In this article 5 sections
Apify is a pay-as-you-go cloud platform: a free plan with $5 of usage a month, paid plans from $19 a month, and actors priced per 1,000 results. Alternatives are Octoparse for point-and-click scraping, PhantomBuster for social automation, Outscraper for Google Maps, and LeadTrapper, a flat $50 a year Windows app with WhatsApp sending.
- Apify's free plan includes $5 of usage a month. Starter is $19 a month ($17 billed yearly), Scale $199 and Business $999, and each actor also charges per result or per event.
- Popular Apify actors list prices from $1.50 per 1,000 Google Maps places, $1.50 per 1,000 Instagram results and $1.70 per 1,000 TikTok results, with higher rates on lower plans.
- Octoparse has a free plan with 10 tasks and 50,000 export rows a month, then Standard from $69 a month billed yearly. PhantomBuster starts at $69 a month, or $56 billed yearly, with 20 execution hours a month.
- Outscraper is the simplest Google Maps option: 500 records free, then $3 per 1,000.
- LeadTrapper is a $50 a year Windows app with ready-made scrapers for Google Maps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn, an Email Finder and WhatsApp sending, with no per-result fees.
Apify is a cloud platform for running scrapers, called actors, that thousands of developers publish in the Apify Store. It’s powerful and flexible, but you pay twice: a monthly plan, and a fee per result for most actors. If you mainly use it to build lead lists, there are simpler and cheaper options. This guide compares four. One of them, LeadTrapper, is ours, and we say so wherever it appears. Prices are from each vendor’s page, checked on 25 October 2026.
What Apify Costs
Apify’s pricing page listed four plans:
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Usage included each month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $5 |
| Starter | $19 | $17 a month | $19 |
| Scale | $199 | $179 a month | $199 |
| Business | $999 | $899 a month | $999 |
The usage is spent on actors. The popular lead actors charge per result: the Google Maps Scraper from $1.50 per 1,000 places, the Instagram Scraper from $1.50 per 1,000 results ($2.70 on the free plan) and the TikTok Scraper from $1.70 per 1,000. Extras such as contact enrichment cost more, and unused usage doesn’t roll over. If you go over on the free plan, runs stop until the next month.
The Four Alternatives
1. LeadTrapper (Windows desktop app)
LeadTrapper replaces the lead-generation actors with ready-made scrapers in one app: the Google Maps Scraper, Instagram Scraper, TikTok Scraper, Facebook Scraper and LinkedIn Scraper, plus an Email Finder that reads business websites for emails and phone numbers. Each one is a form: a business type and a city, a hashtag, a role. There’s no actor to configure and nothing charged per result.
It runs on your own Windows computer, so it’s slower than the cloud: about seven Google Maps businesses a minute in our tests. What it adds is the step after the list. The Number Filter checks which numbers are on WhatsApp, and the WhatsApp Bulk Sender messages them. It costs $50 a year after a 14-day free trial.
Try LeadTrapper free for 14 days
2. Octoparse (point-and-click scraper)
Octoparse lets you build a scraper by clicking the parts of a page you want, so it covers sites without needing an actor. Its free plan allows 10 tasks, one device and 50,000 export rows a month. Paid plans start at $69 a month for Standard and $249 for Professional, both billed yearly. It’s the closest match if you use Apify to scrape many different sites.
3. PhantomBuster (social automation)
PhantomBuster runs ready-made automations, called Phantoms, for LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Google Maps. The Start plan costs $69 a month, or $56 a month billed yearly, with 20 execution hours a month, after a 14-day trial. It suits LinkedIn outreach and teams that chain several steps together. The PhantomBuster alternatives guide has the full plan details.
4. Outscraper (Google Maps on demand)
If Google Maps is the main reason you use Apify, Outscraper is simpler: the first 500 records are free, then $3 per 1,000 up to 100,000 and $1 per 1,000 after that. The Outscraper alternatives guide shows where a flat price becomes cheaper, and the best Google Maps scraper comparison lines up six Maps tools side by side.
