Apify alternative: social data in one API call, not an Actor run
Social data from 25 platforms as JSON in one request. No Actors to run, no datasets to poll — and less than half Apify's Starter-plan price.
Social Fetch
GET /v1/tiktok/profiles/{handle}
Profile JSON in the response body
{
"handle": "charlidamelio",
"displayName": "Charli D'Amelio",
"followers": 155200000,
"following": 1284,
"verified": true
}1 request · ~3.2s average response
Apify
POST /v2/acts/{actorId}/runs
Start an Actor run with its input JSON
GET /v2/actor-runs/{runId}
Poll until the run reaches SUCCEEDED
GET /v2/datasets/{datasetId}/items
Download the results from the dataset
3+ requests · ~18s per run on average
Teams running monitoring, research, and enrichment pipelines
Why Social Fetch
Why teams switch from Apify.
Same social data, without the Actor runtime: one key, one request, one balance.
One key instead of an Actor per platform
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit and X share one API key, one schema and one credit balance. On Apify, each network is a different Actor with its own input, output and price.
From $1.35 per 1,000 profiles
Apify's TikTok Scraper is $3.00 per 1,000 on its $19/mo Starter plan. One balance covers every platform, and failed lookups are never billed.
JSON in the same request
No run to start or dataset to download. The profile comes back in the response in ~3.2s on average — an Actor run averages around 18s.
No Actor to go stale
Community Actors can break after a platform change. We maintain every endpoint ourselves.
A clear answer on every call
Run lookups concurrently. Each one returns found, not_found or a retryable error, with a request ID.
No Apify plan needed for a good rate
Occasional jobs: pay as you go, with credits that never expire. Running lookups every month? A monthly plan gets you lower per-credit rates.
Replace the polling loop with one GET.
The same TikTok profile, fetched both ways. Most migrations are an afternoon: delete the run and dataset code, then map the fields.
const api = "https://api.apify.com/v2";
const auth = { Authorization: `Bearer ${APIFY_TOKEN}` };
// 1. Start an Actor run
const run = await fetch(
`${api}/acts/${TIKTOK_ACTOR}/runs`,
{
method: "POST",
headers: { ...auth, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
body: JSON.stringify({ profiles: ["charlidamelio"] }),
},
).then((r) => r.json());
// 2. Poll until the run finishes
let status = run.data.status;
while (status === "READY" || status === "RUNNING") {
await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 5000));
const check = await fetch(
`${api}/actor-runs/${run.data.id}`,
{ headers: auth },
).then((r) => r.json());
status = check.data.status;
}
// 3. Download the dataset
const items = await fetch(
`${api}/datasets/${run.data.defaultDatasetId}/items`,
{ headers: auth },
).then((r) => r.json());const api = "https://api.socialfetch.dev";
const res = await fetch(
`${api}/v1/tiktok/profiles/charlidamelio`,
{ headers: { "x-api-key": SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY } },
);
const { data } = await res.json();Apify's run-sync-get-dataset-items endpoint can hide the polling, but every call still starts an Actor run — the ~18s wait just moves inside your request.
What teams build once the data is one call away
The same jobs teams run as Actors — monitoring, enrichment, research and transcripts — as plain API calls inside the product.
Monitor brands and competitors
Watch accounts on your schedule and get a signed webhook when they post — no Actor schedules to babysit.
Find and vet creators
TikTok, Instagram and YouTube stats in the request, while the user waits.
Turn video into searchable text
Transcribe and index video and audio content so you can find the exact moment you need.
Track public communities
Follow the subreddits, groups, and channels where your audience talks.
What does a TikTok profile lookup cost on each platform?
TikTok profiles start at $1.35 per 1,000 on Social Fetch. On Apify's TikTok Scraper the same 1,000 results cost $3.70 on the free plan, $3.00 on the $19/mo Starter plan — and $1.70 only on the $999/mo Business plan.
