---
title: "Apify vs Browserless: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder"
description: "Apify vs Browserless compared for 2026 — pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which web scraping & data extraction tool is the better fit for your startup."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/apify-vs-browserless
retrieved: 2026-09-11
---

Web Scraping & Data Extraction

# Apify vs Browserless: Which is Better in 2026?

Choosing between [Apify](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/apify) and [Browserless](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/browserless)? Both are popular web scraping & data extraction tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.

Quick verdict

Both are solid web scraping & data extraction options. Apify is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.

## Apify vs Browserless — Side by Side

|                | Apify                                            | Browserless                                                  |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Category       | Web Scraping & Data Extraction                   | Web Scraping & Data Extraction                               |
| Pricing        | Free · paid from $19/mo                          | Free · paid from $25/mo                                      |
| Starting price | Free tier available                              | Free tier available                                          |
| Free tier      | ✓                                                | ✓                                                            |
| Rating         | 4.5                                              | 4.4                                                          |
| Best for       | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — actors, crawlee | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — headless-browser, puppeteer |

## Pros & Cons

A

[Apify](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/apify)

* ✓Thousands of prebuilt, maintained scrapers
* ✓You can deploy your own code too
* ✓Crawlee is free and open source
* ✓Compute-unit pricing scales down as well as up
* ✗Prepaid credit model is easy to overspend
* ✗Actor quality varies by author
* ✗Compute units are hard to estimate up front

B

[Browserless](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/browserless)

* ✓Keep your existing Puppeteer/Playwright code
* ✓Stealth and CAPTCHA solving included
* ✓Session recording and debugging tools
* ✓No browser fleet to patch
* ✗Annual billing on every paid tier
* ✗Unit accounting is opaque at first
* ✗Self-hosting is enterprise-licensed only

## Key Features Compared

### Apify

* ✓64 GB RAM per Actor
* ✓32 concurrent runs
* ✓Chat support

### Browserless

* ✓20,000 units / month
* ✓10 concurrent browsers
* ✓15 min sessions

### Choose Apify if…

* ✓You want a free tier to validate before paying.
* ✓Budget is tight — paid plans start lower ($19/mo vs $25/mo).
* ✓Thousands of prebuilt, maintained scrapers
* ✓You can deploy your own code too
[Apify review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/apify)

### Choose Browserless if…

* ✓You want a free tier to validate before paying.
* ✓Keep your existing Puppeteer/Playwright code
* ✓Stealth and CAPTCHA solving included
* ✓Session recording and debugging tools
[Browserless review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/browserless)

## Frequently Asked Questions

Is Apify better than Browserless?⌄

Both are solid web scraping & data extraction options. Apify is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.

What is the difference between Apify and Browserless?⌄

Apify — Marketplace and runtime for 'Actors' — thousands of prebuilt scrapers you can rent, plus a platform to deploy your own. Browserless — Hosted headless Chrome you connect Puppeteer or Playwright to over WebSocket, with stealth, proxies and CAPTCHA solving built in. Both are web scraping & data extraction tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.

Apify vs Browserless: which is cheaper?⌄

Apify pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo. Browserless pricing: Free · paid from $25/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

Which is rated higher, Apify or Browserless?⌄

In our catalog, Apify rates 4.5 out of 5 and Browserless rates 4.4 out of 5, so Apify has a slight edge on reviews.

See more options in our guide to the [best web scraping & data extraction tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/web-scraping).

## Still not sure which to pick?

Get a free, AI-powered tech stack — including the best web scraping & data extraction pick for your budget and team — in 60 seconds.

[Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/)