While the creators of Apify scrapers are primarily developers, we try to grasp our web scraping platform in a wider context, in the form of a community, which is also made up of people who use our tools on a daily basis. But these users (like you, for instance) may have specific needs and queries about what websites they want to scrape or automate, what kind of output they prefer, or which data they want to extract.
And this is why we have a special page for new Apify ideas, which was created specifically to allow a two-way communication between supply and demand - in our case, developers and users. Users can publish their suggestions for scrapers or Actors, and developers see these suggestions as inspiration on what tools to work on next.
The idea of an update
In the last few weeks, we’ve been working hard to make our Apify ideas page more organized and informative. And so, it is now possible to track the status of your submitted idea! We’ve created 3 tags, which will be displayed right under the idea description:
- New: idea was submitted within the last 60 days
- In progress: idea has been picked up by a developer and should be finished within 30 days
- Completed: the idea is now a full-fledged Actor! Click on the card to be redirected to its page in the Apify Store
You can also filter from over 100 ideas based on their status, by selecting a tag in the left-hand sidebar:
In case you don’t have the time to wait for your idea to be picked up by a developer, you can always hire a developer and request a custom solution.
From the lens of a developer
With the launch of the paid Actors program, publishing a scraper or an automation tool in Apify Store can be a great way to earn passive income. But, you might be asking, what kind of Actor would attract the attention of Apify Store’s users? Simply visiting the Actor ideas page should give you a general picture of what tools are currently in demand, with the most up-voted ideas assuming the top positions. And, with the addition of the new status-tracking feature, you can now see what ideas are being worked on by other devs.
How do I own an idea?
In order to keep the Actor ideas page updated and relevant for its visitors, we need to know what Actors developers are currently working on. And so, if you come across an Apify idea worth building or the Actor you’re currently working on is also mentioned on the ideas page, send an email to ideas@apify.com with your Apify console username and the URL of the idea you’d like to own. We’ll then add the In progress tag and track your 30-day limit to finish the API. If you’re successful, the completed idea will be redirected to your Actor in Apify Store, giving you free traffic coming to the ideas page.
Your contribution
Before submitting your own idea, have a quick look through the ones already added by other users! Even if your suggestion isn’t mentioned, you may come across a card that you would benefit from. In this case, upvote, so that it appears as high in the list as possible and catches the attention of developers. And finally, submit your own idea through our online form! Please be as specific as possible, so that after we process your suggestion, the idea card matches your initial train of thought.
We take our user’s suggestions seriously. For instance, here are some scrapers that were created after being submitted on the ideas page:
… and many more!
But either way, there's no need to overthink your own addition to the page. Remember that for now, it’s just an idea, so don't limit your imagination. It can be anything from web scraping to internal or external automation, even within the Apify platform! After receiving your idea, we will look deeper into it, refine it, create a card, and publish it onto the page within a month after submission. So, head on over to the Apify ideas page to get a sneak peek at Actors before they see the light of the Apify Store, and help us make the web more programmable by submitting your own.
