Curious Coder (Apify) vs ScrapeCreators: which Ad Library scraper should you use?
Curious Coder (Apify) and ScrapeCreators side by side on price per 1,000 ads with EU reach, the data they return and MCP support
By: Oleg Glanz|Updated:
Short answer: For 1,000 ads with EU reach, the Curious Coder Apify actor costs $0.75 and ScrapeCreators about $1.94, because ScrapeCreators needs one Ad Details request per ad. Pick Curious Coder for cheap bulk exports; pick ScrapeCreators for a real-time REST API with an OAuth MCP server for Claude Code.
Cheapest with EU reach
Best developer API
Curious Coder (Apify) vs ScrapeCreators: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Curious Coder (Apify) | ScrapeCreators |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 4.70 / 5 | 4.69 / 5 |
| 1,000 ads with EU reach | $0.75 | $1.94 |
| With EU reach, at volume | $0.75 | $1.03 |
| 1,000 ads, list only | $0.75 | $0.06 |
| How EU reach is returned | Included with every ad | One extra details call per ad |
| MCP server | Via the Apify MCP server (the actor becomes a tool) | Official hosted MCP server plus an agent skill |
| Claude sign-in | OAuth sign-in or Apify API token | OAuth in Claude and Cursor, or x-api-key header |
| Best for | Cheap bulk exports with EU reach, no code needed | Developers and Claude Code users who want a real-time REST API |
| Entry plan | $0.75 per 1,000 ads | $47 for 25,000 credits (~$1.88 per 1,000 requests) |
| Pricing model | Pay per ad on Apify (platform usage included) | Prepaid credits, 1 credit per request, never expire |
| Free tier | $5 free Apify credit every month (no card) | 100 free credits (up to 7,000 more via bonuses), no card |
| Search by | Ad Library search URL, list of Facebook page URLs | Keyword, advertiser/company, ad ID or URL |
| Data returned | Ad IDs, page, copy, creatives snapshot, start/end dates, platforms, EU transparency data and EU total reach (with ad details on), collation counts | Ad creatives, copy, images, videos, advertiser details, active status, platforms, EU total reach and demographic breakdown (ad details), video transcripts |
| Other ad libraries | Meta only (separate actors exist for Google and LinkedIn) | Meta, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok ad libraries plus 20+ social platforms |
| Integrations | Apify API, JSON/CSV/Excel export, Make, Zapier, n8n, webhooks | REST API, CLI, n8n, Apify |
| Maintained by | Curious Coder (community developer on Apify) | ScrapeCreators (commercial API, Austin, TX) |
| Visit | Learn More | Learn More |
Scores by criterion
| Criterion | Curious Coder (Apify) | ScrapeCreators | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per 1,000 ads | 5.0 | 4.6 | Curious Coder (Apify) |
| Data depth & EU reach | 4.8 | 4.7 | Curious Coder (Apify) |
| Reliability & maintenance | 4.4 | 4.7 | ScrapeCreators |
| Ease of use | 4.6 | 4.7 | ScrapeCreators |
| AI & MCP readiness | 4.6 | 4.8 | ScrapeCreators |
| Integrations & exports | 4.7 | 4.6 | Curious Coder (Apify) |
| Free tier & trial | 4.8 | 4.7 | Curious Coder (Apify) |
Curious Coder (Apify) vs ScrapeCreators for Claude and AI agents
Curious Coder (Apify) · AI & MCP 4.6/5
Via the Apify MCP server (the actor becomes a tool)
Auth: OAuth sign-in or Apify API token
https://mcp.apify.com?tools=curious_coder/facebook-ads-library-scraperclaude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=curious_coder/facebook-ads-library-scraper"Results follow Meta's verbose raw format, so ask the agent to keep only the fields it needs, or let it read the finished dataset instead of the full run output.
ScrapeCreators · AI & MCP 4.8/5
Official hosted MCP server plus an agent skill
Auth: OAuth in Claude and Cursor, or x-api-key header
https://api.scrapecreators.com/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http scrape-creators https://api.scrapecreators.com/mcptrim=true shrinks responses for the context window, and the social-media-research agent skill teaches Claude Code which endpoint to use and what each call costs.
When to choose each
Choose Curious Coder (Apify) if…
You want the lowest price per 1,000 ads with EU reach and are happy with CSV exports or the Apify MCP server.
Skip it if you need guaranteed support response times or pre-enriched data such as spend estimates.
Read the full Curious Coder (Apify) reviewChoose ScrapeCreators if…
You are building a product or a Claude Code workflow and want a stable real-time REST API and MCP server.
Skip it if you need EU reach for tens of thousands of ads, where the Curious Coder actor or AdSpends is cheaper.
Read the full ScrapeCreators reviewCompare all Facebook Ad Library scrapers
About the author
Oleg Glanz is a performance marketer who builds direct-response funnels for e-commerce brands through FullFunnelSetup.com. Meta Ad Library research is part of his daily work, which is why he built AdSpends, an ad intelligence tool that turns Ad Library data into searchable ads, landing pages and ad spend estimates.
He writes AdLibraryScraper.com to document what each scraper and API actually returns, what it costs, and where it breaks, so marketers and developers can pick the right data source without trial and error.