# Freelancer.nl Opdrachten Scraper (`unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper`) Actor
Scrape freelance and ZZP project listings from Freelancer.nl — the Netherlands' largest freelance platform. Filter by keyword, location, sector and hourly rate. Full descriptions in HTML, text and Markdown. Repost detection & daysOld filtering. No API key required.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Unfenced Group](https://apify.com/unfenced-group) (community)
- **Categories:** Jobs, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $1.00 / 1,000 results
This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event
## What's an Apify Actor?
Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".
## How to integrate an Actor?
If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.
In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):
```bash
pip install apify-client
```
In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):
````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash
In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).
If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).
For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.
For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).
# README
## Freelancer.nl Scraper
Scrape freelance assignments from [freelancer.nl](https://www.freelancer.nl) — the Netherlands' dedicated marketplace for freelance and ZZP projects with 750+ active listings across all disciplines. Filter by keyword, city, and budget type. No API key required. **Fast, lightweight and cost-efficient.**
---
### Why this scraper?
#### ⚡ Low memory footprint — 256 MB
This scraper runs at 256 MB memory instead of the 1024+ MB typically required by heavier scraping setups. Lower memory means lower compute cost per run — the difference adds up significantly at scale.
#### 🔄 Cross-run repost detection
Clients frequently repost the same assignment to keep it visible. Over a 90-day window, this scraper tracks every assignment it has seen and tags returning ones with `isRepost: true`, `originalPublishDate`, and `originalUrl`. Use `skipReposts: true` to exclude them entirely from your dataset, or keep them to monitor repricing and demand signals.
#### 📄 Three description formats
Fetching the full description in three formats eliminates preprocessing work in your pipeline:
| Field | Format | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| `description` | HTML | Direct rendering, CMS import |
| `descriptionText` | Plain text | Search indexing, keyword extraction |
| `descriptionMarkdown` | Markdown | RAG pipelines, LLM agents, Pinecone, Weaviate |
#### 💰 Structured budget data
Budget ranges are extracted and normalized into machine-readable fields — no regex parsing required in your workflow:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| `budget` | `"€40 — €60"` |
| `budgetMin` | `40` |
| `budgetMax` | `60` |
| `budgetType` | `"Per Uur"` / `"Vaste Prijs"` / `"In overleg"` |
Both hourly and fixed-price formats are handled. Assignments without a specified budget return `"In overleg"` with `null` for min/max.
#### ⏱️ Freshness filter with `daysOld`
Set `daysOld: 7` to only retrieve assignments posted in the last week. The exact `publishDateISO` field (ISO 8601) is pulled from the detail page for reliable date filtering — relative timestamps like "3 uur geleden" are resolved to an absolute date.
#### 🔗 Direct URL targeting with `startUrls`
Bypass the search entirely and point the scraper at any freelancer.nl category page, city page, or filtered search URL. Useful for monitoring a specific niche or scheduling targeted runs per discipline.
---
### Input parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| `searchQuery` | string | Keyword to search, e.g. `"developer"` or `"marketing"` | `""` |
| `city` | string | Filter by city, e.g. `"Amsterdam"`. Used when no `searchQuery` is set. | `""` |
| `budgetType` | string | `"hourly"`, `"fixed"`, or `"tbd"` (In overleg). Leave empty for all. | `""` |
| `budgetMin` | integer | Minimum budget in euros. Applied when `budgetType` is `"hourly"` or `"fixed"`. | `—` |
| `budgetMax` | integer | Maximum budget in euros. Applied when `budgetType` is `"hourly"` or `"fixed"`. | `—` |
| `startUrls` | array | List of specific freelancer.nl URLs to scrape directly. | `[]` |
| `maxResults` | integer | Maximum number of assignments to return. Controls your spend. | `100` |
| `fetchDetails` | boolean | Fetch each detail page for full description, exact date, duration, and category. | `true` |
| `skipReposts` | boolean | Skip assignments already seen in a previous run. | `false` |
| `daysOld` | integer | Only return assignments posted within this many days. | `—` |
---
### Output schema
```json
{
"id": "frnl5cc20736",
"url": "https://freelancer.nl/opdrachten/houten/hr-administratie-finance-secretarieel/freelance-hr-administratieve-support-bij-tech-bedrijf-in-houten-12-uur-pw-5cc20736",
"title": "Freelance HR & Administratieve Support bij Tech-bedrijf in Houten (12 uur p/w)",
"location": "Houten",
"isRemote": false,
"isHybrid": false,
"budget": "€40 — €60",
"budgetMin": 40,
"budgetMax": 60,
"budgetType": "Per Uur",
"skills": ["HR administratie", "finance", "secretarieel"],
"reactionsCount": 3,
"viewsCount": null,
"summary": "Freelance HR & Administratieve Support bij Tech-bedrijf in Houten...",
"category": "Administratie & Support",
"status": "Open",
"startDate": "Per direct",
"duration": "3 Maanden",
"publishDate": "23-03-2026",
"publishDateISO": "2026-03-23",
"description": "Freelance HR & Administratieve Support...