Social Fetch
from$1.35
per 1,000 TikTok profiles
- No card to start
- Credits never expire
- Failed lookups aren't billed
Apify
$3.00
per 1,000 results on Apify's TikTok Scraper with the $19/mo Starter plan ($3.70 on the free plan)
Single TikTok profile
- Social Fetch
- ~$0.00165
- Apify
- ~$0.003 on Starter, plus $0.001 per run
1,000 TikTok profiles
- Social Fetch
- From ~$1.35
- Apify
- ~$3.00 on Starter; ~$3.70 on the free plan
75k profiles/month (TikTok only)
- Social Fetch
- ~$124 at the Scale pack rate
- Apify
- ~$225 + $19/mo on Starter; ~$127.50 on the $999/mo Business plan
75k profiles across TikTok + Instagram + YouTube
One Social Fetch balance and one schema cover all three; on Apify each platform typically needs a different Actor with its own input schema and pricing.
- Social Fetch
- ~$124 at the Scale pack rate
- Apify
- Sum of three Actors' rates, each set by its author and billed separately
Platform usage (compute units)
- Social Fetch
- None — flat per lookup
- Apify
- Not charged on Apify's TikTok Scraper; pay-per-usage and rental Actors bill it
Unused PAYG credits roll over?
- Social Fetch
- Yes — PAYG packs never expire
- Apify
- N/A — billed at time of run
| Scenario | Social Fetch | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Single TikTok profile | ~$0.00165 | ~$0.003 on Starter, plus $0.001 per run |
| 1,000 TikTok profiles | From ~$1.35 | ~$3.00 on Starter; ~$3.70 on the free plan |
| 75k profiles/month (TikTok only) | ~$124 at the Scale pack rate | ~$225 + $19/mo on Starter; ~$127.50 on the $999/mo Business plan |
| 75k profiles across TikTok + Instagram + YouTubeOne Social Fetch balance and one schema cover all three; on Apify each platform typically needs a different Actor with its own input schema and pricing. | ~$124 at the Scale pack rate | Sum of three Actors' rates, each set by its author and billed separately |
| Platform usage (compute units) | None — flat per lookup | Not charged on Apify's TikTok Scraper; pay-per-usage and rental Actors bill it |
| Unused PAYG credits roll over? | Yes — PAYG packs never expire | N/A — billed at time of run |
Apify prices checked 24 September 2026. How we priced this, with sources
Pricing
Social data, priced simply.
Start with 100 free credits. Monthly plans give you predictable volume and lower per-request rates.
Starter
1,000credits
$14.00 per 1k · $0.0140 per request
- Prove one workflow before you buy more
- All 25 platforms on one API key
Growth
25,000credits
$2.36 per 1k · $0.00236 per request
- For a project or one-off batch job
- Better per-credit rate than the Starter pack
Scale
230,000credits
$1.64 per 1k · $0.00164 per request
- For a large one-time job
- Best pack rate of the three — includes bonus credits
Need 1M+ credits, invoicing, or volume rates? Talk to us
Trust signals
DevHunt
Product Hunt
Uneed
Social Fetch vs Apify, side by side.
How each product expects you to integrate, what you're billed for, and which capabilities come as standard.
