# Similar Sites Scraper (`burbn/similar-sites-scraper`) Actor

Extract top competitor domains using SimilarWeb intelligence. Get similarity scores, traffic estimates, category rankings, website tags, & related apps. Perfect for competitive analysis, SEO, & market research. Fast, reliable & no login required!

- **URL**: https://apify.com/burbn/similar-sites-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Kevin](https://apify.com/burbn) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 21 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## 🔍 Similar Sites Scraper - Discover Competitor & Alternative Websites

**Find similar and competitor websites for any domain using SimilarWeb data. Get similarity rankings, traffic estimates, category classifications, related mobile apps, website tags, and more — all without needing a SimilarWeb account!**

### 📋 Table of Contents

- [🚀 Features](#-features)
- [🎯 Use Cases](#-use-cases)
- [⚡ Quick Start](#-quick-start)
- [📊 Input Parameters](#-input-parameters)
- [📤 Output Format](#-output-format)
- [🔍 Data Fields Extracted](#-data-fields-extracted)
- [📈 Performance & Reliability](#-performance--reliability)
- [💡 Best Practices](#-best-practices)
- [❓ FAQ](#-faq)
- [🔗 Related Actors](#-related-actors)

### 🚀 Features

#### 🔍 **Similar Sites Discovery**

- ✅ **No Login Required** — Find competitor websites without a SimilarWeb account
- ✅ **Up to 20 Similar Sites** — Get a ranked list of the most similar websites for any domain
- ✅ **Similarity Score** — Each result includes a grade (0-1) showing how similar it is
- ✅ **Traffic Estimates** — Monthly visit estimates for every similar site
- ✅ **Real-Time Data** — Access the latest similarity data powered by SimilarWeb

#### 📊 **Comprehensive Data**

- ✅ **Site Title & Description** — Full metadata for the queried domain
- ✅ **Category Classification** — SimilarWeb category and category rank
- ✅ **Country Rankings** — Top country rank for each similar site
- ✅ **Website Tags** — Related keywords and tags associated with the domain
- ✅ **Related Apps** — iOS and Android apps related to the website
- ✅ **Thumbnails & Favicons** — CDN-hosted site screenshots and favicons

### 🎯 Use Cases

| Use Case | Description | Benefits |
|----------|-------------|----------|
| 🏆 **Competitive Analysis** | Discover your top competitors by domain | Understand your competitive landscape instantly |
| 📈 **Market Research** | Analyze industry players and their traffic | Identify market leaders and emerging players |
| 🔗 **SEO Link Building** | Find relevant websites for outreach | Discover high-quality backlink opportunities |
| 🔄 **Alternative Discovery** | Find alternatives to any tool or service | Help users discover similar products |
| 🎯 **Ad Targeting** | Identify similar audiences across sites | Expand your advertising reach to competitor audiences |
| 💰 **Investment Research** | Evaluate market positioning of digital businesses | Assess traffic and category rankings for due diligence |
| 📱 **App Discovery** | Find related mobile apps for any website | Discover iOS & Android apps in the same space |

### ⚡ Quick Start

#### 1️⃣ **Find Similar Sites for X (Twitter)**

```json
{
  "domain": "x.com"
}
```

#### 2️⃣ **Discover Competitors of Amazon**

```json
{
  "domain": "amazon.com"
}
```

#### 3️⃣ **Find Alternatives to Notion**

```json
{
  "domain": "notion.so"
}
```

#### 4️⃣ **Analyze a News Website**

```json
{
  "domain": "bbc.com"
}
```

#### 5️⃣ **Find Sites Similar to YouTube**

```json
{
  "domain": "youtube.com"
}
```

### 📊 Input Parameters

#### Configuration Options

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `domain` | String | `"x.com"` | The website domain to find similar sites for (e.g., `google.com`, `amazon.com`) |

> **💡 Tip:** Use bare domains like `google.com`, not full URLs like `https://www.google.com/`. The scraper automatically cleans URLs if provided.

