Apify Facebook scrapers compared: official vs Alfalfa
Apify's Store has an official scraper for each Facebook surface and, since September 2026, an Alfalfa one for the same five surfaces. Both read public data and share many core output fields. This page compares prices, fees and limits; check the output differences before changing an integration.
Price per 1,000 results
| Surface | Official Apify Actor | Alfalfa Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Events | $13, plus a start fee | $3, no start fee | Alfalfa adds every date of recurring events and an optional organizer email ($10 per 1,000 found). The official one has no email. |
| Posts | $5, plus a start fee and a fee per filter | $2, no start fee, filters free | Video transcripts are an optional add-on on the Alfalfa side ($2 per 1,000 video posts). |
| Pages with contact details | $12 for page data plus $13 for contacts, two separate Actors | $2.50, email and phone included | The full About text is an add-on ($0.50 per 1,000 pages that have one), on by default to match the official output. |
| Comments | $2.50, plus $1 per run and a surcharge per comment when a date filter is on | $0.30, no start fee, date filter free | Replies come as separate records with parent links on both sides. |
| Ad Library | $5.80 | $0.45, ad details and available EU reach included | The official one returns pageInfo and offers e-commerce enrichment; Alfalfa does not. |
These are Free-plan prices with platform usage and default proxy routing included. For Ads specifically, Alfalfa charges $0.40 per 1,000 on Starter, $0.35 on Scale and $0.30 on Business; the official Actor also has its own paid-tier discounts.
What is the same
- Core fields. Many ad identifiers, dates and
snapshotpaths align. Optional blocks differ; check the fields your pipeline actually reads against a real sample. - Common input forms. The Ads Actor accepts
startUrls,resultsLimitand Ad Library URLs withview_all_page_idorid, plus plain keywords and page IDs. - Scope. Public data only. Groups, Marketplace, private profiles and anything behind a login are out of reach for both.
- Platform features. API, schedules, webhooks, dataset exports, MCP for AI agents: all the same, it is the same platform.
What is different
| Official | Alfalfa | |
|---|---|---|
| Start fee | On events, posts and comments | None |
| Filter surcharges | Posts and comments charge extra per filtered item | None |
| Ads output | pageInfo and optional e-commerce enrichment | Core ad and snapshot fields plus available EU reach in ad_details; no pageInfo |
| Speed | Minutes for large runs | Seconds to a minute for a thousand records; the Ad Library Actor starts in about a second |
| Track record | Years, thousands of users, hundreds of reviews | Weeks, a handful of users, fixes shipped within a day |
The last row is the honest one. If you need a vendor with a long public history, the official Actors have it. If you run volume and the bill matters, compare the fields you use, then test the Alfalfa Actor on a representative input. The daily Store test and owner health checks help detect breakage.
Switching in three steps
- Replace the Actor name in your integration (for example
apify/facebook-events-scraperbecomesalfalfa/facebook-events-scraper). - Check the input fields you use. For ad details, change
isDetailsPerAdtoscrapeAdDetails. - Run once and diff the output against your last official run. For Ads, update any workflow reading
pageInfoor e-commerce enrichment before switching.
Questions people ask
Why is it this much cheaper?
Small, fast Actors that move little data per record and run in little memory. Platform cost per thousand records is cents, and the price leaves a fair margin after Apify's share. The official prices are a business decision, not a cost floor.
Is this an official comparison?
No. Alfalfa writes this page and is not affiliated with Apify or Meta. Every number is on the respective Store page; check them before you decide, prices change.