Answer the Public Alternatives: Build vs Buy

A technical comparison of keyword research methods: Python scripts, SaaS tools, and Serverless Actors.

Answer the Public Alternatives: Build vs Buy

When you need autocomplete data, you have three architectural choices:

1. SaaS: Pay for a UI (Answer the Public, Keyword Tool.io).
2. Build: Write your own scraper (Python/Selenium).
3. Serverless: Use a pre-built Actor (Apify).

Option 1: The SaaS Route (AnswerThePublic.com)

• Pros: Zero setup, beautiful visualizations.
• Cons: Expensive ($99/mo for Pro), manual export workflow, rate limits.
• Verdict: Good for brainstorming, bad for systems.

Option 2: The “Build” Route (Python Script)

You can write a script using requests to hit google.com/complete/search.

import requests

url = "http://google.com/complete/search?client=chrome&q=marketing"
response = requests.get(url)
print(response.json())

• The Trap: It works for 10 requests. Then you get blocked.
• The Hidden Cost: You now have to manage:
  • Proxy rotation infrastructure.
  • User-agent spoofing.
  • CAPTCHA solving.
  • Server maintenance.

Option 3: The Serverless Route (Apify Actor)

This is the “middle path”. You get the flexibility of code without the infrastructure headache.

• Infrastructure: Managed by Apify.
• Logic: Pre-written and maintained by us.
• Cost: Pay per run.

Comparison Matrix

Feature	SaaS (ATP)	Custom Script	Apify Actor
Setup Time	Instant	Days	Minutes
Maintenance	None	High	None
Scalability	Low	Hard	Infinite
API Access	No	Yes	Yes
Ban Protection	N/A	Manual	Built-in

Why We Built the Actor

We built the Answer the Public Actor because we wanted the raw data of Option 2 with the reliability of Option 1. It allows engineers to treat Google Autocomplete as just another API endpoint in their stack.