AlternativeTo Scraper

Extract comprehensive software listings and alternative tool data from AlternativeTo.net with ease. Collect thousands of detailed software records including descriptions, ratings, pricing models, platforms, and community feedback. Perfect for market research, competitor analysis, and product discovery.

Features

• Complete Software Profiles - Gather titles, descriptions, categories, ratings, and pricing in a single pass
• Smart Pagination - Automatically navigates through result pages to reach your target collection size
• Flexible Inputs - Search by keyword or start from specific category pages and browse listings
• Duplicate-Free Results - Built-in deduplication ensures each tool appears only once in your dataset
• Stealth Collection - Designed to handle modern website protections for reliable data gathering

Use Cases

Competitor Analysis

Track alternatives to your software or competitors. Understand market positioning by comparing pricing, ratings, and platform support across similar tools.

Software Asset Management

Build a searchable database of software tools across categories and platforms. Compare pricing models and community sentiment to optimize your organization's tool stack.

Market Intelligence

Monitor trending software categories and identify up-and-coming tools. Track how tools are categorized, rated, and discussed by the community.

Content Generation

Gather data for comparison articles, buyer guides, or "Best Alternatives" blog posts. Quickly build structured lists of similar tools with descriptions and metadata.

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrls	Array	No	[]	List of AlternativeTo URLs (categories, search, or browse pages)
keyword	String	No	"AI image generator"	Search keyword used when no start URLs are provided
results_wanted	Integer	No	100	Maximum number of tools to collect
max_pages	Integer	No	20	Safety cap on the number of result pages to visit
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{"useApifyProxy": false}	Proxy settings; residential proxies recommended for production

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Output Data

Each dataset item contains structured information about a software tool:

Field	Type	Description
title	String	Name of the software or tool
description	String	Description of the tool's features and purpose
category	String	Primary category classification
rating	Number	User rating on a 5-point scale (when available)
pricing	String	Pricing model (Free, Paid, Freemium, etc.)
cost	String	Combined cost and license details
license	String	License type (Open Source, Proprietary, etc.)
likes	Integer	Number of community likes
platforms	Array	Supported platforms (Windows, Mac, Android, etc.)
applicationTypes	Array	Application categories the tool belongs to
origins	Array	Developer country or origin
bestAlternative	String	Top suggested alternative tool
developer	String	Developer or publisher name
logoUrl	String	URL of the tool's logo or icon
url	String	Full AlternativeTo URL of the tool

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Usage Examples

Keyword Search

Search for tools related to a specific topic:

{
  "keyword": "Photoshop alternatives",
  "results_wanted": 50
}

Category Extraction

Collect all tools from a specific category page:

{
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "https://alternativeto.net/category/ai-tools/ai-image-generator/" }
  ],
  "results_wanted": 100
}

Large Scale Collection

Gather results across many pages with residential proxies:

{
  "keyword": "Notion alternatives",
  "results_wanted": 500,
  "max_pages": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

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Sample Output

{
  "title": "Midjourney",
  "description": "Midjourney is an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. Their AI tool generates high-quality images from text descriptions.",
  "category": "AI Image Generator",
  "rating": 4.8,
  "pricing": "Paid",
  "cost": "Paid | Commercial",
  "license": "Commercial",
  "likes": 1250,
  "platforms": ["Online"],
  "applicationTypes": ["AI Image Generator", "Large Language Model (LLM)"],
  "origins": ["United States"],
  "bestAlternative": "DALL-E",
  "developer": "Midjourney Inc.",
  "logoUrl": "https://img.alternativeto.net/icons/140/midjourney_234234.svg",
  "url": "https://alternativeto.net/software/midjourney/"
}

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Tips for Best Results

Use Residential Proxies

For reliable extraction at scale, enable Apify Residential Proxies. This helps avoid rate limiting and ensures consistent access to the site.

Targeted URLs

For the most relevant data, use specific category URLs rather than broad keywords. This ensures you capture all tools in a particular niche.

Start Small

Begin with a low results_wanted value (20-50) to verify your configuration before running large-scale collections.

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Integrations

Connect your extracted AlternativeTo data with:

• Google Sheets - Export for analysis and reporting
• Airtable - Build searchable software databases
• Slack - Get notifications for new software matches
• Webhooks - Send data to your custom internal systems

Export Formats

• JSON - Ready for developers and application integration
• CSV - Optimized for spreadsheet and business analysis
• Excel - Convenient for reporting and presentations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scrape multiple categories at once?

Yes, provide multiple URLs in the startUrls input array to collect data across categories in a single run.

How many tools can I collect?

You can collect thousands of tools. The practical limit depends on the website's data volume and your configured proxy settings.

Does the scraper handle pagination?

Yes, it automatically identifies and follows next-page links until your target result count is reached.

Why are some fields empty?

Some fields like rating or images may be unavailable for certain tools if the source page does not include that information.

Do I need proxies?

For local testing, proxies are optional. For production runs on the Apify platform, residential proxies are recommended.

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Support

For issues or feature requests, contact support through the Apify Console.

Resources

• Apify Documentation
• API Reference
• Scheduling Runs

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Legal Notice

This actor is designed for legitimate data collection purposes. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with website terms of service and applicable laws. Use data responsibly and respect rate limits.