Phantombuster Alternatives 2023
The business landscape hasn’t been the same since the advent of the internet. It goes without saying that market research used to be the most challenging task back in the day.
However, the internet has made it an absolute cinch, enabling business owners to make mega fortunes.
All the reasons why scrapers are a must-have for your business would make a long and detailed list.
Although they have been used for quite some time now, they have become increasingly popular, particularly in recent years.
As technology gets prevalent, more and more business owners are investing in scrapers.
Simply put, web scraping is a technique for obtaining information from websites. This information could be business-related or personal.
Similarly, web scrapers are the tools that are used to retrieve data from websites or web pages.
Using web scrapers is a convenient way to obtain web data. It’s no secret that information is vital for businesses, particularly startups.
From customer trends to product prices, web scrapers allow you to access all the information conveniently.
Of course, hiring personnel for market research and data extraction won’t be financially viable.
And, of course, your employees won’t be half as efficient as web scrapers. It’s a misconception that scrapers are meant for online businesses only.
These tools have benefited online and traditional businesses alike and come in handy wherever you need market research.
What is Phantombuster?
Most scraping experts must have heard about Phantombuster. It is a powerful web scraper that is used to extract all the web information seamlessly.
The company was founded in 2016 to simplify market research and help the companies grow.
Whether you want to extract information from an online marketplace or a travel company, Phantombuster has got you covered.
Phantombuster provides its users with over 130 automation to make data extraction an absolute piece of cake.
Thanks to these tools, businesses can scrape data even from complicated platforms and save a great deal of their time.
Phantombuster calls these tools “phantoms.” Just select any action you want to do on the web and let the phantoms take care of it.
Phantombuster enables you to export thousands of profiles with a simple tailored search, extract your desired data from those profiles, and send requests in seconds.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Phantombuster is an efficient web scraping tool. It even offers a free trial that allows you to access its features for free.
However, if you do not like it for some reason, you may want to consider some of its alternatives.
The good news for you is that there are plenty of Phantombuster alternatives that you can explore.
In this article, we intend to share some of the best web scrapers that you can use instead of Phantombuster.
But first, let’s discuss why you should opt for Phantombuster alternatives.
Best Phantombuster Alternatives 2023
As mentioned above, there are many substitutes for Phantombuster in the market. Some of them even come with better features than Phantombuster.
However, it is pertinent to mention that they are not perfect either and have their own caveats.
In the end, it all comes down to your project needs and your personal preferences.
- Bright Data – 🏆 Winner!
- Apify
- ScrapingBee
- Octoparse
1. Bright Data
Bright Data is the leadoff hitter on our list of the best Phantombuster alternatives.
Formerly known as Luminati Networks, Bright Data is one of the fastest-growing web scraping tools in the market, and thousands of companies have used it to their advantage.
Whether you are looking for a powerful data extraction tool or a proxy solution, Bright Data can help you out. It is a one-stop solution for all your business needs.
As a matter of fact, it started the business as a proxy manager and provided web scraping services later on.
However, that does not mean that it is any less competent.
While its web scraper allows you to extract thousands of web pages in a flash, its proxy solutions enable you to hide your IP address and fend off cyber attackers.
Its proxies have also shown great results when it comes to speeding up the internet connection.
Are your days filled with strenuous tasks, like carrying out market research manually and collecting data from different websites? Then it’s time to work smarter!
Bright Data comes with its IP addresses so that you can conceal yours.
You can use Bright Data to change your perceived location, and it comes in handy when you want to access geo-restricted content that may not be otherwise available in your area.
The proxies at Bright Data are helpful for market research as well since you can change your location and access the information of any other region seamlessly.
What’s even better? It comes with a real-time network performance dashboard, which is quite easy to use.
Talking about the pricing at Bright Data, it is a bit expensive.
It is only recommended for scraping experts looking for an all-around solution for proxy and scraper.
2. Apify
If you are looking for an inexpensive web scraper to nail market research, then look no further! Apify is a solution for all your scraping needs.
Whether you want to scrape an online store or a web page, Apify is up for the task.
Apify comes fully equipped with all the features you need to extract the information you care about.
It uses industry-leading technology to avoid website blocks.
If you have ever tried scraping a website and got blocked, you’d know how annoying it could be.
Fortunately, that won’t be the case while using Apify, as you will be able to access every website smoothly.
Using Apify is quite simple! All you need to do is pick an appropriate tool for your scraping project, click “Run,” and you will soon have the valuable data.
It then delivers the data in multiple formats, such as CSV, HTML, and a few others. Now coming to its pricing, Apify has kept the prices reasonable.
As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons why Apify is so popular is that its plans are surprisingly affordable.
Like most web scraping tools, Apify also offers a free version, which is a great way to learn scraping.
If you are working on a small project and want to scrape a few pages only, the free version can help you with that.
However, if you are going to establish a business and conduct thorough market research, Apify offers three premium plans as well.
No matter how big or small your scraping project is, the personal, team, and enterprise plans have got you covered.
The personal plan is sold at $49, and the team plan is available for $499 per month.
With a personal plan, you get $49 platform credits, 30 shared data center proxies, 32 GB max actor RAM, and it can retain data for 14 days.
On the other hand, the team plan takes it a step further.
It offers $499 platform credits, 100 shared data center proxies, 128 GB max actor RAM, and data retention for three weeks.
And yes, while the personal plan provides you customer support via Email, the team plan offers exceptional customer care via dedicated customer chat.
This means that you can rest assured that all your problems will be addressed quickly. All these features make Apify an excellent Phantombuster alternative.
