The Simple Apify Alternative: One Endpoint, Zero Complexity
One endpoint, zero configuration. No Actors to choose from, no platform lock-in.
Why developers leave Apify
Real pain points from developers who switched to AlterLab
45,000+ Actors to manage
Finding and configuring the right Actor from a marketplace of 45,000+ is time-consuming. Many are outdated or broken.
Developer-only platform
Apify requires coding skills to build and maintain Actors. No simple API-first approach.
Unpredictable costs
Compute unit pricing is opaque. Hard to estimate costs before running a scraping job.
Real Success Rates, Not Marketing Claims
AlterLab's real-world success rate against the anti-bot systems modern sites actually run -- Cloudflare, Akamai, PerimeterX, and more -- computed continuously from live production scrape outcomes, not a lab benchmark or a self-reported claim.
31,929 verified scrape encounters as of August 18, 2026, 90-day window.
| Anti-Bot Vendor | Difficulty Score | Trend | Encounters |
|---|---|---|---|
| datadome | 99.7 | 0.0 | 7,663 |
| captcha | 46.7 | 0.0 | 5,043 |
| blocked | 4.6 | 0.0 | 4,236 |
| cloudflare | 25.3 | 0.0 | 3,698 |
| cloudflare_blocked | 17.1 | 0.0 | 3,229 |
Platform-wide data across all AlterLab customers and every supported site -- not specific to any single competitor. See full methodology and live data.
See How Much You Save
Drag the slider to calculate your exact savings vs Apify
19,000 Actors vs One Endpoint
Apify requires you to find, configure, and manage Actors for every scraping task. AlterLab gives you one API endpoint that handles everything.
Apify Workflow
4 steps to scrape a page
Browse Marketplace
Search 19,000+ Actors to find the right one
Configure Actor
Set inputs, proxy, memory, timeout per Actor
Manage Compute Units
Monitor CU consumption, estimate costs
Monitor Runs
Check run status, debug failures, retry
AlterLab Workflow
1 step to scrape a page
POST a URL
One endpoint, one request — done
Compute Units Are Unpredictable
Apify charges per compute unit, but costs vary wildly by Actor, memory allocation, and runtime. AlterLab charges a flat rate per request.
Apify costs vary by Actor, memory allocation (128 MB–32 GB), and runtime duration. Ranges shown are typical for simple scraping tasks. AlterLab pricing is flat per request regardless of complexity.
Every feature, side by side
See exactly how AlterLab compares to Apify across all key features
| Feature | AlterLab Winner | Apify |
|---|---|---|
Getting started Time to first scrape | 2 minutes (POST a URL) | 15+ minutes (find Actor, configure, run) |
API complexity Integration approach | 1 REST endpoint | 45,000+ Actors with different configs |
SDK dependency Required client libraries | Any HTTP client (curl, fetch, requests) | Apify SDK required for full features |
Vendor lock-in Can you switch easily | Standard REST API | Actor ecosystem lock-in |
Same features, 94% less
Get the same capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Start with 5,000 free scrapes — no credit card required.
See AlterLab in action
One endpoint. Any website. Results in under 2 seconds. No Apify complexity.
// Response will appear here...
Try it yourself with 5,000 free requests
No credit card required. Get your API key in 30 seconds.
Switch from Apify in 10 minutes
Simple easy migration process. No downtime, no complex setup.
Migration Steps
Code Migration Example
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
// Find the right Actor, read its docs, configure inputs...
const run = await client.actor('apify/web-scraper').call({
startUrls: [{ url: 'https://example.com' }],
pageFunction: async function pageFunction(context) {
return { title: document.title };
}
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();// AlterLab — one endpoint, zero configuration
const response = await fetch('https://api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_ALTERLAB_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
url: 'https://example.com',
render_js: true
})
});
const data = await response.json();Compatibility Notes
- •AlterLab handles web scraping use cases with a single API endpoint — no Actors to configure
- •No SDK needed — any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests, etc.)
- •Actor-specific features (scheduling, storage) have different solutions in AlterLab
- •For complex workflows, use AlterLab's batch API for parallel requests
Ready to make the switch?
Start with 5,000 free requests. No credit card required.
Built for production workloads
Real platform metrics — not marketing promises
Start free — no credit card, no commitment
Frequently Asked Questions
More Comparisons
See how AlterLab stacks up against other scraping APIs
10x cost multipliers
Expiring monthly balance
75x cost for hard sites
Complex enterprise tooling
Monthly subscription required
Confusing token types
Enterprise complexity
Enterprise minimums, no developer API
Bandwidth billing, unpredictable costs
Credits expire monthly, complex pricing
Monthly subscription required
Monthly subscription required
Summarized snippets, not full page content
Search-only, no destination page extraction
Monthly subscription required
More Scraping API Resources
Part of the Web Scraping API Documentation cluster
Complete API reference with 5-tier auto-escalation — Curl to challenge resolution.
Pillar page10x cost multipliers vs pay-as-you-go pricing.
Complex enterprise tooling vs simple API integration.
Expiring monthly balance vs credits that never expire.
75x cost for hard sites vs auto-escalation pricing.
Monthly subscription required vs pay-per-request.
Confusing token types vs transparent per-request billing.
Real success rate and cost data across scraping APIs — no vendor data.
Stop managing Actors.
Start scraping smarter.
Switch from Apify in under 10 minutes. No credit card required.
Pay-as-you-go pricing. Balance never expires.