Apify alternatives: 7 open-source picks
Apify costs $29/mo — $348 a year. These 7 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Agent Reach, Firecrawl and n8n. All 7 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Gives AI agents one CLI to search, read, and interact with X, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili, and other platforms without paid APIs.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Turns any website into clean LLM-ready markdown with crawling, scraping, and extraction APIs.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Node-based workflow automation with 400+ integrations, AI agent nodes, and code steps, self-hosted via Docker
licenseSustainable Use License
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
No-code Zapier alternative with an open piece framework and AI-first automation flows
licenseMIT (+EE)
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Turns Python/TypeScript/Go/SQL scripts into workflows, cron jobs, and internal apps with a low-code UI builder
licenseAGPL-3.0 (+EE)
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
The most literal open-source Zapier: pick a trigger app, pick an action app, connect. Docker compose install.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Open-source background jobs and durable workflows for TypeScript with retries, queues, and observability
licenseApache-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Agent Reach · Firecrawl · n8n · Activepieces · Windmill · Automatisch
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
CrawleeThe obvious sibling is a Node.js library; actors, proxies, storage, and scheduling are still yours to assemble.
FirecrawlA crawling API, not a hosted actor platform with proxy infrastructure, storage, schedules, and a marketplace.
MaxunNo-code robots are real; actors, proxy infrastructure, durable storage, and a marketplace are not.
how to choose a Apify alternative
Easiest to get running
Agent Reach — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
n8n, with 130,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 7, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
what you give up by leaving Apify
- OAuth app verification
- durable execution at scale
- schema drift handling and enterprise controls
- calendar-provider edge cases and timezone correctness
- hundreds of maintained connectors
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Apify alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent Reach | MIT | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 73,000 | 2026-08 |
| Firecrawl | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 30,000 | 2026-08 |
| n8n | Sustainable Use License | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 130,000 | 2026-08 |
| Activepieces | MIT (+EE) | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 17,000 | 2026-08 |
| Windmill | AGPL-3.0 (+EE) | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 15,000 | 2026-08 |
| Automatisch | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 12,000 | 2026-08 |
| Trigger.dev | Apache-2.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 12,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Apify
Apify: One automation is easy. Subscribers pay for maintained integrations, credentials, retries, observability, and someone else owning breakage. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $348 a year.
questions about switching from Apify
Is there an open-source alternative to Apify?
Yes: Agent Reach, Firecrawl, n8n and 4 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Apify?
Our verdict is YES. n8n (130k stars), Agent Reach (73k stars), Firecrawl (30k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Apify — self-host in one command and stop paying $29/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/apify.
What is the easiest open-source Apify alternative to set up?
Agent Reach — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Apify alternative?
By GitHub stars, n8n (130,000). Agent Reach is next with 73,000.
