Turn webpages into LLM-ready data at scale with a simple API call

Learn More
Contact Sales
Login

Brightdata vs. Apify: Which One is Right for You in 2025?

Comparing Pricing, Features, and Performance to Help You Decide

StRT FREE TRIAL
Contact sales
No credit card required
BrightData vs Apify
Brightdata vs. Apify

Discover why 10,000+ companies chose ScraperAPI to scale their web scraping projects
over tools like Parsehub and Oxylabs

Quick Overview

Choosing between BrightData and Apify? We compare Bright Data and Apify across pricing, performance, and ease of use—so you can choose the best fit for your projects.

About BrightData

Bright Data (formerly Luminati) is a leading data collection platform known for its enterprise-grade infrastructure, massive proxy network, and specialized Web Scraper APIs that extract structured data from 120+ domains. It’s tailored for large-scale operations, compliance-driven teams, and enterprise users who need reliability, scalability, and deep customization.

Strengths:

  • Offers dedicated scrapers for high-demand sites like Amazon, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Zillow
  • Built-in CAPTCHA solving, JavaScript rendering, and auto IP rotation for large-scale scraping

Top Features:

  • Bulk Request Handling (5,000+ URLs per call)
  • Structured output in JSON or CSV
  • Unlimited concurrent scraping tasks
  • 24/7 Support with guaranteed uptime SLAs (Premium plans)

About Apify

Apify is a developer-first web automation and scraping platform. It offers flexible pricing based on compute units (CU), custom Actors, and usage-based add-ons for storage, proxies, and data transfer. Best suited for tech teams or startups that want to build, run, and schedule scrapers at a granular level.

Strengths:

  • Modular platform with support for custom-built scrapers (“Actors”)
  • Affordable entry-level plans with access to the Actor Store
  • Powerful automation tools via REST APIs and headless browser control

Top Features:

  • Actor development and marketplace
  • Full access to Puppeteer and Playwright environments
  • RAM scaling, proxy customization, and detailed usage reporting

How ScraperAPI Stacks Up

ScraperAPI is a simple yet powerful alternative that removes complexity from scraping. Designed for startups, agencies, and enterprise teams, it automatically handles proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, JS rendering, and request retries—so you can focus on extracting data, not managing infrastructure.

If you’re looking for a more innovative, more cost-effective solution with fewer moving parts, ScraperAPI offers:

  • Up to 3,000,000 successful requests per month for $299
  • Built-in support for 150+ geolocations, Structured Data Endpoints, and DataPipeline for low-code automation
  • Pay only for successful requests—no wasted spend on failed or blocked attempts

Top Features:

  • Automatic proxy rotation & smart retries
  • JavaScript rendering with custom instruction sets
  • Structured Data Endpoints for sites like Amazon, Google, and Walmart
  • Flat-rate pricing with straightforward credit usage
  • Supports 150+ geolocations
  • Optional no-code scraping through DataPipeline
  •  
check documentation

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

1️⃣ Pricing & Value

FeatureBrightDataApifyScraperAPI
Pricing ModelPay-per-record (e.g., $0.79–$1.5 / 1K records)Compute Unit billing + Add-onsMonthly credit-based plans 
Free Trial✅ Yes, no credit card✅ Yes, no credit card✅ Yes, no credit card
Pay-as-you-go✅ $1.5 / 1K records✅ $0.4 per compute unit❌ Not available (fixed monthly pricing)
Extra Costs (Bandwidth, IPs, etc.)Storage, delivery, bandwidth, premium supportProxy usage, storage, data transfer❌ None – all features included
Money-back Guarantee❌ No❌ No✅ 7-day refund on all plans

📌 Takeaway: Bright Data charges by records delivered, with pricing starting at $1.5/1K records (PAYG) or $0.79/1K on their Premium plan ($1999/mo). At $999/month on the Business plan, you’ll get roughly 1.2 million records at $0.84 per 1K.

Apify prices based on compute units (CUs). Each CU (1 GB RAM/hour) costs $0.4 (Starter), down to $0.25 (Business). You’re also billed separately for proxy usage (e.g., $8/GB residential), data storage, and transfer. A moderate scraper could quickly burn through $199 worth of compute units, especially with heavier workloads.