The Comparison Table
| Compared | Apify | LeadTrapper | Octoparse | PhantomBuster | Outscraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Cloud | Your Windows PC | Your computer | Cloud | Cloud |
| Entry price | Free, then $19 a month | $50 a year | Free, then $69 a month yearly | $69 a month | 500 records free |
| Per-result fees | Most actors | None | None | Hour limits instead | $3 per 1,000 |
| Sites covered | Thousands of actors | Maps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, websites | Any site you set up | Its Phantoms | Google services |
| Setup | Configure an actor | A form per scraper | Build by clicking | Configure a Phantom | A form |
| Message the leads | No | WhatsApp, built in | No | LinkedIn messages | No |
When Apify Is Still the Better Choice
- You need a site LeadTrapper doesn’t cover. Apify’s store has actors for marketplaces, job boards, review sites and much more.
- You need speed at scale. A cloud actor can collect tens of thousands of records in minutes, where a desktop app takes hours.
- You’re a developer. Apify has an API, scheduling and integrations for building data into your own systems.
- Your volume is small. The free plan’s $5 a month covers a few thousand results.
Which One Fits Your Job
- Many different sites, built by clicking: Octoparse.
- LinkedIn automation and outreach: PhantomBuster.
- Google Maps records now and then: Outscraper.
- Local business and social media leads every week, contacted on WhatsApp: LeadTrapper, $50 a year.
Whichever you choose, the platforms’ terms and privacy law apply to what you collect and how you use it. For the Facebook side, the Facebook group scraper comparison covers Apify’s group actor alongside four other tools.
Where LeadTrapper Finds Leads
LeadTrapper collects leads from each of these sources in one Windows app, then checks the numbers and sends the WhatsApp messages from the same place.
- Google Maps Scraper: Business leads from any city.
- Facebook Scraper: Advertisers, pages and group members.
- Instagram Scraper: Leads from profiles and hashtags.
- TikTok Scraper: Creators, hashtags and commenters.
- LinkedIn Scraper: Profiles by role and city.
- Email Finder: Emails from business websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on why you use Apify. For building custom scrapers by clicking, Octoparse. For LinkedIn and social automation in the cloud, PhantomBuster. For Google Maps data on demand, Outscraper. For lead lists from Google Maps and social media that you then message on WhatsApp, LeadTrapper at a flat $50 a year.
On 25 October 2026 Apify's pricing page listed a free plan with $5 of usage a month, Starter at $19 a month ($17 billed yearly), Scale at $199 and Business at $999. Actors from the Apify Store are charged per result or event on top, and unused usage doesn't roll over.
Octoparse has a free plan with 10 tasks, Outscraper gives 500 Google Maps records free, and PhantomBuster has a 14-day trial. LeadTrapper has a 14-day free trial with every feature, then costs $50 a year. Apify's own free plan is also worth trying first.
For steady lead generation, usually. $50 a year is less than three months of Apify Starter, and LeadTrapper has no per-result fees. For small or occasional jobs, Apify's free plan or pay-per-result pricing can cost less. Apify is also far more flexible, with thousands of actors for sites LeadTrapper doesn't cover.
No. It's a Windows app with a form for each scraper: type a business type and a city, a hashtag, or a role, and press start. There's no actor to configure, no API key and no scripting.
About LeadTrapper
LeadTrapper is a Windows app for finding business leads and contacting them on WhatsApp. It collects business contacts from Google Maps, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and business websites, checks which numbers are on WhatsApp with its Number Filter, and sends personalised campaigns with automatic delays from one or more WhatsApp accounts. It also has a chatbot, a shared inbox for every account, and Store Orders for online shops. It installs from the Microsoft Store, and the full app is free for 14 days, then $50 a year. Free web tools, browser extensions and a Wix app are listed on the Free Tools page.
Ready-Made Lead Scrapers, One Flat Price
Google Maps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn scrapers, an Email Finder and WhatsApp tools in one Windows app. $50/year, all features included.
