TL;DR
Create a free Apify account. Pick an actor from the store. Click "Start" to run it. Download your data as CSV or JSON. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
What is Apify?
Apify is a cloud platform for web scraping and automation. Instead of writing code yourself, you run pre-built tools called "actors" that extract data from websites.
Think of it like this: You want business data from Google Maps. Instead of building a scraper from scratch, you use the Google Maps Scraper actor. Enter your search term, click run, get data.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Free Credits | $5 per month, no credit card required |
| Actors Available | 2,000+ pre-built tools |
| Export Formats | JSON, CSV, Excel, XML |
| Integrations | Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, Webhooks |
Step 1: Create Your Free Account
Go to apify.com and click "Sign up free." You can register with email, Google, or GitHub. No credit card needed.
After signing up, you land on the Apify Console. This is your dashboard for running actors and managing data.
Step 2: Find an Actor in the Store
Click "Store" in the left sidebar. You will see thousands of actors organized by category.
Popular starting points:
- Google Maps Scraper - Extract business data from Google Maps searches
- Instagram Scraper - Collect posts, profiles, and hashtag data
- Website Content Crawler - Scrape text from any website
- Amazon Product Scraper - Get product details and prices
Step 3: Configure and Run
Click on any actor to open its page. Then click "Try for free" or "Start."
Each actor has an input form. Fill in the required fields:
- Search query - What you want to search for
- URLs - Specific pages to scrape
- Limit - Maximum number of results
Click "Start" to run the actor. Most small jobs finish in under 5 minutes.
Step 4: Export Your Data
When the run completes, go to the "Dataset" tab. You will see all extracted data in a table.
Click "Export" and choose your format:
- CSV - Opens in Excel or Google Sheets
- JSON - For developers and APIs
- Excel - Native .xlsx file
What to Do Next
Now that you have run your first actor, explore these options:
- Schedule runs - Set actors to run automatically (daily, weekly)
- Connect integrations - Send data directly to Google Sheets or Slack
- Use the API - Run actors from your own code
Common Questions
Q: Do I need to know how to code?
A: No. You can run any actor from the web interface without writing code. For automation, you can use the API or no-code tools like Zapier.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: You get $5 in free credits every month. Most actors charge between $0.001 and $0.01 per result. A typical job of 1,000 results costs $1 to $5.
Q: Is web scraping legal?
A: Scraping publicly available data is generally legal. Do not scrape personal data without consent. Follow each website's terms of service. Apify provides guidance on ethical scraping.
Q: What happens if a run fails?
A: You can check the "Log" tab to see what went wrong. Common issues include rate limits, blocked IPs, or website changes. Most actors have built-in retry logic.