### 📤 Output Format

#### 🌐 **Result Data Structure**

```json
{
  "domain": "x.com",
  "status": "success",
  "siteTitle": "X. It's what's happening",
  "siteDescription": "From breaking news and entertainment to sports and politics...",
  "siteCategory": "Computers_Electronics_and_Technology/Social_Networks_and_Online_Communities",
  "siteCategoryRank": 3,
  "siteTotalVisits": 4461796618.74737,
  "siteThumbnail": "https://site-images.similarcdn.com/image?url=x.com&t=1&h=...",
  "siteFavicon": "https://site-images.similarcdn.com/image?url=x.com&t=2&h=...",
  "siteRedirect": "x.com",
  "similarSitesCount": 20,
  "similarSites": [
    {
      "site": "instagram.com",
      "description": "Create an account or log in to Instagram...",
      "category": "Computers_Electronics_and_Technology/Social_Networks_and_Online_Communities",
      "topCountryRank": 6,
      "totalVisits": 6647043715,
      "similarityRank": 1,
      "grade": 0.7715,
      "thumbnail": "https://site-images.similarcdn.com/image?url=instagram.com&t=1&h=..."
    }
  ],
  "tags": ["commerce", "science", "developer", "paypal", "developers"],
  "relatedApps": [
    {
      "title": "X",
      "type": "IOS",
      "ranking": 1,
      "icon": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/...",
      "url": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id333903271"
    }
  ]
}
```

### 🔍 Data Fields Extracted

#### 🌐 **Site Overview**

| Element | Description | Details |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Site Title** | Title of the queried website | From SimilarWeb metadata |
| **Site Description** | Brief description of the domain | Meta description from SimilarWeb |
| **Category** | SimilarWeb category classification | e.g., `Social_Networks_and_Online_Communities` |
| **Category Rank** | Rank within the category | Position among category peers |
| **Total Visits** | Estimated monthly total visits | For the queried domain |
| **Thumbnail** | Website screenshot URL | CDN-hosted site thumbnail |
| **Favicon** | Site favicon URL | CDN-hosted favicon image |

#### 🔍 **Similar Sites Data**

| Element | Description | Details |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Site** | Similar website domain | e.g., `instagram.com` |
| **Description** | Brief description of the similar site | Meta description |
| **Category** | Similar site's SimilarWeb category | Category classification |
| **Top Country Rank** | Rank in the site's top country | Country-level popularity |
| **Total Visits** | Estimated monthly visits | Traffic volume indicator |
| **Similarity Rank** | Position by similarity | 1 = most similar to the queried domain |
| **Grade** | Similarity score (0-1) | Higher = more similar, 0.77 = very similar |
| **Thumbnail** | Site screenshot URL | CDN-hosted thumbnail image |

#### 🏷️ **Tags & Keywords**

| Element | Description | Details |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Tags** | Related keywords/tags | Array of relevant topic tags |

#### 📱 **Related Apps**

| Element | Description | Details |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Title** | App name | Name of the related application |
| **Type** | Platform | `IOS` or `ANDROID` |
| **Ranking** | App relevance rank | Position by relevance (1 = most relevant) |
| **Icon** | App icon URL | CDN-hosted app icon image |
| **URL** | Store listing URL | Direct link to App Store or Google Play |

### 📊 Dataset Views

The scraper provides **4 organized views** in the Apify dataset:

| View | Description |
|------|-------------|
| 🌐 **Overview** | Domain info, title, category, total visits, similar sites count |
| 🔍 **Similar Sites** | Full ranked list of similar websites with similarity scores |
| 🏷️ **Tags** | Website tags and keywords |
| 📱 **Related Apps** | Related iOS & Android mobile applications |

### 📈 Performance & Reliability

#### 🔄 **Reliability Features**

- ✅ **Auto-Retry & Backoff** — Handles temporary connection hiccups gracefully
- ✅ **Error Handling** — Clear error messages with status codes for failed lookups
- ✅ **URL Cleaning** — Automatically strips `https://`, `http://`, and trailing slashes

### 💡 Best Practices

#### ✅ **Recommended Usage**

1. **Use Bare Domains** — Enter `google.com` instead of `https://www.google.com/` for best results.
2. **Popular Domains Work Best** — Well-known websites with high traffic produce the most comprehensive results.
3. **Check Similarity Grades** — Sites with grade > 0.5 are strongly similar; those > 0.7 are very close competitors.
4. **Use Tags for SEO** — The extracted tags reveal how SimilarWeb categorizes the site, useful for keyword research.
5. **Download Thumbnails Promptly** — CDN-hosted thumbnail URLs may expire after some time.
6. **Export Your Data** — Download results as JSON, CSV, XML, or Excel from the Apify dataset.

