Apify vs. Bright Data: The Complete 2026 Comparison
Apify and Bright Data are major names in web data, but they sit in different layers of the stack. One bundles scrapers, execution, and storage; the other sells proxy scale, unblocking, and data products. This page gives a full comparison table, pricing breakdown, when to use which, and an FAQ so you can match a platform to your team and budget.
Quick Answer
Apify is a scraping platform (Actors + automation). Bright Data is primarily a proxy and data network. Choose Apify for pre-built scrapers and full pipeline; choose Bright Data for enterprise-scale proxy infrastructure.
Use Apify when you want managed runs, datasets, scheduling, and thousands of ready-made scrapers in one bill. Use Bright Data when you already run your own scrapers or ETL and need maximum IP diversity, mobile proxies, or specialized unblocking APIs.
Full comparison table
| Category | Apify | Bright Data |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Scraping platform (PaaS): Actors, automation, storage | Infrastructure (IaaS): proxies, unlockers, datasets |
| Managed hosting | Built-in serverless execution | Bring your own compute |
| Pre-built scrapers | 30,000+ Store Actors | ~120 site-specific APIs + you build the rest |
| Open source | Crawlee (JavaScript / Python) | Limited OSS footprint |
| Developer workflow | CLI, GitHub CI, Docker, Web IDE | Browser IDE, API-first proxy products |
| Proxy network | Datacenter + residential (in platform usage) | Very large pools (incl. mobile); geo targeting |
| Anti-bot / unlock | Platform + Crawlee patterns | Web Unlocker, Scraping Browser (separate SKUs) |
| Built-in storage | Datasets, key-value stores, request queues | None; you wire storage yourself |
| Pre-collected data | Not a marketplace focus | Dataset marketplace |
| Free entry | $5/month in credits (Free plan) | Trial / pay-as-you-go (varies by product) |
| Typical paid start | From $29/mo (Starter) + prepaid usage | Pay-as-you-go or higher monthly commits (verify live pricing) |
| Best fit | Teams shipping scrapers and pipelines fast | Teams optimizing proxy scale and hardest targets |
Pricing comparison (2026)
Billing models differ: Apify prepaid platform usage (compute + proxies + storage in one envelope) vs Bright Data product-level metering (GB, IPs, result counts).
Apify pricing
Apify bills with Compute Units (CUs) and plan prepaid usage credits.
| Plan | Monthly price | Prepaid usage | CU rate (indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $5 | $0.20/CU |
| Starter | $29 | $29 | $0.20/CU |
| Scale | $199 | $199 | $0.16/CU |
| Business | $999 | $999 | $0.13/CU |
Credits apply to runs, proxy usage inside the platform, and related resources. Unused monthly credits typically do not roll over. See the official Apify pricing page and our Apify pricing guide.
Bright Data pricing
Bright Data prices by product (proxies, unlockers, browser traffic, datasets). There is no single “all-in” platform bundle comparable to Apify’s run + storage envelope.
| Product | Model (typical) | Order-of-magnitude (verify live) |
|---|---|---|
| Datacenter proxies | Per IP and/or bandwidth | From ~$0.90/GB pay-as-you-go (verify on the vendor's pricing page) |
| Residential proxies | Per GB | List ~$8/GB, ~$4/GB pay-as-you-go with promo, down to ~$2.50/GB at volume (verify on the vendor's pricing page) |
| Mobile proxies | Per GB | From ~$14/GB (verify on the vendor's pricing page) |
| Web Unlocker | Per successful result | Per-result pricing (verify on the vendor's pricing page) |
| Scraping Browser | Per GB | Per-GB pricing (verify on the vendor's pricing page) |
| Dataset marketplace | Per dataset | Wide range |
Bright Data changes rates and packaging. Confirm numbers on their official pricing pages before budgeting.
Cost scenario (illustrative)
Goal: ~10k Google Maps–style listings per month (actual cost depends on retries, JS rendering, and proxy mix).
| Line item | Apify (illustrative) | Bright Data (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Scraper | Store Actor (usage via CUs) | Your code or their API |
| Compute | Included in Apify usage | Your cloud VMs |
| Proxies | Inside Apify usage | Residential / unlock billed separately |
| Storage | Apify datasets | Your database |
| Rough total | Often ~$29/mo tier + usage | Often higher ops + split invoices unless you already own the stack |
When to use which
| Situation | Lean toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want pre-built scrapers, schedules, and exports without running servers | Apify | Actors + datasets + integrations in one product |
| You are a developer standardizing on Git, CI, and Crawlee | Apify | Native SDK + deploy path |
| You need mobile IPs or extreme geo granularity | Bright Data | Proxy-first catalog |
| You already have scrapers on AWS/GCP and only need IPs / unlock | Bright Data | Infrastructure fits existing code |
| You want buy datasets instead of crawling | Bright Data | Marketplace positioning |
| You want one invoice for runs + storage + starter proxy needs | Apify | Platform bundling |
Hybrid: Some teams run orchestration and storage on Apify and route only the nastiest targets through Bright Data-style infrastructure.