3. ScrapingBee
Moving on with our list of the best Phantombuster alternatives, we have Scrapingbee.
With dozens of cool features, ScrapingBee is surely one of the big players in the scrapers industry.
The company has millions of happy users all over the world and has built a sound reputation over the years.
The best thing about Scrapingbee is that it takes care of all the CAPTCHAs and headless browsers, so you do not have to.
Any scraping expert would tell you how annoying these CAPTHAs and headless browsers are.
Not only does it deal with them, but it also rotates proxies to streamline your scraping project.
One thing to bear in mind before using Scrapingbee is that it is not code-free. Expectedly then, you have to have the coding knowledge to operate it.
If you are a non-coder, Scrapingbee is not meant for you as it does not have those ready-made tools to automate scraping.
However, the good news for you is that it allows you to program in multiple languages.
It even offers already written samples for different codes, including Java, Python, and a few others.
This has helped many coders by saving their time. If you have coding knowledge, you can’t go wrong with Scrapingbee.
As far as the pricing is concerned, Scrapingbee also offers multiple plans like most scrapers on our list.
It offers a freelance plan, which is priced at $49, the startup plan is sold at $99, and the premium business plan costs $249.
Like Apify, the more expensive the plan is, the more features you get.
4. Octoparse
Octoparse is the last Phantombuster alternative on our list. Whether it is its intuitive interface or innovative features, there are many reasons that have made it a go-to option for many scraping experts.
The online market nowadays is very saturated, regardless of the niche. So, it becomes even harder to find instant success.
The market research about pricing, product details, and consumer trends (their likings and dislikings) has to be spot on!
With the best Phantombuster alternative at your disposal, you get all the information efficiently.
This is why Octoparse is an intelligent investment. It hits the nail on the head by providing you with the valuable information you need to beat your competitors.
It automates your market research so you can allocate your time for other important things.
With Octoparse, you would no longer need to hire people to conduct market research manually.
There are many reasons why you should invest in Octoparse, but the primary reason that stands out the most is that its interface is user-friendly.
You do not have to be an advanced programmer to use it.
The interface becomes even more important if you are just getting started with your first scraping project.
Thankfully, using Octoparse is pretty simple, and it won’t leave you scratching your head even if you are using it for the first time.
Octoparse also offers documentation and educational content to train its users. It makes sure that first-timers do not struggle to understand its features.
As if it was not enough, it also offers great customer care service, and your questions won’t go unanswered.
Ease of use tops the list of agenda at Octoparse. It saves your time by providing you with already-made templates, such as Amazon.
Seriously, scraping websites and web pages was never this easy.
While Octoparse is next to easy to use, it does not mean that it is any less efficient.
It is capable of quickly extracting information even from complicated and laggy websites.
It gives you all the freedom, and you can scrape as many websites as you want without getting blocked.
Why Use Phantombuster Alternatives?
No doubt, Phantombuster is an efficient web scraper. But that does not mean that it does not have any shortcomings.
Like most sophisticated and complex web scrapers, Phantombuster also lacks in some areas.
Not Easy to Use
The first reason why you should consider investing in a Phantombuster alternative is that it is not easy to use.
Especially if you are a non-techy, its interface and phantoms may leave you in a lurch.
From the surface, you may think that it’s code-free and hence, easy to use. However, that’s not the case.
As it turns out, operating Phantombuster is not a straightforward affair, and you do require some knowledge to scrape websites using this tool.
In order for you to get familiar with it, you will have to use it for a while.
To worsen the situation, the educational content is not up to the mark either, and you would have to understand everything on your own.
Expensive
Another reason why you should opt for a substitute for Phantombuster is that it’s relatively expensive.
Yes, it does offer a free version, but that version is of no use if you need to extract large datasets.
You cannot use it for more than ten minutes a day, and you only get one phantom slot.
Phantombuster offers its premium plan at $70. However, that does not offer value for money either, as it gives you only three hours of use a day with ten phantom slots.
When you put it in comparison with other scraping tools, you would realize that it is a bit pricey. If you are low on budget, you may want to look elsewhere.
Poor Customer Care Service
If you are using a scraper for the first time, you may want to ask lots of questions.
Of course, many users have no knowledge when using it for the first time. So, customer care of your tool should be responsive.
Talking about Phantombuster, many users have complained that the customer service takes forever to get back to them.
Some even reported that even the team at customer care wasn’t helpful and failed to address their problems.
How to Choose The Best Phantombuster Alternative?
If you have researched web scrapers, you would know that there are hundreds of them!
While it is a good thing that you can compare their features and pricing to choose the right one, it also means that you may be overwhelmed with countless options.
Therefore, it is important to keep a few things in mind when choosing a Phantombuster alternative, so you do not end up wasting your money.
Performance
Business owners need to scrape hundreds of web pages to stay ahead of their competition.
So, it is important to choose a powerful web scraper, so it does not take hours to extract data.
All tools on our list are efficient, and you will not have to compromise on their performance.
Whether you want to collect data from a single web page or an entire website, they are powerful enough to scrape in a matter of a few minutes.
Price
Price is another important factor to consider while purchasing a web scraping tool.
Most scrapers offer a free trial, but they won’t be helpful if you throw large datasets at them.
So, you may want to purchase a subscription for a better experience.
It is a good rule of thumb to compare the plans of web scrapers before buying one. This way, you’d be able to get the best deal.
Ease of Use
You won’t be able to use a web scraper properly if it has a complicated interface.
Moreover, if your web scraper has too many features, the chances are that you may find it difficult to use.
So, it is a good idea to use a free version before investing in a subscription to know whether a scraper is easy to operate or not.
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Written by Jason Wise
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