Web Page Scraper — ScrapingBee Alternative

Scrape public web pages into Markdown, text, or HTML. Supply URLs and receive browser-rendered content, source links, and optional screenshots for content research, page QA, or downstream analysis. For developers and content researchers, each dataset record represents one accepted public page and its collected content.

Workflow: put the results to work

Start with the exact public pages you need to inspect. Choose Markdown for research notes, text for analysis, or HTML for page inspection; request screenshots only when the visual layout matters. Review the final URL and saved content before passing each snapshot to your next tool.

Best fit and scope

Choose this Actor when a bounded job needs current content from one to ten public pages and a durable Dataset/API result. It works well for content QA, public documentation capture, lightweight competitor research, and feeding a small set of page snapshots into a downstream analyzer.

This is a workflow alternative to the public-page fetch portion of ScrapingBee's HTML API. ScrapingBee remains the fuller fit when a team needs its account-managed API, proxy-mode credentials, country-level premium proxy controls, dedicated site APIs, AI extraction, JavaScript scenarios, team administration, or its broader integration catalogue.

For a broader site-level technical report after collecting a page, pass the source URL to the Website Technology Profiler. That downstream workflow identifies website technologies from public evidence; this Actor stays focused on returning the page snapshot.

Input

{
    "urls": ["https://example.com", "https://www.iana.org/domains/reserved"],
    "outputFormat": "markdown",
    "renderJavaScript": true,
    "waitUntil": "domcontentloaded",
    "takeScreenshot": false,
    "timeoutSecs": 30,
    "useApifyProxy": false
}

Use public http or https URLs that you are authorized to access and collect. Submit only unsigned public URLs free of session tokens, credentials, private endpoints, and personal data. The direct route is the default; select Apify Proxy only when the authorized page needs that platform route. outputFormat selects Markdown, text, or HTML; waitUntil selects a fast DOM-ready or slower network-idle readiness condition; screenshots are stored by key only when requested.

Output

Each usable page produces one Dataset item.

Field	Meaning
requestedUrl / finalUrl	Supplied public URL and the validated final public destination
statusCode / pageTitle	Main-document status and browser title
outputFormat / content	Chosen representation and capped page snapshot
screenshotKey	Optional PNG record in the default key-value store
fetchRoute	direct or configured apify_proxy
collectedAt / provenance	Collection time and current-public-page source boundary

{
    "requestedUrl": "https://example.com/",
    "finalUrl": "https://example.com/",
    "statusCode": 200,
    "pageTitle": "Example Domain",
    "outputFormat": "markdown",
    "content": "# Example Domain\\n\\nThis domain is for use in illustrative examples.",
    "contentTruncated": false,
    "externalScriptsBlocked": false,
    "screenshotKey": null,
    "fetchRoute": "direct",
    "collectedAt": "2026-09-08T12:00:00.000Z",
    "provenance": "current_authorized_public_page",
    "limitations": "One current public-page snapshot."
}

When renderJavaScript is false, the Actor blocks external script resource requests; inline scripts can still run, so this is a content-collection setting rather than a browser security boundary. Content is capped at 200,000 characters per record and contentTruncated is true only when the selected representation exceeded that cap.

Read OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY from the run's default key-value store after completion. COMPLETE means every accepted URL produced a validated record; PARTIAL preserves useful rows with rejection or fetch diagnostics; INVALID_INPUT means no billable snapshot was created because the input or run charge limit prevented it; UPSTREAM_FAILED truthfully marks a run that had accepted URLs but produced no useful record; CONFIG_ERROR truthfully marks an unavailable selected proxy route. The summary also includes run/build/storage IDs, start and finish times, processed and rejected counts, named-event counts, charge-limit state, route, warnings, and bounded issue details.

How this alternative compares with ScrapingBee

This is an independent workflow comparison, not a claim of full-suite parity. Use the current product pages and the Actor Pricing tab before making a purchasing decision.