What you integrate against
- Social Fetch
- REST endpoints such as
GET /v1/tiktok/profiles/{handle} - Apify
- Actor runs + dataset exports (marketplace Actors or your own)
Response timing
- Social Fetch
- JSON in ~3.2s on average, same request
- Apify
- Start run → wait → poll status → fetch dataset (~18s per run on average)
TikTok profile pricing
- Social Fetch
- From $1.35 per 1,000 lookups
- Apify
- $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan, $3.00 on Starter ($19/mo), $1.70 on Business ($999/mo)
Multi-platform setup
- Social Fetch
- One API key, one schema, shared credit balance
- Apify
- Separate Actor per platform, each with its own input schema
Billing model
- Social Fetch
- Credits per completed lookup (1 for a TikTok profile); PAYG packs never expire
- Apify
- Set per Actor: pay-per-event (TikTok Scraper, platform usage included), pay-per-usage (compute units), or rental
Best fit
- Social Fetch
- Production features that need data in the request thread
- Apify
- Custom scrapers, batch jobs, browser automation you write yourself
| Row | Social Fetch | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| What you integrate against | REST endpoints such as GET /v1/tiktok/profiles/{handle} | Actor runs + dataset exports (marketplace Actors or your own) |
| Response timing | JSON in ~3.2s on average, same request | Start run → wait → poll status → fetch dataset (~18s per run on average) |
| TikTok profile pricing | From $1.35 per 1,000 lookups | $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan, $3.00 on Starter ($19/mo), $1.70 on Business ($999/mo) |
| Multi-platform setup | One API key, one schema, shared credit balance | Separate Actor per platform, each with its own input schema |
| Billing model | Credits per completed lookup (1 for a TikTok profile); PAYG packs never expire | Set per Actor: pay-per-event (TikTok Scraper, platform usage included), pay-per-usage (compute units), or rental |
| Best fit | Production features that need data in the request thread | Custom scrapers, batch jobs, browser automation you write yourself |
| Capability | Social Fetch | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Synchronous REST JSON (no actor run polling) | ||
| One API key for all platforms | ||
| Unified schema across platforms | ||
| Public OpenAPI specification | ||
| Official TypeScript SDK | ||
| Interactive API playground | ||
| TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, X in one vendor | ||
| Pay-as-you-go without required monthly subscription | ||
| PAYG credits never expire | ||
| Web fetch (markdown/HTML) in same product | ||
| Scheduled account / feed monitors | ||
| Signed webhooks when watched accounts post |
Customers
Teams building on Social Fetch.
“Our TikTok and Instagram scrapers broke constantly. Social Fetch took us off that rotation — we ship product again.”
“Transcripts at volume from one endpoint. No broken scrapers for our small team to maintain.”
“Live profile data on every request. We never flag accounts from a stale cache.”
“Heavy concurrent load, no rate limits to negotiate. The rare API I haven't wrapped in retries.”
Which one should you pick?
If the Apify list sounds like you, Apify is probably the better buy — and that's fine.
Pick Social Fetch if…
- Profile or post data must return during the user's request (onboarding, search, live dashboards)
- Multi-platform apps without maintaining separate Actor configs per network
- One credit balance across platforms, with no Apify subscription needed for discounts and credits that never expire
- One schema and one API key instead of marketplace Actor evaluation
- Production features where a broken community Actor is unacceptable downtime
Pick Apify if…
- You're building a custom Actor with Puppeteer/Playwright and need Apify's container runtime
- One-off or exploratory scrapes where you don't want to commit to a dedicated API vendor
- Overnight batch jobs ingesting hundreds of thousands of records into a warehouse
- Sites or extraction logic Social Fetch doesn't support — you need arbitrary JavaScript in the scraper
- You're already invested in Apify datasets, schedules, and webhooks for non-social scraping
Social Fetch vs Apify: common questions
Migration, billing surprises, and what changes when you add a second platform.
Is Social Fetch cheaper than Apify for TikTok scraping?
Yes. Social Fetch starts at $1.35 per 1,000 TikTok profile lookups. Apify's TikTok Scraper charges $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan and $3.00 on the $19/mo Starter plan; its $1.70 rate needs the $999/mo Business plan. The bigger differences are elsewhere: Social Fetch returns JSON in one synchronous REST call with no Actor run, polling, or dataset step; one key and one schema cover 25 platforms instead of a separate Actor per platform with its own inputs and pricing; and pay-as-you-go credits never expire.
Do I have to poll for results with Social Fetch?
No. The JSON is in the HTTP response body. Apify requires starting a run, checking run status, and downloading from a dataset — or wiring webhooks on your side. Social Fetch is one request, one response.
How fast is Social Fetch compared to an Apify Actor run?