ScraperAPI, in contrast, charges only for successful requests. Its $299 Business Plan includes 3,000,000 API credits. A successful Amazon scrape = 5 credits → 600,000 successful requests per month. Proxies, CAPTCHA solving, JS rendering, and retries are included at no extra cost.

2️⃣ Performance & Reliability

Feature🏆 Brighdata🚀 ApifyScraperAPI
Success Rate (%)99.99% uptime (Bright Data claims)Depends on the Actors (95% - 99%)Depends on the domain(95% - 99.9%)
JS Rendering SupportYesYesYes
CAPTCHA HandlingYesYes, but not built-inYes
Geolocation Options195+ countries (via 72M IPs)Custom geo + IPs sold separately150+ locations included in the plan

📌 Takeaway: Bright Data has the most advanced infrastructure with 72M IPs and 195 geos, but it comes with a premium price tag and pay-per-record billing that scales fast. It’s ideal for enterprises that require maximum control and scale—and are okay with complexity.

Apify gives developers flexibility and power with Actors but requires more setup (proxy config, compute usage planning, data storage management). It’s best suited to technical teams that want to build and customize scraping tools from scratch.

ScraperAPI strikes a balance: it handles JavaScript, CAPTCHA, retries, and proxy rotation automatically, offers Structured Data Endpoints for common use cases, and provides 95%+ success rates on complex sites—all in a fixed, transparent, cost-effective plan. If you want performance without micromanagement, ScraperAPI is the most efficient option.

3️⃣ User Reviews & Ratings (Capterra and Trustpilot)

PlatformBrightData ⭐Apify⭐ScraperAPI ⭐
Capterra⭐ 4.8 / 5 (65 reviews)⭐ 4.8 / 5 (218 reviews)⭐ 4.6 / 5 (62 reviews)
Trustpilot⭐ 4.5 / 5 (812 reviews)⭐ 4.2 / 5 (13 reviews)⭐ 4.7 / 5 (40 reviews)

💬 What Users Are Saying:

Bright Data is respected for its power and breadth but often criticized for its cost, complicated setup, and occasional support issues. Their platform is enterprise-grade, but that means smaller teams usually find it overwhelming or overpriced.

Thanks to its flexibility, Apify gets love from developers and small teams, but users often hit a learning wall, and actor-based workflows can require manual testing and tweaking. It’s ideal if you want to build scrapers, but not always if you just want data fast.

ScraperAPI, on the other hand, is consistently praised for being straightforward, reliable, and transparent. Reviews highlight how it removes technical barriers and lets teams focus on output, not infrastructure. It’s a solid choice for those looking to scale data collection without the enterprise bloat or developer-heavy onboarding.

Bright Data

👍 Pros:

  • Excellent customer service and high success rate.
  • Robust proxy network and scraping tools
  • Good for enterprise-scale operations

👎 Cons:

  • Frequent complaints about high prices and overcharges
  • Occasional proxy mismatches or blocked IPs
  • Lack of refunds or flexibility in pricing

Apify

👍 Pros:

  • Developer-friendly with customizable “Actors.”
  • Flexible for both novice users and experienced developers
  • Offers clear usage metrics and a growing marketplace

👎 Cons:

  • Some mention a steep learning curve and incomplete documentation
  • Actor quality varies; trial and error is needed to find the right one
  • A few complaints about slow response times from actor creators
  • Pricing can ramp up quickly if usage is high

ScraperAPI

👍 Pros:

  • Extremely easy to use and well-documented
  • Excellent value for money — generous features even on lower tiers
  • Responsive customer support praised across reviews
  • Handles proxies, CAPTCHA, and JS rendering automatically
  • Highly scalable with structured data support

👎 Cons:

  • Unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle
  • Rare reliability dips noted, but often self-correcting

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BrightData if…

✔ You need the largest proxy network (195+ countries, 72M IPs)
 ✔ You want highly customized data collection workflows
 ✔ You prefer a hands-on support experience with dedicated account managers and have a large budget to work with

Choose Apify if…

✔ You want to build and run custom scrapers (Actors)
 ✔ You want access to a large marketplace of prebuilt scrapers or want to build and monetize your own
 ✔ You prefer usage-based pricing with a pay-as-you-go model and don’t mind a learning curve

Choose ScraperAPI if…

✔ You want fast, reliable scraping with no setup
 ✔ You want high success rates, structured endpoints, and transparent pricing that scales with you
 ✔ You prefer flat pricing and high value per successful request

Why is ScraperAPI the best alternative to BrightData and Apify

Bright Data and Apify are solid tools—but they’re not the right fit for everyone.

