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Apify vs Apache Storm

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Apify and Apache Storm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Apify vs Apache Storm: at a glance

FeatureApifyApache Storm
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score5.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesai-agents, mcp, actor-marketplace, breaking-changesstream-processing, security, apache-iceberg, jvm
Last editorial update7h ago1h ago
Website—Visit →

What is Apify?

Apify reshapes its Store API for agents, and it will break some integrations on Nov 15.

Apify's October work treats AI agents as the main Store client. On November 15, GET /v2/store moves to a relevance-ranked search backend: search returns a single page of at most 100 results, offset and sortBy are ignored, total and count change meaning, and noisy fields are dropped to save agent context. Earlier in October, the MCP server gained tools to build Actors, read build and run logs and read source files, and the Store was regrouped into use-case categories.

Read the full Apify trajectory →

What is Apache Storm?

Storm 3.1 adds an Iceberg sink and closes a long list of security gaps in Nimbus and the UI.

Storm runs a 3.x line, started in July with 3.0.0's removal of all Clojure and a Java 21 baseline, alongside 2.8.x maintenance. 3.1.0 on September 12 adds a storm-iceberg module with an Apache Iceberg sink bolt and a setting to control JSONP wrapping, and spends most of its notes on hardening: log listings filtered by user permission, jar locations restricted to the Nimbus inbox, blobstore names confined to topology directories, TLS peer verification for worker connections and required Kryo class registration.

Read the full Apache Storm trajectory →

Apify vs Apache Storm: editorial side-by-side

A
Apify
ANALYTICS
5.0

Apify reshapes its Store API for agents, and it will break some integrations on Nov 15.

◆ Current state

Apify's October work treats AI agents as the main Store client. On November 15, GET /v2/store moves to a relevance-ranked search backend: search returns a single page of at most 100 results, offset and sortBy are ignored, total and count change meaning, and noisy fields are dropped to save agent context. Earlier in October, the MCP server gained tools to build Actors, read build and run logs and read source files, and the Store was regrouped into use-case categories.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc from June to now is consistent: MCP connectors, x402 payments for agents without accounts, Apify AI for plain-English runs, and now a Store API and MCP toolset tuned for agents over human paging. Apify is accepting breakage for existing integrations in exchange for better agent results.

◆ Prediction

Expect migration guidance and possibly a grace period around the November 15 cutover, followed by more MCP tools moving into the default set.

A
Apache Storm
ANALYTICS
0.0

Storm 3.1 adds an Iceberg sink and closes a long list of security gaps in Nimbus and the UI.

◆ Current state

Storm runs a 3.x line, started in July with 3.0.0's removal of all Clojure and a Java 21 baseline, alongside 2.8.x maintenance. 3.1.0 on September 12 adds a storm-iceberg module with an Apache Iceberg sink bolt and a setting to control JSONP wrapping, and spends most of its notes on hardening: log listings filtered by user permission, jar locations restricted to the Nimbus inbox, blobstore names confined to topology directories, TLS peer verification for worker connections and required Kryo class registration.

◆ Where it's heading

After the 2.8.6 and 2.8.7 CVE releases, the 3.x line is closing access-control gaps across Nimbus, the logviewer and worker transport. The Iceberg sink adds a direct path into lakehouse storage.

◆ Prediction

Expect 3.1.x follow-ups, possibly with security advisories for the hardened paths, and continued 2.8.x maintenance; whether more lakehouse connectors follow is unclear.

Alternatives to Apify and Apache Storm

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Apify or Apache Storm.

See all Apify alternatives → · See all Apache Storm alternatives →

Recent activity from Apify and Apache Storm

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 3d agoApifyApify Store API: new search backend and breaking changes
  2. 17d agoApifyBuild and debug Actors with new Apify MCP tools
  3. 27d agoApifyFind Actors by use case with new Store categories
  4. 1mo agoApache StormStorm 3.1.0 adds an Iceberg sink and security hardening
  5. 2mo agoApifyCreate an Actor with a Git repo in a few clicks
  6. 3mo agoApache StormStorm 3.0 drops Clojure entirely and moves to Java 21 ⚡
  7. 3mo agoApache Storm2.8.9 is a dependency sweep with one Flux viewer guard
  8. 3mo agoApache Storm2.8.8 backports a Kafka topology-lag fix
  9. 3mo agoApifyApify AI (beta) is live. Describe what you need and get results ⚡
  10. 4mo agoApifyPay for Apify Actors with x402 ⚡
  11. 6mo agoApache StormTwo TLS CVEs fixed: JVM-wide downgrade and auth bypass
  12. 6mo agoApache StormDeserialization RCE and stored XSS in the UI are fixed

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Apify and Apache Storm?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Apify is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Apify better than Apache Storm?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Apify is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Apify?

Top Apify alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apify alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/apify for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Apache Storm?

Top Apache Storm alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apache Storm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/storm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.