AlternativeUpdated March 15, 2026

Looking for an Apify Alternative?

Apify is powerful for developers, but most teams just need data in their spreadsheet. Unlimited Sheets gives you web scraping, AI, and SEO tools, all inside Google Sheets, starting at EUR 9/mo.

5x

Cheaper

EUR 9/mo vs $49/mo with Apify

0

Learning curve

Just use spreadsheet formulas

50+

Built-in tools

Scraping, AI, SEO, all included

A

Developer-focused web scraping and automation platform with 1,500+ pre-built Actors

$49/mo

Starting at

Yes

Free tier

U

Unlimited Sheets

Recommended alternative

Web scraping, AI tools, and SEO analysis, all inside Google Sheets with simple formulas. Starting at EUR 9/mo.

€9/mo

Starting at

Yes

Free tier

Overview

Apify is a developer-first web scraping platform with a marketplace of 1,500+ pre-built scrapers ("Actors") and a powerful SDK for custom solutions. It is a great choice for engineering teams that need programmable, scalable scraping infrastructure.

But for most professionals, marketers, analysts, SEO specialists, and business teams, Apify is overkill. The credit-based pricing gets expensive fast, custom Actors require JavaScript or Python, and scraped data still needs to be exported to a spreadsheet for analysis.

Unlimited Sheets takes a different approach: web scraping happens directly inside Google Sheets with simple formulas like =SCRAPE() and =AI_SCRAPE(). No SDK, no separate platform, no export steps. Starting at EUR 9/mo, it also includes AI tools (ChatGPT & Claude) and SEO features that Apify does not offer.

Common Apify Pain Points

Issues users frequently report when using this tool

Credit-based pricing can get expensive quickly at scale

Steep learning curve. Custom Actors require JavaScript or Python

No visual/no-code builder for non-developers

Complex pricing model with multiple usage dimensions

Data ends up outside your spreadsheet, requires export steps

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

How Apify stacks up against Unlimited Sheets

Feature
Apify
Unlimited Sheets
No-code scraping
Formula-based extraction
Works inside Google Sheets
Custom code support
Node.js & Python SDK
XPath & CSS selectors
Setup time
30+ minutes
2 minutes

Swipe tabs to see all categories

Why Switch

Why Switch from Apify?

Data lands directly in your spreadsheet

No exporting, no CSV imports, no API calls. Use formulas like =SCRAPE(url, selector) and results appear in your cells instantly. Your scraped data is already where you need it.

Save 80% on your scraping costs

Apify starts at $49/mo with credit-based pricing that scales with usage. Unlimited Sheets Pro starts at EUR 9/mo with predictable, fixed pricing. No surprise bills.

AI + SEO + scraping in one add-on

Apify focuses only on scraping. Unlimited Sheets also includes AI functions (ChatGPT & Claude), keyword research, SERP analysis, rank tracking, and 50+ other tools, all from the same add-on.

No SDK, no learning curve

Apify requires JavaScript or Python for custom scrapers. Unlimited Sheets uses simple spreadsheet formulas. If you know Google Sheets, you already know how to use it.

Apify vs Unlimited Sheets: Pricing

Apify uses credit-based pricing that can get expensive at scale. Unlimited Sheets offers predictable, fixed plans with more features included.

A

Apify

Free

$5 credits only

$0/mo

Starter

$49/mo

Scale

$499/mo

U

Unlimited Sheets

Recommended alternative

Free

50 calls/mo

€0/mo

Pro

Most popular

€9/mo

Business

€29/mo

The bottom line

Unlimited Sheets Pro (€9/mo) gives you unlimited tool usage, AI functions, and SEO tools, features that would cost $49+/mo on Apify, if they were available at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about switching from Apify

Is Unlimited Sheets a good alternative to Apify?
Yes, for most use cases. If your scraped data ends up in a spreadsheet, Unlimited Sheets is a simpler, more affordable alternative. You get web scraping, AI tools, and SEO features, all inside Google Sheets at a fraction of the cost. However, if you need large-scale scraping infrastructure with custom code, Apify may still be the better choice.
Can Unlimited Sheets replace Apify for web scraping?
For typical scraping tasks, extracting product data, prices, emails, and listings, Unlimited Sheets handles everything Apify does, but directly in Google Sheets. For advanced use cases like scraping millions of pages with custom JavaScript, Apify has more raw power.
How is Unlimited Sheets cheaper than Apify?
Apify uses credit-based pricing starting at $49/mo, where credits are consumed based on compute time, memory, and data transfer. Unlimited Sheets uses simple fixed plans: €9/mo for Pro or €29/mo for Business, with predictable costs and no usage surprises.
Does Unlimited Sheets support JavaScript-rendered pages?
Yes. Unlimited Sheets renders pages server-side before extraction, so you can scrape dynamic content from JavaScript-heavy websites just like Apify does with headless browsers.
Can I migrate my Apify workflows to Unlimited Sheets?
Most Apify scraping workflows can be replicated in Unlimited Sheets using formulas like =SCRAPE(), =SCRAPE_BY_CSS_PATH(), or =AI_SCRAPE(). The transition is straightforward. You replace Actor configurations with spreadsheet formulas.
Does Unlimited Sheets have an API like Apify?
Unlimited Sheets works through the Google Sheets API, which means any tool that integrates with Google Sheets (Zapier, Make, n8n, custom scripts) can interact with your scraped data. You do not need a separate API.

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Ready to switch from Apify?

Web scraping, AI tools, and SEO analysis, all inside Google Sheets. One add-on, one formula.

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