Apify

Apify is a cloud platform for web scraping and browser automation, built around reusable programs called Actors. An Actor takes structured input, performs a task such as scraping a site or automating a workflow, and returns structured output, running serverlessly in the cloud without the user managing infrastructure.

What they provide

Beyond the runtime, Apify operates a large marketplace, the Apify Store, where its own team and third-party developers publish ready-made scrapers and automations. Each listing carries pricing, documentation, and usage stats, so buyers can adopt a maintained tool for a specific site rather than building from scratch. Developers can publish their own Actors and earn recurring revenue when others run them. The platform also provides proxies, storage, scheduling, and open-source libraries for building crawlers.

• Segment: Web-data collection and automation platform plus marketplace
• Core unit: Actors, serverless scraping and automation programs
• Marketplace: Thousands of prebuilt Actors from Apify and independent developers
• For AI: Tools to supply web data and real-time context to models and agents

Where it fits in the AI data supply chain

Apify sits at the sourcing layer, but its marketplace model distinguishes it from pure infrastructure vendors: it doubles as a distribution channel where scraping expertise is packaged and sold. AI teams use it to feed training pipelines, ground retrieval systems, and give agents live web access, while its developer ecosystem keeps a broad catalog of site-specific tools maintained.