Decision area	This Actor	ScrapingBee	Practical choice
Scope and workflow	One to ten authorized public pages become Dataset records with URL and collection-time provenance.	Its HTML API sits within a broader scraping product offering.	Choose this Actor for a bounded Apify snapshot workflow; choose ScrapingBee when the broader suite is required.
Billing and cost	Pay per event plus platform usage; see the Pricing tab for current rates.	Subscription plans use credits and have plan-specific limits.	Compare cost only for the same routes, volume, and usable outputs.
Effective efficiency	Each persisted record increments an explicit event count, and the run reports records, rejections, and diagnostics.	Credits are documented at the account-plan level.	Use the run summary to calculate cost per usable record for the chosen workload.
Output contract	Dataset rows include requested and final URLs, page metadata, selected content, and collectedAt.	The HTML API returns the requested page response through its API.	Choose the output shape that best fits the downstream system.
Integrations and automation	It runs through the Apify API, Dataset, schedules, and webhooks available in a configured Apify workflow.	ScrapingBee documents an API-first workflow and its own integration options.	Choose the platform already used by the surrounding automation.
Features outside this scope	No proxy credentials, country targeting, dedicated site APIs, AI extraction, or JavaScript scenarios.	Those broader product capabilities are outside this Actor's contract.	Keep ScrapingBee for those suite features.

This independent Actor is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by ScrapingBee.

Provider and network requirements

No third-party scraping API or separately licensed data provider is required. Direct browser access is the primary route. Apify Proxy is an optional, caller-selected platform route—not a silent fallback—and its usage is paid by the caller. The Actor does not send page content to ScrapingBee or another external extraction provider.

Access through the default route varies by site. Anti-bot systems, CAPTCHAs, logins, target-side rate limits, robots rules, regional restrictions, and site terms remain outside the Actor's control. Enable Apify Proxy only when you are authorized to use that route; this Actor keeps proxy credentials internal and makes no bypass promise.

API and export

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~scrapingbee-alternative/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls":["https://example.com"],"outputFormat":"markdown"}'

Use the returned run ID to retrieve the default Dataset and the OUTPUT/RUN_SUMMARY records. Apify schedules and webhooks can compose this bounded collection step with your own review or change-detection workflow.

AI-agent prompt

Collect the current public Markdown from these authorized URLs. Return the Dataset records, check OUTPUT for the terminal outcome, cite each finalUrl and collectedAt, and keep the run within its stated page and cost scope.

Agents can call this Actor through Apify API or a configured MCP workflow, then read the Dataset by run ID. Treat source URLs and collection times as the page provenance; content may change between runs.

Best results

Start with a small public URL set, use Markdown for compact reviews, and confirm one representative record before expanding the batch. Select networkidle only for a client-rendered page that needs it, because it can consume more of the timeout. Enable screenshots for visual diagnostics rather than every recurring run. When a site refuses direct access and the collection is authorized, retry in a separate run with Apify Proxy enabled so the route and cost remain explicit.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
INVALID_INPUT with no rows	Inspect OUTPUT.rejected, confirm every target is a publicly resolvable HTTP(S) URL, and check the run charge limit.
UPSTREAM_FAILED	Inspect RUN_SUMMARY.failures; test one URL, increase timeoutSecs within the 60-second limit, or use networkidle only when the page needs it.
CONFIG_ERROR with Apify Proxy	Confirm the caller's Apify account can use the selected proxy route, or rerun with direct access.
PARTIAL	Keep the useful Dataset rows and inspect rejected URLs, failures, and chargeLimitReached before retrying only the missing pages.
Empty-looking dynamic content	Keep JavaScript rendering enabled and test the page's public browser behavior; public browser sessions define the supported scope.

Builder's note

I designed this Actor around a simple contract: a valid public URL yields a stable, source-linked page record and billing happens only after that record is written. Keeping the page count, content size, and terminal outcomes explicit makes it easier to automate a small collection job without turning it into a black-box proxy service.

Responsible use

Use this Actor only for pages you are authorized to access and collect, and respect applicable laws, site terms, robots guidance, and privacy obligations. Keep personal data and secrets outside the input; run storage remains subject to the caller's Apify storage and retention configuration. This independent Actor is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by ScrapingBee.

Pricing and run costs

This Actor uses Pay per event plus Apify platform usage. The Pricing tab lists the current event rates and billing terms.

Event	Billing unit	When it applies
apify-actor-start	Actor Start	Charged when the Actor starts running. Number of events charged depends on Actor memory (one event per GB, minimum one event).
page-snapshot	Public page snapshot	Charged once for each validated, source-linked public-page snapshot persisted to the Dataset.

Run cost combines the charged events and Apify platform usage. Review the run charge limit and requested result count before starting.

Connect an AI agent

Use the Apify MCP configurator to choose an available client connection. Inspect this Actor’s current input schema and required credentials before running it.