Developer experience
Apify
- Build with Crawlee locally (Python or JavaScript).
- Deploy with
apify push, GitHub, or containers. - Operate via Console, API, schedules, and webhooks.
- Export from datasets or push to integrations.
Bright Data
- Proxy manager, APIs, and cloud IDE-style tooling.
- You typically own parsing, persistence, and job orchestration outside their core products.
MCP and AI workflows
Apify exposes many Actors via MCP for agentic setups. See use MCP servers and learning paths for AI. Bright Data remains API- and infrastructure-centric; you attach your own orchestration for LLM/RAG pipelines.
Proxy and anti-bot (short view)
| Capability | Apify | Bright Data |
|---|---|---|
| Datacenter | Yes | Strong |
| Residential | Yes (within platform) | Major strength |
| Mobile | Not a first-class Apify sell | Available |
| Unlock / browser | Platform + Crawlee; add-ons as needed | Web Unlocker, Scraping Browser |
If proxy breadth is the #1 requirement, Bright Data is the specialist. If end-to-end scraping workflows matter more, Apify is usually simpler.
Data handling
- Apify: Datasets, key-value stores, request queues, plus native export formats.
- Bright Data: Responses over the wire; you persist and normalize.
Five reasons teams pick Apify in 2026
- Crawlee: open-source crawling/scraping with a direct path to cloud runs.
- Store scale: niche and mainstream targets covered by Actors.
- Built-in datasets: less glue code than rolling your own warehouse from raw HTML.
- Predictable platform credits for many small and mid-size workloads.
- DevOps-friendly deployment compared to browser-only IDE workflows.
When Bright Data is the better default
- Mobile-only or mobile-heavy targets.
- You are already at home managing proxy spend and custom scrapers.
- You want dataset SKUs instead of operating crawlers.
- Enterprise procurement centered on network SLAs and IP products.
Verdict
- Apify: best when you want Actors + automation + storage + API in one scraping platform.
- Bright Data: best when proxy and data-network scale (and related APIs) are the centerpiece.
For a narrative deep dive, see Bright Data vs Apify (blog) and the full comparisons hub.
Start with $5 in monthly credits on the Free plan and run a real Actor before you refactor your stack.
Apify is a managed scraping platform with Actors, scheduling, datasets, and developer tooling (including Crawlee). Bright Data is primarily a proxy and data infrastructure provider with APIs for unblocking and large IP pools, plus dataset products. Apify bundles much of the scraping workflow; Bright Data often assumes you bring compute and orchestration.
Apify uses prepaid platform credits (plans from $29/month on Starter) covering compute, platform proxy usage, and storage in one model. Bright Data charges per product, typically bandwidth or results for proxies and unlockers, so total cost depends on how many SKUs you combine. Small teams often find Apify simpler to forecast; large proxy-centric programs may optimize on Bright Data’s meters. Verify live pricing on both sites.
For full-code scraping lifecycles, usually yes: Crawlee, CLI, Git-based deploys, and integrated storage are core to Apify. Bright Data’s strength is infrastructure APIs and proxy management rather than a complete scraper hosting story.
Apify’s Store gives thousands of form-driven Actors for common sites. Bright Data offers a smaller set of structured APIs and is not equivalent to a no-code scraper marketplace. Non-developers who do not write code generally get further faster on Apify for turnkey runs.
Bright Data’s Web Unlocker is a paid unblocking API billed around successful results. Apify includes proxy rotation inside platform usage for many Actors and lets you scale with Crawlee patterns; hard targets may still need extra proxy budget on any vendor.
For sheer proxy product breadth (especially mobile and global targeting), Bright Data is often ahead. Apify still includes datacenter and residential options suitable for a wide range of Store Actors. Choose Bright Data when proxy SKUs and metering are the primary architecture.
Yes. Port logic into Crawlee or reuse Store Actors, then deploy to Apify. Use the Free plan credits to validate cost and output before migrating production workloads.
Proxy-first enterprise programs sometimes standardize on Bright Data. Teams prioritizing managed scraping products, integrations, and developer velocity often standardize on Apify. Large organizations sometimes use both in a hybrid architecture.
Yes. A common pattern is Apify for orchestration, datasets, and schedules while routing only the most difficult targets through external premium proxies or unlock APIs.