DataForSEO vs Apify: full comparison for 2026
Last updated: June 2026
Quick verdict
DataForSEO (3.9/5) edges ahead of Apify (3.8/5) overall. DataForSEO is the better choice for sEO agencies, analytics platforms, and bulk data pipelines needing the lowest possible cost per SERP query at high volume. Apify is the stronger option for developers needing flexible, customisable data extraction from any web source with managed proxies and no infrastructure overhead. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
DataForSEO vs Apify: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | DataForSEO | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | 2015 |
| HQ | Tallinn, Estonia | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Team size | 51–200 | 51–200 |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 |
| Best for | SEO agencies, analytics platforms, and bulk data pipelines needing the lowest possible cost per SERP query at high volume | Developers needing flexible, customisable data extraction from any web source with managed proxies and no infrastructure overhead |
| Pricing model | Pay-per-query ($0.0006–$0.002/SERP depending on mode); deposit-based billing | Usage-based ($5 free platform credits/month; $49/month starter); Actor runs billed per compute unit |
| Min. engagement | Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model) | $5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits) |
| Primary tech stack | REST API, JSON output, Raw HTML output | REST API, JavaScript/Node.js SDK, Python SDK |
| Industries served | Marketing Analytics, E-commerce, Financial Services, Research & Academia | E-commerce, Marketing Analytics, Research & Academia, AI / LLM Workflows |
DataForSEO vs Apify: overview
DataForSEO
DataForSEO provides SERP data APIs primarily designed for SEO analytics, rank tracking, and bulk keyword research. Its pricing of $0.0006 per SERP on the standard queue is the lowest published per-query rate in this review — making it the default choice for high-volume SEO data pipelines where cost per record drives architecture decisions. The platform covers 7 search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, YouTube, Naver, and Seznam) and supports up to 700 results per keyword. HQ is Tallinn, Estonia, with a secondary office in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Enterprise clients include Samsung, Amazon, Vodafone, Adobe, HubSpot, Airbnb, Oracle, and Siemens Healthineers (per company website; independently unverifiable). Founded approximately 2017 (per company website; independently unverifiable).
Apify
Apify is a cloud web scraping and automation platform that provides search API capabilities through its Actor marketplace — a library of 3,000+ pre-built web scrapers and automation scripts runnable via REST API. Actors for Google Search, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, and hundreds of other sources are available as ready-to-use endpoints. Unlike SERP API SaaS products, each Actor runs in an isolated container with managed proxies and configurable output schemas. Apify was founded in 2015 by Jan Curn and Jakub Kopecký and is headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It serves 50,000+ developers and 1,000+ enterprise clients (per company website; independently unverifiable).
Services and capabilities: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Capability | DataForSEO | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time web search | ✗ | ✗ |
| News & event intelligence | ✗ | ✗ |
| Structured JSON output | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI / LLM pipeline integration | ✗ | ✗ |
| Scheduled monitoring | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multi-language coverage | ✗ | ✗ |
Tech stack comparison: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Framework / platform | DataForSEO | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | ✓ |
| JSON output | ✓ | N/A |
| LLM validation | N/A | N/A |
| Webhook delivery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Criterion | DataForSEO | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model) | $5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits) |
| Engagement models | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier, Monthly subscription, Enterprise contract |
| Rate transparency | Minimum disclosed | Minimum disclosed |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Accessible |
Target audience comparison: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Dimension | DataForSEO | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | Marketing Analytics, E-commerce, Financial Services | E-commerce, Marketing Analytics, Research & Academia |
| Best use cases | Bulk SERP data extraction for SEO platforms processing millions of keywords per day at minimum cost, Multi-language SEO research requiring Baidu, Naver, or Seznam results alongside Google and Bing | Competitive intelligence scraping across dozens of sources using community Actors rather than building custom scrapers, E-commerce price monitoring across multiple retailers with normalised JSON output schemas |
| Typical project type | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier |
DataForSEO vs Apify: pros and cons
| DataForSEO | |
|---|---|
| + | $0.0006/SERP standard queue — the lowest published per-query price of any provider in this review |
| + | 700 results per keyword depth — enables bulk enumeration well beyond the 10–100 results most APIs cap at |
| + | 7 engine support including Baidu, Naver, and Seznam — broadest non-English search engine coverage in this category |
| + | Raw HTML mode available for teams building custom parsers on top of SERP page data |
| + | Enterprise clients include Samsung, Amazon, Vodafone, Adobe, HubSpot, Airbnb, Oracle, and Siemens |
| - | Primarily designed for SEO analytics — no LLM validation, deduplication, or structured event extraction for AI pipelines |
| - | No free tier documented on the primary API page — deposit model requires upfront commitment before testing |
| - | Standard queue ~5 minute turnaround is unsuitable for real-time AI agent use cases requiring sub-second responses |
| - | Secondary office in Kharkiv, Ukraine introduces business continuity considerations for mission-critical enterprise SLAs |
| Apify | |
|---|---|
| + | 3,000+ pre-built Actors for Google, Bing, Amazon, LinkedIn, and niche sources — no custom scraper code required |
| + | Each Actor runs in an isolated container with managed proxies — eliminates scraping infrastructure and proxy rotation |
| + | Highly customisable: modify Actor source code, define output schemas, chain Actors for multi-step extraction pipelines |
| + | Scheduling and webhooks enable event-driven and recurring data collection without custom orchestration |
| + | $5 monthly free credit covers meaningful testing across multiple Actors before committing to paid usage |
| - | Billing complexity — compute units, Actor costs, and proxy usage billed separately, harder to estimate than per-query SERP pricing |
| - | Google Search Actors are community-maintained — quality and freshness vary; some break when Google updates its HTML structure |
| - | Actor cold-start latency makes Apify unsuitable for real-time or sub-second search response requirements |
| - | No SOC2, SLA, or enterprise compliance certifications documented for the core platform |
Who should choose DataForSEO?