Social Fetch returns in about 3 seconds on average. Apify Actor runs average around 18 seconds (container startup plus scrape time), and complex runs take minutes. For UI-driven features, that gap matters.
Can I use Apify and Social Fetch together?
Yes. A common split: Social Fetch for production social lookups in your app, Apify for custom scrapers or batch jobs on sites we don't cover. If your app needs profile or post JSON back in a single synchronous call across several platforms, Social Fetch is the better fit for that part.
Does Social Fetch replace Apify entirely?
No — and we wouldn't claim that. Social Fetch replaces the marketplace Actor workflow for structured social data across major platforms. It does not replace custom Actor development, browser automation, or Apify's scheduling and dataset pipeline for general web scraping.
What about Apify compute units — do I pay those with Social Fetch?
No. Social Fetch bills per completed lookup, not per second of container runtime or megabyte of memory. Your cost is tied to request count, not how hard the scrape was.
Which platforms does each service cover?
Social Fetch covers 25 platforms (240 marketplace operations) under one API key with normalized schemas — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, Threads, Spotify, and more. Apify's social coverage depends on which Actors you choose — there's no unified catalog with guaranteed maintenance.
I'm already on Apify — is migration hard?
If you're fetching profiles and posts through marketplace Actors, migration is usually an afternoon. Remove run polling and dataset download code, point your app at Social Fetch endpoints, map response fields. Harder cases involve custom Actors with logic Social Fetch doesn't replicate — those should stay on Apify.
What does the Apify TikTok scraper Actor cost in 2026?
As of September 2026, Apify's TikTok Scraper costs $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan, $3.00 on the $19/mo Starter plan, $2.30 on the $199/mo Scale plan and $1.70 on the $999/mo Business plan, plus $0.001 per Actor start. It's pay-per-event, and its page says Apify platform usage isn't charged. Add-ons such as video downloads, AI transcription and summaries, and some filters cost extra. Check the Actor's pricing tab before estimating, since rates change. Social Fetch starts at $1.35 per 1,000 TikTok profile lookups.
Does Apify charge compute units on top of per-result pricing?
It depends on the Actor's pricing model. Per Apify's docs, most pay-per-event Actors include platform usage in the event price, though some charge it separately; pay-per-usage Actors bill only platform usage (compute units, roughly memory × runtime); and rental Actors add usage on top of the rental fee. Apify's TikTok Scraper says platform usage isn't charged. Social Fetch bills one credit per completed lookup regardless of how long the lookup took.
The detailed Social Fetch vs Apify comparisonHow Apify works, where the costs come from, and when to keep it.
The short version
Apify runs Actors on a schedule and stores results in datasets. Social Fetch returns profile JSON in the same HTTP response. Same problem — TikTok or Instagram data — different integration shape.
Apify is a scraper runtime with a marketplace attached
Apify runs web scrapers in the cloud. You pick an Actor, configure input JSON, start a run, and collect output from a dataset when it finishes. Containers, proxies, scheduling, and storage are handled for you — useful for custom extraction pipelines.
It is not a social REST API. There is no single endpoint where you pass a handle and get normalized profile JSON back. You choose an Actor per platform, learn its input schema, start a run, and wait.
Marketplace quality and pricing vary by author. Popular social scrapers publish per-event rates. Community Actors may be cheaper, unmaintained, or broken after a platform change.
The run → poll → dataset loop
Typical flow: POST to start a run, poll GET /v2/actor-runs/{runId} until SUCCEEDED, then GET /v2/datasets/{datasetId}/items. A run averages around 18 seconds — container startup alone takes time.
For creator onboarding where the user expects immediate feedback, you either block on polling or build async infrastructure (webhooks, queues) on your side. Webhooks and scheduled runs fit ETL and overnight crawls; they fight live profile cards in a UI.
Every platform is a different Actor
Social Fetch exposes /v1/tiktok/profiles/{handle}, /v1/instagram/profiles/{handle}, and /v1/youtube/channel?handle= with the same auth and similar shapes. On Apify, each platform is a different Actor with different inputs, output columns, pricing, and maintenance.
