Herd vs Apify: A Cost-Effective Alternative for Web Automation

Apify is a popular platform for web scraping and automation, but its cloud-based infrastructure can be costly and limiting. Herd offers a compelling alternative with similar capabilities but a fundamentally different approach that eliminates infrastructure costs and provides more control over your automation.

Quick Comparison

Key Differences in Depth

Infrastructure and Pricing Model

Apify:

• Cloud-based platform with usage-based pricing
• Costs scale with computation time and resource usage
• Requires paid proxy services for many use cases
• Monthly subscription plus usage-based fees

Herd:

• Uses your existing browser and computer
• No cloud infrastructure required
• Direct control of your local resources
• Supports Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera
• No additional infrastructure costs
• No separate compute units to pay for
• Simple and predictable pricing

Browser Control and Authentication

Apify:

• Operates browsers in the cloud
• Must manually set up authentication flows
• Sessions are isolated and temporary
• Limited access to browser-specific features

Herd:

• Direct control of your own browser
• Uses your existing authenticated sessions
• Persistent cookies and storage between runs
• Full access to browser capabilities and extensions

Setup and Customization

// Install the Herd SDK
npm install @monitoro/herd

// Simple setup code
import { HerdClient } from '@monitoro/herd';

// Connect to your own browser
const client = new HerdClient('your-token');
await client.initialize();
const devices = await client.listDevices();
const device = devices[0];

// Create a page and automate it
const page = await device.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');

Data Extraction Capabilities

Apify:

• Offers pre-built actors for common websites
• Large marketplace of ready-made solutions
• Extraction limited to what actors provide
• Can become expensive for large-scale extraction

Herd:

• Powerful built-in extraction API
• Simple selector-based data retrieval
• Access to authenticated content
• Extract data without usage limits

Use Case Comparisons

Web Scraping with Authentication

// Using Herd with an already authenticated browser
const client = new HerdClient('your-token');
await client.initialize();
const devices = await client.listDevices();
const device = devices[0];

// Access a site where you're already logged in
const page = await device.newPage();
await page.goto('https://account.example.com/dashboard');

// Extract authenticated data directly
const userData = await page.extract({
  username: '.user-profile .username',
  accountType: '.account-type',
  balance: '.account-balance',
  transactions: {
    _$r: '.transaction-item',
    date: '.transaction-date',
    amount: '.transaction-amount',
    description: '.transaction-description'
  }
});

console.log(userData);
await client.close();

Multi-Page Crawling

// Using Herd for multi-page crawling
const client = new HerdClient('your-token');
await client.initialize();
const devices = await client.listDevices();
const device = devices[0];

const page = await device.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com/products');

// Collect all product links first
const productLinks = await page.extract({
  links: {
    _$r: '.product-card a',
    url: { attribute: 'href' }
  }
});

// Visit each product page and extract details
const products = [];
for (const { url } of productLinks.links) {
  await page.goto(url);
  
  const productData = await page.extract({
    name: '.product-name',
    price: '.product-price',
    description: '.product-description',
    specs: {
      _$r: '.spec-item',
      name: '.spec-name',
      value: '.spec-value'
    }
  });
  
  products.push(productData);
}

console.log(products);
await client.close();

Migration Guide: From Apify to Herd

Transitioning from Apify to Herd is straightforward. Here’s a guide to help you migrate:

1. Installation

1. Install the Herd SDK:

   npm install @monitoro/herd
   

2. Install the Herd browser extension in your preferred browser

3. Register your browser as a device in the Herd dashboard

2. Code Migration

3. Handling Authentication

Apify:

// Manual login process
await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
await page.type('#username', 'user');
await page.type('#password', 'pass');
await page.click('#login-button');

Herd:

// Simply use your already authenticated browser
await page.goto('https://example.com/dashboard');  // Already logged in

Why Choose Herd Over Apify?

1. Cost Efficiency

Herd eliminates the need for cloud infrastructure, resulting in:

• No usage-based computation costs
• No proxy costs for most use cases
• Significant cost savings for regular automation
• Predictable pricing independent of usage volume

2. Use Existing Authentication

With Herd, you can automate tasks in your already authenticated browser:

• No need to handle authentication flows in code
• Access to sites with complex auth (2FA, CAPTCHA)
• Use existing cookies, local storage, and sessions

3. Local Control and Privacy

Herd provides:

• Full control over the automation environment
• Higher privacy (data stays on your machine)
• Direct access to local resources when needed
• No dependence on third-party cloud infrastructure

4. Simpler Development Experience

Herd offers:

• More intuitive APIs for common tasks
• Real-time debugging in your browser
• No need to deploy or manage cloud resources
• Faster iteration during development

Get Started with Herd Today

Ready to try a more flexible alternative to Apify? Get started with Herd:

1. Create a Herd account
2. Install the Herd browser extension in Chrome, Edge, or Brave (Firefox and Safari not supported)
3. Connect your browser
4. Run your first automation

Discover how Herd can provide all the capabilities you need for web automation and scraping at a fraction of the cost of cloud-based solutions like Apify.