages (JavaScript rendering)
Web IDE
Available data export formats
General Scraper API (for any web page)
Create, deploy and manage your own scrapers
High-scale enterprise plans
Integrations
Proxy rotation, browser emulation, CAPTCHA bypass
Schedule one-off or repeating extractions
Pricing
Apify
$5 worth of platform credits per month
Thousands of Actors available
JSON, HTML, XML, CSV, RSS, Excel
GDrive, GMail, Slack, Actor-to-Actor, Zapier, Make, Webhooks, Telegram, and more
Plans start at $49/month and give you access to all features of the platform, with no restrictions on which tools you can use. Credits are charged by platform usage and rates defined by Actors you're using.
Bright Data
Limited to 1,000 page loads per scraper
JSON, NDJSON, CSV
Cloud Integration (AWS S3, Google Cloud)
Pay-as-you-go options for low-demand users and monthly plans for high-demand users. Each solution has its own pricing model. Costs of using multiple APIs can accumulate
Note
This evaluation is based on our understanding of information available to us as of November 2024. Readers should conduct their own research for detailed comparisons. 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.
Scheduling
Set extractions to run on schedule and process recurring jobs programmatically.
Storage
Store datasets from web extractions in cloud storage. Search for data, images, and text, and export to multiple file formats.
Apify Store
Access hundreds of ready-made Actors to kickstart your data extraction or automation project.
Proxies
Monitor web scraper health, set a custom geolocation, and monitor traffic across IP addresses.
Complete API
Run, stop, and manage web extractions using a full-featured API. Export data from extractions and integrate into your tech stack.
Ready for scale
The Apify platform automatically scales up resources to run as many Actors as you want. Forget about managing physical servers.
Ready for enterprise
Get a complete end-to-end solution built by Apify for all your web scraping, data extraction, and web automation needs.
ScalableProcess millions of records, integrate Apify into your tech stack, and get the data you need.
ReliableData cleansing, Service Level Agreement & support team ensures clean data on time, every time
TrustworthyWith 7+ years of experience supporting enterprise customers, our team ensures project success.