AlternativeTo Scraper

Extract comprehensive data from AlternativeTo.net with ease. Collect thousands of software listings, alternatives, and tool details automatically. Perfect for market research, competitor analysis, and product discovery.

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Features

• Deep Data Extraction — Scrape detailed software descriptions, categories, ratings, and pricing models.
• Smart Navigation — Automatically handles pagination to collect as many results as you specify.
• Focused Results — Seed your search with keywords or start directly from category and search URLs.
• Automated Deduplication — Built-in logic ensures you only get unique tool listings without duplicates.
• Reliable Collection — Designed to handle website protection systems for consistent and successful runs.

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Use Cases

Competitor Analysis

Track alternatives to your own software or your competitors. Understand what users are looking for and identify gaps in the market by analyzing alternative listings.

Software Asset Management

Build a comprehensive database of software tools used across different categories. Compare pricing models and ratings to optimize your organization's tool stack.

Market Intelligence

Monitor trending software categories and identify up-and-coming tools before they go mainstream. Track how software is categorized and rated by the community.

Content Generation

Gather data for "Best Alternatives" articles or comparison blog posts. Quickly build 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 or searches) to start from.
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.
collectDetails	Boolean	No	true	When enabled, visits tool detail pages for full descriptions and extra info.
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{"useApifyProxy": true}	Proxy settings; residential proxies are highly recommended.

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Output Data

Each item in the dataset contains structured information about a software tool:

Field	Type	Description
title	String	Name of the software or tool.
description	String	Comprehensive description of the tool's features and purpose.
category	String	Primary category or classification.
rating	Number	User rating (on a 5-point scale).
pricing	String	License type or pricing model (e.g., Free, Paid, Freemium).
url	String	Absolute AlternativeTo URL of the tool.
logoUrl	String	URL of the tool's logo/icon.
likes	Integer	Number of likes the tool has received on AlternativeTo.
platforms	Array	List of supported platforms (e.g., Windows, Mac, Android).
license	String	Specific license type (Free, Open Source, etc.).
developer	String	The developer or publisher of the software.
_source	String	Source identifier (alternativeto).

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Usage Examples

Basic Keyword Search

Extract tools related to a specific keyword from the search results.

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

Category Extraction

Collect tools from a specific category URL.

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

Large Scale Collection

Gather a large number of results across multiple 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",
  "license": "Commercial",
  "url": "https://alternativeto.net/software/midjourney/",
  "logoUrl": "https://d2.alternativeto.net/dist/icons/midjourney_234234.png",
  "likes": 1250,
  "platforms": ["Online"],
  "developer": "Midjourney Inc.",
  "_source": "alternativeto"
}

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Tips for Best Results

Use Residential Proxies

To ensure consistent extraction and avoid being limited by website protections, always use Apify Residential Proxies.

Targeted URLs

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

Balanced Collection

For initial testing, start with a small results_wanted (e.g., 20) to verify you're getting the data you need before running large-scale extractions.

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Integrations

Connect your extracted AlternativeTo data with:

• Google Sheets — Export directly 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, you can provide multiple URLs in the startUrls input array.

How do I collect only tool names and URLs?

Set collectDetails to false. This will skip visiting individual tool pages and only collect data available on the list pages.

Does it handle pagination?

Yes, the scraper automatically identifies and follows the "Next" page links until your target result count is met.

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Support

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

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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 and community guidelines.