Apify vs SerpApi
A side-by-side look at 2 AI & ML tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
apify.com
Best for Developers and AI teams that want ready-made scrapers and automation tools, or a cloud platform to run their own.
A marketplace and platform of ready-to-run web scraping and automation tools for AI agents and apps.
Visit Apify
serpapi.com
Best for Developers and SEO teams that need structured Google and search-engine results through a stable API.
A real-time Google Search API that handles proxies and CAPTCHAs and returns structured results.
Visit SerpApiPricing compared
Apify
$19/mo
SerpApi
$25/mo
Head to head
| Apify | SerpApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Free plan with $5 of monthly usage, no credit card | Free plan with 250 searches per month |
| Platforms | Web · API · CLI | API · Web |
| Founded | 2015 | — |
| HQ | Prague, Czechia | — |
Pros & cons
Apify
Pros
- Huge store of ready-made Actors covers many common scraping jobs.
- Free plan with no credit card makes testing easy.
- Includes proxies, anti-blocking tools and scheduling on the platform.
- MCP server and API let AI agents run Actors directly.
- Open-source Crawlee library reduces lock-in for custom scrapers.
Cons
- Costs vary by Actor and pricing model, so budgeting needs test runs.
- Unused prepaid usage expires at the end of each billing cycle.
- Free plan is blocked once monthly usage runs out.
- Store Actor quality depends on the individual developer.
SerpApi
Pros
- Handles proxies, CAPTCHAs and parsing so you do not run that infrastructure.
- Structured data for organic, Maps, Local, Shopping and Knowledge Graph results.
- Location parameter returns results as users in specific places see them.
- Only successful searches count toward your plan.
- Month-to-month plans with a free tier and SOC 2 Type II certification.
Cons
- Entry paid plan of $25 a month includes only 1,000 searches.
- U.S. Legal Shield starts at the Production plan.
- Focused on search results rather than full-page content scraping.
- Free plan throughput is limited to 50 searches per hour.
Features compared
| Apify | SerpApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans & pricing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription plus pay-as-you-go platform usage | Monthly plans by search volume |
| Platforms & access | ||
| Web app | ✓ Yes | — |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Native integrations | Zapier, GitHub, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Slack, n8n | — |
| Automation (Zapier/Make) | ✓ Yes | — |
| Security & compliance | ||
| SOC 2 | — | ✓ Yes |