",
"descriptionText": "Freelance HR & Administratieve Support bij Tech-bedrijf in Houten...",
"descriptionMarkdown": "Freelance HR & Administratieve Support bij Tech-bedrijf in Houten...",
"isRepost": false,
"originalPublishDate": null,
"originalUrl": null,
"contentHash": "a3f4c9e1b2d07c45",
"source": "freelancer.nl",
"scrapedAt": "2026-03-27T14:30:00.000Z"
}
````
***
### Examples
**All development & IT assignments:**
```json
{ "searchQuery": "developer", "maxResults": 50, "fetchDetails": true }
```
**Hourly-rate assignments in Amsterdam, last 7 days:**
```json
{
"searchQuery": "marketing",
"city": "Amsterdam",
"budgetType": "hourly",
"budgetMin": 60,
"daysOld": 7,
"maxResults": 100
}
```
**Scheduled monitoring run — new assignments only:**
```json
{
"maxResults": 500,
"skipReposts": true,
"daysOld": 1,
"fetchDetails": true
}
```
**Scrape a specific category page directly:**
```json
{
"startUrls": [
{ "url": "https://freelancer.nl/opdrachten/development-en-it" },
{ "url": "https://freelancer.nl/opdrachten/marketing-en-communicatie" }
],
"maxResults": 200,
"fetchDetails": true
}
```
***
### 💰 Pricing
**$1.00 per 1,000 results** — you only pay for successfully retrieved assignments.
Failed retries and skipped reposts are never charged.
| Results | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | ~$0.10 |
| 1,000 | ~$1 |
| 10,000 | ~$10 |
| 100,000 | ~$100 |
> Flat-rate alternatives typically charge $29–$49/month regardless of usage.
> At 10,000 results/month, this scraper costs significantly less with no commitment.
Use the **Max results** cap in the input to control your spend exactly.
***
### Performance
| Run | Time |
|---|---|
| 100 assignments (list only, no detail) | ~15s |
| 100 assignments (with detail pages) | ~2 min |
| 1,000 assignments (with detail pages) | ~18 min |
Performance is measured with `fetchDetails: true` on Apify's shared infrastructure. List-only runs (`fetchDetails: false`) are approximately 8x faster.
***
### Known limitations
- **Apply URL:** Freelancer.nl requires a registered account to respond to assignments. `applyUrl` is not exposed in the public HTML — the call-to-action links directly to the detail page.
- **Budget:** Not all clients specify a budget — `budgetMin` and `budgetMax` are `null` when the budget is listed as "In overleg".
- **View count:** The `viewsCount` field is only populated when `fetchDetails: true` is set.
- **Platform scale:** Freelancer.nl is a niche Dutch platform with ~750 active listings, significantly smaller than generalist job boards. The full dataset fits in a single run.
***
### Technical details
- **Source:** freelancer.nl — Dutch freelance assignment marketplace
- **Memory:** 256 MB
- **Repost storage:** KeyValueStore `freelancer-nl-job-dedup`, 90-day TTL
- **Retry:** Automatic retry on network errors, exponential backoff, 3 attempts per request
***
### Additional services
Need a custom actor, additional filters, scheduled runs, or integration support?
Send an email to — we build on request.
***
*Built by [unfenced-group](https://apify.com/unfenced-group) · Issues? Open a ticket or send a message.*
# Actor input Schema
## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):
Keyword to search for, e.g. "developer" or "marketing".
## `city` (type: `string`):
Filter by city, e.g. "Amsterdam" or "Rotterdam". Only used when no searchQuery is set.
## `budgetType` (type: `string`):
Filter by budget type: "hourly", "fixed", or "tbd" (to be determined / In overleg).
## `budgetMin` (type: `integer`):
Minimum budget in euros. Only applied when budgetType is "hourly" or "fixed".
