Head to head

Apify vs Firecrawl

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Apify

$19/mo Free tier

Actor marketplace and scraping platform with MCP. Free includes $5 usage; paid Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go.

Where Apify fits

Builders running scrapers and agents in the cloud
GTM teams buying ready-made Store Actors
Desks that want MCP to search and run Actors
Startups that will start on Free with $5 usage

Firecrawl

$19/mo Free tier

Web scrape, crawl, search and interact API with a hosted MCP server. Free plan available; Hobby is $19/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly.

Where Firecrawl fits

Builders who need markdown or JSON from URLs
Agents that call Firecrawl over MCP
Side projects that fit in 5,000 credits
Teams that will grow into Standard at $83/mo yearly

At a glance

Detail	Apify	Firecrawl
Starting price	$19/mo	$19/mo
Free tier	✓Yes	✓Yes
MCP server	✓Yes	✓Yes
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Lead generation, Sourcing	Lead generation, Sourcing
Capterra	4.8 from 538 reviews	Not enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Apify

Stands out: Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com plus a Store of ready-made Actors, on a prepaid usage meter with overage billed on paid plans.

Watch out: Unused prepaid usage expires each cycle. Usage beyond Starter's $19 is billed on the next invoice, and residential proxy costs extra per GB.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who need unused credits to roll over
Non-technical teams that will not operate Actors

Firecrawl

Stands out: Hosted MCP server and REST API on one credit balance, with 1,000 free credits every month and no card.

Watch out: Hobby is 5,000 credits a month. Search costs 2 credits per 10 results, and extra credits come in $5 increments.

Not the right fit for

Non-technical users who will not use an API
Crawl jobs that need millions of pages on day one

Pros and cons

Apify

Free plan with $5 usage, no card
Starter $19/mo plus overage
Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com

Prepaid usage expires each month
Overage on paid plans can surprise finance
Residential proxy is billed per GB extra

Firecrawl

Free 1,000 credits a month, no card
Hobby from $19/mo or $16 yearly
Hosted MCP plus REST API

Search uses 2 credits per 10 results
Hobby allows 5 concurrent requests
Credits roll over only on Scale and up

What each one costs

Apify

$19/mo

Free is $0 with $5 a month of platform usage. Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go, Scale $199/mo and Business $999/mo, each including that amount of prepaid usage, with lower compute-unit rates on higher plans. Unused prepaid usage expires at the end of each cycle, extra usage is billed on the next invoice, and proxies and extra resources are add-ons. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Firecrawl

$19/mo

Free includes 1,000 credits a month. Hobby is $19/mo billed monthly or $16/mo billed yearly for 5,000 credits; Standard ($83/mo), Growth ($333/mo) and Scale ($599/mo) are shown at yearly rates. Paid plans can top up credits in $5 increments. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Apify cheaper than Firecrawl?

Apify starts lower, at $19/mo against $19/mo for Firecrawl. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.

Can you try Apify or Firecrawl for free?

Apify and Firecrawl carry a free tier on our listing.

Does Apify or Firecrawl have an MCP server?

Apify and Firecrawl ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?