Apify vs Zyte API: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Apify and Zyte API? 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
Apify is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while Zyte API does not. Choose Zyte API when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Apify rates slightly higher (4.5 vs 4.3 out of 5).
Apify vs Zyte API — Side by Side
| Apify | Zyte API | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Scraping & Data Extraction | Web Scraping & Data Extraction |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $19/mo | Usage-based |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Pay-as-you-go |
| Free tier | — | |
| Rating | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Best for | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — actors, crawlee | Web Scraping & Data Extraction — scrapy, api |
Pros & Cons
- 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
- Only successful responses are billed
- Priced by actual resource use per request
- Made by the Scrapy team
- Scrapy itself stays free and open source
- No flat monthly tier to budget against
- Cost per request is hard to predict
- Monthly commitment is use-it-or-lose-it
Key Features Compared
Apify
- 64 GB RAM per Actor
- 32 concurrent runs
- Chat support
Zyte API
- Charged only for successful responses
- $100 default monthly spending limit
- Automatic volume discounts
Choose Apify if…
- You want to start free — Apify has a free tier and Zyte API does not.
- Thousands of prebuilt, maintained scrapers
- You can deploy your own code too
- Crawlee is free and open source
Choose Zyte API if…
- Only successful responses are billed
- Priced by actual resource use per request
- Made by the Scrapy team
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apify better than Zyte API?⌄
Apify is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while Zyte API does not. Choose Zyte API when its specific features justify the cost. In our catalog, Apify rates slightly higher (4.5 vs 4.3 out of 5).
What is the difference between Apify and Zyte API?⌄
Apify — Marketplace and runtime for 'Actors' — thousands of prebuilt scrapers you can rent, plus a platform to deploy your own. Zyte API — Usage-priced scraping API from the team behind Scrapy, charging per successful request on a tier that reflects how hard the site was. Both are web scraping & data extraction tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Apify vs Zyte API: which is cheaper?⌄
Apify pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo. Zyte API pricing: Usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Apify or Zyte API?⌄
In our catalog, Apify rates 4.5 out of 5 and Zyte API rates 4.3 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.
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