DataForSEO is the right choice for sEO agencies, analytics platforms, and bulk data pipelines needing the lowest possible cost per SERP query at high volume.
$0.0006 per SERP (standard queue) — the lowest published per-query price reviewed, with 700-result depth and Baidu/Naver/Seznam support. Minimum engagement starts at Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model). Works best with clients in Marketing Analytics, E-commerce, Financial Services, Research & Academia.
Who should choose Apify?
Apify is the right choice for developers needing flexible, customisable data extraction from any web source with managed proxies and no infrastructure overhead.
3,000+ pre-built Actors (scrapers) for any website, each runnable as an API endpoint — more flexible than fixed-schema SERP APIs, at the cost of actor-level quality variance. Minimum engagement starts at $5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits). Works best with clients in E-commerce, Marketing Analytics, Research & Academia, AI / LLM Workflows.
Decision matrix: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need maximum recall across trade press and regional sources | Compare coverage benchmarks directly |
| You need sub-second real-time results | Apify |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: DataForSEO (Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model)) vs Apify ($5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits)) |
| You need structured data for downstream LLM processing | DataForSEO |
| You need scheduled monitoring with deduplication | Neither; check alternatives for monitoring features |
| You need enterprise compliance (SOC2, GDPR, ISO) | Verify compliance certifications directly |
Use case fit: DataForSEO vs Apify
| Use case | DataForSEO fit | Apify fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk SERP data extraction for SEO platforms processing millions of keywords per day at minimum cost | Strong | Limited | DataForSEO |
| Multi-language SEO research requiring Baidu, Naver, or Seznam results alongside Google and Bing | Strong | Limited | DataForSEO |
| Competitive intelligence scraping across dozens of sources using community Actors rather than building custom scrapers | Limited | Strong | Apify |
| E-commerce price monitoring across multiple retailers with normalised JSON output schemas | Limited | Strong | Apify |
| Financial risk monitoring | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
| LLM knowledge base population | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
Verdict: DataForSEO vs Apify
DataForSEO (3.9/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Web Search API projects. $0.0006 per SERP (standard queue) — the lowest published per-query price reviewed, with 700-result depth and Baidu/Naver/Seznam support. It is best for sEO agencies, analytics platforms, and bulk data pipelines needing the lowest possible cost per SERP query at high volume.
Apify (3.8/5) is the better choice when developers needing flexible, customisable data extraction from any web source with managed proxies and no infrastructure overhead. If your situation matches those criteria, Apify is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
DataForSEO vs Apify FAQ
Is DataForSEO better than Apify?
DataForSEO (3.9/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. DataForSEO is better for sEO agencies, analytics platforms, and bulk data pipelines needing the lowest possible cost per SERP query at high volume. Apify is better for developers needing flexible, customisable data extraction from any web source with managed proxies and no infrastructure overhead.
How do DataForSEO and Apify differ in pricing?
DataForSEO uses pay-per-query ($0.0006–$0.002/serp depending on mode); deposit-based billing pricing with a minimum engagement of Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model). Apify uses usage-based ($5 free platform credits/month; $49/month starter); actor runs billed per compute unit pricing with a minimum engagement of $5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits). Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.
Which is better for enterprise: DataForSEO or Apify?
DataForSEO is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each provider before shortlisting.
What are the main differences between DataForSEO and Apify?
DataForSEO's primary differentiator is: $0.0006 per serp (standard queue) — the lowest published per-query price reviewed, with 700-result depth and baidu/naver/seznam support. Apify's primary differentiator is: 3,000+ pre-built actors (scrapers) for any website, each runnable as an api endpoint — more flexible than fixed-schema serp apis, at the cost of actor-level quality variance. They also differ in team size (51–200 vs 51–200), minimum engagement (Not publicly disclosed (deposit-based model) vs $5/month (Free plan with $5 platform credits)), and primary industries served (Marketing Analytics, E-commerce vs E-commerce, Marketing Analytics).
Last reviewed: June 2026. Verify all details directly with each provider before making a decision.