Multi-platform apps often maintain an orchestration layer: fan out to the right Actor, track run IDs, merge heterogeneous schemas. That engineering work does not show up in per-event pricing.
Events, compute units, and what the bill depends on
Each Actor's author picks its pricing model. Apify's TikTok Scraper is pay-per-event, from $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan down to $1.70 on the $999/mo Business plan, with Apify platform usage included, and add-ons such as video downloads and AI transcription billed extra. Other Actors bill differently. Per Apify's docs, pay-per-usage Actors charge only platform usage (compute units: memory × runtime), so slow proxies, retries, or higher memory raise the cost of the same rows, and rental Actors add usage on top of a monthly fee.
Higher Apify plans lower the per-event price, which helps if you already pay for Apify for other scraping. At list price, a TikTok profile costs about the same on either service.
Social Fetch is one credit per completed profile lookup, $1.64 per 1,000 credits at the Scale pack rate, with no subscription needed for that rate and PAYG credits that never expire.
Social Fetch when you need an API, not a scraper job
Built for social data inside application logic — enrichment during signup, creator cards, monitoring on user action. Call GET /v1/tiktok/profiles/{handle}; JSON returns in about 3 seconds on average, with a requestId for support.
For "notify me when this handle posts," Monitors polls on your schedule and delivers a signed webhook — same credits as the route.
We own extraction. When a platform changes, we patch it. Less flexibility to run arbitrary browser JavaScript; stable contract for production.
When to keep Apify, when to switch
Keep Apify for custom Actors (Puppeteer/Playwright), sites we do not cover, or batch jobs where 30-minute latency is fine.
Switch when usage has narrowed to "start an Actor, poll, read dataset" for profile/post JSON. Migration is usually straightforward: replace dataset fetches with GET calls and map fields. You lose custom extraction scripts and browser control; you gain one HTTP round trip.
Bottom line: Scraper platform vs social data API
Apify fits custom scrapers, batch jobs, and browser automation. Social Fetch fits TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and the rest as structured JSON in your app, returned in the same request. Per-profile list prices are close, so choose on integration shape. If your integration is mostly "start an Actor, poll, read dataset," a REST API handles that in one call. Keep Apify for custom work; use Social Fetch for production social lookups.
Methodology and sourcesHow we priced each scenario, and where every Apify figure comes from. Checked 24 September 2026.
How we priced it
Apify's TikTok Scraper is the most-cited Actor for profiles. It is pay-per-event, priced by Apify plan: $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan, $3.00 on Starter ($19/mo), $2.30 on Scale ($199/mo) and $1.70 on Business ($999/mo), plus $0.001 per Actor start. Its Actor page says Apify platform usage isn't charged on top. Add-ons such as video downloads, AI transcription and summaries, and some filters cost extra. Social Fetch charges one credit per completed TikTok profile lookup — not_found still bills; lookup_failed and 503 temporarily_unavailable do not. Social Fetch starts at $1.35 per 1,000 lookups.
Sources
Apify pricing for its TikTok Scraper (checked September 2026): pay-per-event at $3.70 per 1,000 results on the free plan, $3.00 on Starter ($19/mo), $2.30 on Scale ($199/mo) and $1.70 on Business ($999/mo), plus $0.001 per Actor start (per-tier rates from the Actor's pricing in Apify's public API), with Apify platform usage not charged; add-ons cost extra. Other Actors use other models: per Apify's docs, pay-per-usage Actors bill platform usage (compute units) and rental Actors add usage on top of the fee. Check the specific Actor's pricing tab before estimating. Social Fetch's lowest rate is the Scale plan billed annually ($2,430 for 1.8M credits, about $1.35 per 1,000); scenario totals use the Scale pack rate ($379 for 230,000 credits, about $1.64 per 1,000; September 2026).
Apify is a trademark of its owner. Social Fetch is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apify. Details about Apify come from public sources checked on 24 September 2026.
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