Bright Data is built for large-scale enterprise teams. It’s powerful, but expensive and can be complex to manage. Apify, on the other hand, is great if you want to build your own scrapers from scratch—but that means more development time, a learning curve, and ongoing maintenance.

ScraperAPI is designed to get you results faster, without the extra work.

You don’t need to build Actors, manage proxies, or handle CAPTCHAs manually. Just make a request and get clean, structured data back. JavaScript rendering, retries, geotargeting—it’s all included in one simple plan. You only pay for successful results, so your budget goes further.

If you’re looking for a reliable, scalable scraping solution without the technical overhead, ScraperAPI gives you everything you need.

ScraperAPI is the better (yet affordable) alternative

ScraperAPI vs. Bright Data
ScraperAPI vs BrightData

What Our Customers
Are Saying

One of the most frustrating parts of automated web scraping is constantly dealing with IP blocks and CAPTCHAs. ScraperAPI gets this task off of your shoulders.

Capterra Badge

based on 50+ reviews

The team at ScraperAPI was so patient in helping us debug our first scraper. Thanks for being super passionate and awesome!
Cristina Saavedra
Cristina SaavedraOptimization Director at SquareTrade
A dead simple API plus a generous free tier are hard to beat. ScraperAPI is a good example of how developer experience can make a difference in a crowded category.
Ilya Sukhar
Ilya SukharFounder of Parse, Partner at YCombinator
I researched a lot of scraping tools and am glad I found ScraperAPI. It has low cost and great tech support. They always respond within 24 hours when I need any help with the product.
Alexander Zharkov
Alexander ZharkovFullstack Javascript Developer
BigCommerce

Simple Pricing. No Surprises.

Start collecting data with our 7-day trial and 5,000 API credits. No credit card required.

Upgrade to enable more features and increase scraping volume.

Hobby

Ideal for small projects or personal use.

Hobby

$49

/ month

$44

/ month, billed annually

  • 100,000 API Credits
  • 20 Concurrent Threads
  • US & EU Geotargeting
Start Trial

Startup

Great for small teams and advanced users.

Startup

$149

/ month

$134

/ month, billed annually

  • 1,000,000 API Credits
  • 50 Concurrent Threads
  • US & EU Geotargeting
Start Trial

Business

Perfect for small-medium businesses.

Business

$299

/ month

$269

/ month, billed annually

  • 3,000,000 API Credits
  • 100 Concurrent Threads
  • All Geotargeting
Start Trial

Scaling

Most popular

Perfect for teams looking to scale their operations.

Business

$475

/ month

$427

/ month, billed annually

  • 5,000,000 API Credits
  • 200 Concurrent Threads
  • All Geotargeting
Start Trial

Enterprise

Need more than 5,000,000 API Credits with all premium features, premium support and an account manager?

  • 5,000,000+ API credits and 200+ Concurrent Threads
  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Slack Support
Contact Sales

Frequently Asked Questions

ScraperAPI is the better choice. It supports automatic JavaScript rendering, CAPTCHA handling, and smart proxy rotation — perfect for dynamic sites with heavy client-side content. No complex setup is required.

For most users, ScraperAPI delivers more successful requests per dollar. Bright Data can get pricey with per-record costs, and Apify’s CU-based pricing adds up fast.

Very easy. Just update your request URL. No complex configs — ScraperAPI integrates seamlessly with your existing code.

5 Billion Requests Handled per Month

Get started with 5,000 free API credits or contact sales

Switch to ScraperAPI Today

Get 5000 API credits for free