#### ⚠️ **Important Notes**

- The API returns up to **20 similar sites** per domain.
- `grade` values range from 0 to 1, where **1.0 means identical** and **0.0 means completely unrelated**.
- `similarityRank` of **1** indicates the most similar site to the queried domain.
- Some similar sites may not have a `description` field if SimilarWeb hasn't indexed their metadata.
- Related apps include both **iOS (App Store)** and **Android (Google Play)** listings.
- `siteTotalVisits` represents the estimated monthly traffic for the **queried domain** (not the similar sites).

### ❓ FAQ

#### **Q: Do I need a SimilarWeb account?**

**A:** No, this tool uses specialized API endpoints and does not require a SimilarWeb login or subscription.

#### **Q: What does the similarity grade mean?**

**A:** The grade is a score from 0 to 1 indicating how similar a site is to the queried domain. A grade of 0.77 (like Instagram to X.com) means very high similarity. Grades above 0.5 indicate strong similarity.

#### **Q: How many similar sites are returned per domain?**

**A:** The API returns up to **20 similar websites** ranked by similarity score.

#### **Q: What domain format should I use?**

**A:** Use bare domains like `google.com`, `amazon.co.uk`, or `bbc.com`. The scraper automatically removes `https://`, `http://`, `www.`, and trailing slashes.

#### **Q: Can I use this for any website?**

**A:** Yes, but results are best for established websites with reasonable traffic. Very new or low-traffic sites may return limited or no results.

#### **Q: What are Related Apps?**

**A:** These are mobile applications (iOS and Android) that SimilarWeb associates with the queried domain. For example, querying `x.com` returns the official X app on both App Store and Google Play.

#### **Q: What data is included in tags?**

**A:** Tags are keywords that describe the domain's content and industry. For example, `x.com` returns tags like `commerce`, `developer`, `forums`, `marketplace`.

***

### 🔗 Related Actors

| Actor | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| [🌐 SimilarWeb Scraper Pro](https://apify.com/burbn/similarweb-scraper-pro) | Get detailed traffic analytics, rankings, keywords, and traffic sources for any website |
| [🌐 Ahrefs Keyword Explorer](https://apify.com/burbn/ahrefs-keyword-explorer) | Get detailed traffic analytics, rankings, keywords, and traffic sources for any website |
| [🌐 Semrush Global Keyword Scraper](https://apify.com/burbn/semrush-global-keyword-scraper) | Get detailed traffic analytics, rankings, keywords, and traffic sources for any website |
| [🌐 Semrush Keyword Magic Tool](https://apify.com/burbn/semrush-keyword-magic-tool) | Get detailed traffic analytics, rankings, keywords, and traffic sources for any website |

***

### 🏷️ **Keywords & Tags**

`similar sites scraper`, `similar websites finder`, `competitor websites scraper`, `alternative websites`, `similarweb scraper`, `website similarity`, `competitor analysis tool`, `find similar sites`, `website competitors`, `site comparison`, `competitive intelligence`, `market research tool`, `seo link building`, `website discovery`, `domain analysis`, `traffic analysis`, `website ranking`, `category ranking`, `related websites`, `website alternatives`, `competitor finder`, `similar domains`, `website tags`, `related apps scraper`, `apify scraper`, `web scraper`, `site analytics`, `digital marketing tool`, `competitive research`, `backlink opportunities`

***

### 🎁 Get $5 Free Apify Credits

New to Apify? [Sign up using this link](https://apify.com?fpr=free-credits) and get **$5 free credits** to start discovering similar websites right away! No credit card required.

**⭐ If this actor helps your workflow, please give it a star!**

***

# Actor input Schema

## `domain` (type: `string`):

Enter the website domain you want to find similar sites for. Examples: 'x.com', 'google.com', 'amazon.com'.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domain": "x.com"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

Open the dataset view with similar sites ranked by similarity score with traffic and category data.

## `detailed` (type: `string`):

Open the dataset view with full details including descriptions, source info, tags, and related apps.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "domain": "x.com"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("burbn/similar-sites-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "domain": "x.com" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("burbn/similar-sites-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "domain": "x.com"
}' |
apify call burbn/similar-sites-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,burbn/similar-sites-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/RWvQOSrCVcqqHjSDg/builds/5sx5RJqXQ60bBpIuf/openapi.json