# Apify consultant: public web data delivered to your systems. > SBD builds Apify pipelines that collect public web data on a schedule, check it, and pass it to your CRM, sheet or database, for teams of 5 to 1,000 people. Workflow automation builds start at $1,500, with the fixed price set after a $500 Automation Audit that is credited to the build. - Canonical: https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/apify/ - Publisher: SmallBay Digital ## What an Apify expert from SBD builds Sales, pricing and research teams often copy data out of websites by hand. Apify runs small programs called Actors in the cloud to collect that data, either from its store of ready-made Actors or from code written for one site. Our published example is a [lead enrichment system for a B2B sales team](https://smallbaydigital.com/case-studies/lead-enrichment-sales-automation/), where Apify sits alongside Apollo, Clearbit and BuiltWith in an [n8n](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/n8n/) workflow, and qualified leads reach the CRM with tagged fields. - Lead and company data collected and matched to CRM records. - Competitor price and stock tracking on a schedule. - Listings and directories turned into a clean table. - Checks that alert someone when a site changes and results look wrong. ## When Apify is the right choice, and when it is not Apify suits repeatable collection from public pages at volume, with developers able to adjust an Actor when a site changes. For a logged-in portal that someone clicks through by hand, a bot in [Axiom.ai](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/axiom-ai/) may be simpler. What you collect matters as much as how. Site terms and personal data rules decide what is appropriate, so we check both during scoping and say so if a source should be left out. - The source offers an API or export; use that, because it breaks less often. - The data is personal and you have no lawful basis to use it. - You need it once; a one-off export may be cheaper than a pipeline. ## Apify plans and compute units Apify combines a monthly plan with pay-as-you-go usage. Each plan includes prepaid credit for Apify Store and your own Actors, and one compute unit is 1 GB of RAM for an hour. Store Actors also have their own pricing, so a single run can cost very different amounts depending on the Actor. From Apify's pricing page in November 2026, billed monthly: - **Free:** $0; $5 of prepaid usage; $0.20 per compute unit; community support. - **Starter:** $19 a month; $19 of prepaid usage; $0.20 per compute unit; chat support. - **Scale:** $199 a month; $199 of prepaid usage; $0.16 per compute unit; priority chat support. - **Business:** $999 a month; $999 of prepaid usage; $0.13 per compute unit; an account manager. ## How hiring an Apify consultant from SBD works Every engagement starts with an [Automation Audit](https://smallbaydigital.com/services/audit/) at $500, credited in full to your build. For Apify we review each source and its terms, look for an API first, test a sample run and estimate your monthly usage. Workflow automation builds start at $1,500, and the fixed price is set after the audit and agreed before work begins. Your Apify subscription is paid by you to Apify. We do not resell licences. ## What you own, and what happens when a site changes The Apify account, any custom Actors and the destination systems stay in your name, with custom code in your repository. You receive a runbook covering each source, its schedule and what to do when it fails. Sites change without warning, so every pipeline checks its own output. If the row count drops or a field goes empty, a named person is alerted before bad data reaches your team. ## Related - [Case study: lead enrichment for a B2B sales team](https://smallbaydigital.com/case-studies/lead-enrichment-sales-automation/) - [Connect Apify and n8n](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/apify-and-n8n-automation/) - [n8n agency](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/n8n/) - [Axiom.ai consultant](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/axiom-ai/) - [Apollo](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/apollo/) - [Google Sheets automation](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/google-sheets/) ## Sources - Apify: Pricing page (plans, prepaid usage, compute units, support), checked 4 November 2026