How to use Apify without code: pick a scraper, set inputs, export data
Apify is a cloud platform for web scraping and automation. This hub shows you how to pick a pre-built scraper from the Store, set your inputs, and download structured data (CSV/JSON) in minutes, no coding required.
Getting started (new users)
- Create a free account on Apify (monthly credits, no card for the free tier).
- Open the Store and search for your target (e.g.
instagram scraper). - Open the matching tutorial below. Each guide names a vetted Actor and typical inputs.
- Click Start, wait for the run, then download CSV, Excel, or JSON, or connect Sheets, Make.com, or n8n.
First run recommendation: Scrape Google Maps or Scrape Amazon products. Both are forgiving and map cleanly to business use cases.
Full tutorial index (all targets)
| Tutorial | What you scrape | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Local businesses, reviews, contact fields | Scrape Google Maps |
| Amazon | Products, prices, reviews | Scrape Amazon products |
| Profiles, posts, hashtags | Scrape Instagram | |
| Pages, public content | Scrape Facebook | |
| E-commerce (generic) | Competitor pricing across shops | Scrape e-commerce prices |
| Public professional data | Scrape LinkedIn | |
| TikTok | Videos, profiles, engagement | Scrape TikTok |
| YouTube | Videos, comments, metadata | Scrape YouTube |
| Twitter / X | Posts, profiles, search | Scrape Twitter/X |
| Subreddits, threads, comments | Scrape Reddit | |
| Google SERP | Rankings, ads, PAA | Scrape Google SERPs |
| Google Trends | Interest over time, regions | Scrape Google Trends |
| Travel | Google Flights, Airbnb | Scrape Google Flights & Airbnb |
| AI / LLM sites | Public AI product pages | Scrape AI & LLM sites |
| Zillow | Listings and agent data | Scrape Zillow |
| Apollo.io | B2B contact listings | Scrape Apollo.io |
| Any website | Crawl → Markdown / text for RAG | Scrape website content |
| MCP + AI assistants | Claude, Cursor, VS Code | Use MCP servers |
After you export: automate delivery
| Goal | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Recurring runs | Schedules (official docs) |
| Google Sheets | Google Sheets integration |
| Slack / email alerts | Slack integration |
| Visual automation | Make.com guide · Sign up |
| Developer API | Apify REST API tutorial · API v2 docs |
| AI pipelines | Data for AI & RAG |
Further reading
- Make.com + Apify: complete guide (2026)
- n8n + Apify integration (2026)
- Export scraped data to Excel and Google Sheets
Go beyond no-code
- Custom scrapers: Apify for Developers (Crawlee, Actor project layout, Git deploy).
- Pricing: Apify Pricing.
- More Actors: browse the Apify Store.
If you only do one thing, create a free Apify account, open Google Maps Scraper, run 10 places, and download CSV. Then bookmark API v2 for when you need the same flow in code.
No, not for most tutorials here. You pick an Actor, fill inputs, and export results. Code is optional when you want the REST API, SDKs, or custom Actors.
The free plan includes monthly credits, enough to repeat most guides multiple times. Heavy scraping moves to paid plans; see the Apify Pricing doc for Compute Units and plan tiers.
For local B2B leads, start with Scrape Google Maps. For e-commerce monitoring, start with Scrape Amazon products. For AI workflows, pair Website Content Crawler with Use MCP servers.
Search the Store by domain, or use Website Content Crawler for arbitrary sites. Developers can build a private Actor with Crawlee and deploy to Apify.
Public data is often lawful, but terms of service, contract restrictions, and privacy laws still apply. Read the web scraping legality guide on this site and get legal advice for regulated use cases.
Use native integrations, Make.com, n8n, or Zapier. For full control, call the REST API and push JSON into your own backend. See the Apify API tutorial.
Yes. Configure the Apify MCP server using the Use MCP servers guide so your assistant can discover Actors, start runs, and return dataset output in-thread.
Common mistakes and fixes
I cannot find an Actor for my target site.
Search the [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store?fpr=use-apify) by domain name; if nothing fits, use [Website Content Crawler](/docs/how-to-use-apify/scrape-website-content) or build a custom Actor from the developers hub.
Runs finish with no rows.
Check required inputs, run log, and filters. Test one URL or one keyword before scaling concurrency.
I need data in Google Sheets every day.
Use [schedules](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules?fpr=use-apify) plus the [Google Sheets integration](/docs/apify-for-developers/apify-google-sheets-integration) or a Make.com / n8n scenario.