## `budgetMax` (type: `integer`):
Maximum budget in euros. Only applied when budgetType is "hourly" or "fixed".
## `startUrls` (type: `array`):
Optional list of specific freelancer.nl URLs to scrape, e.g. a category or filtered search page.
## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of assignments to return. Use to control costs.
## `fetchDetails` (type: `boolean`):
When enabled, fetches each assignment detail page for the full description, exact publish date, duration, skills and category.
## `skipReposts` (type: `boolean`):
When enabled, assignments that were seen in a previous run are skipped.
## `daysOld` (type: `integer`):
Only return assignments posted within this many days. Leave empty for no limit.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"searchQuery": "",
"city": "",
"budgetType": "",
"startUrls": [],
"maxResults": 100,
"fetchDetails": true,
"skipReposts": false
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
No description
# API
You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.
## JavaScript example
```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
console.dir(item);
});
// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs
```
## Python example
```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("")
# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=unfenced-group/freelancer-nl-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "Freelancer.nl Opdrachten Scraper",
"description": "Scrape freelance and ZZP project listings from Freelancer.nl — the Netherlands' largest freelance platform. Filter by keyword, location, sector and hourly rate. Full descriptions in HTML, text and Markdown. Repost detection & daysOld filtering. No API key required.",
"version": "0.0",
"x-build-id": "MhWE8AzbLC9jFccL6"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/unfenced-group~freelancer-nl-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-unfenced-group-freelancer-nl-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/unfenced-group~freelancer-nl-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-unfenced-group-freelancer-nl-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK",
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/unfenced-group~freelancer-nl-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-unfenced-group-freelancer-nl-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
}
},
"components": {
"schemas": {
"inputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"searchQuery": {
"title": "Search query",
"type": "string",
"description": "Keyword to search for, e.g. \"developer\" or \"marketing\".",
"default": ""
},
"city": {
"title": "City",
"type": "string",
"description": "Filter by city, e.g. \"Amsterdam\" or \"Rotterdam\". Only used when no searchQuery is set.",
"default": ""
},
"budgetType": {
"title": "Budget type",
"enum": [
"",
"hourly",
"fixed",
"tbd"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "Filter by budget type: \"hourly\", \"fixed\", or \"tbd\" (to be determined / In overleg).",
"default": ""
},
"budgetMin": {
"title": "Budget minimum (euros)",
"type": "integer",
"description": "Minimum budget in euros. Only applied when budgetType is \"hourly\" or \"fixed\"."
},
"budgetMax": {
"title": "Budget maximum (euros)",
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum budget in euros. Only applied when budgetType is \"hourly\" or \"fixed\"."
},
"startUrls": {
"title": "Start URLs",
"type": "array",
"description": "Optional list of specific freelancer.nl URLs to scrape, e.g. a category or filtered search page.",
"default": [],
"items": {
"type": "object",
"required": [
"url"
],
"properties": {
"url": {
"type": "string",
"title": "URL of a web page",
"format": "uri"
}
}
}
},
"maxResults": {
"title": "Max results",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 10000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum number of assignments to return. Use to control costs.",
"default": 100
},
"fetchDetails": {
"title": "Fetch detail pages",
"type": "boolean",
"description": "When enabled, fetches each assignment detail page for the full description, exact publish date, duration, skills and category.",
"default": true
},
"skipReposts": {
"title": "Skip reposts",
"type": "boolean",
"description": "When enabled, assignments that were seen in a previous run are skipped.",
"default": false
},
"daysOld": {
"title": "Max age (days)",
"minimum": 1,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Only return assignments posted within this many days. Leave empty for no limit."
}
}
},
"runsResponseSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"id": {
"type": "string"
},
"actId": {
"type": "string"
},
"userId": {
"type": "string"
},
"startedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"finishedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"status": {
"type": "string",
"example": "READY"
},
"meta": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"origin": {
"type": "string",
"example": "API"
},
"userAgent": {
"type": "string"
}
}
},
"stats": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"inputBodyLen": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2000
},
"rebootCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"restartCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"resurrectCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"computeUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"options": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"build": {
"type": "string",
"example": "latest"
},
"timeoutSecs": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 300
},
"memoryMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1024
},
"diskMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2048
}
}
},
"buildId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultDatasetId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultRequestQueueId": {
"type": "string"
},
"buildNumber": {
"type": "string",
"example": "1.0.0"
},
"containerUrl": {
"type": "string"
},
"usage": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"usageTotalUsd": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"usageUsd": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```