Best Web Scrapers
There are several reasons why you can benefit from the best web scraping tools that are available.
We’re in an era of business where data collection tools can be extremely helpful, but many people struggle to find what works best.
There isn’t an answer that offers a one size fits all solution, so it’s always best to test out a few different options.
After a little time, you’ll be able to narrow the web scraping services to your personal favorite.
In this article, you’ll get a breakdown of the best web scraping tools that you can use to gather the specific information you’re looking for.
Best Web Scraping Tools in 2023
Data Scraping Features
- Extract data points from web pages
- Customize scrape settings to target specific information
- Automate the web scraping process
- Time-efficient approach to collecting data
- Built-in tools for further customization
- Save data in various formats that are easy to sort and digest
1. Phantombuster
Features & Specifications
- 14-day free trial
- Resources for use cases and integrations
- Multiple pricing tiers
- Options for automation
- Simple and easy to use
Although Phantombuster offers numerous scraping tools to choose from, their web scraper offers a more universal approach.
The internet is a vast place with a neverending amount of information.
Their tools are also very easy to use, as they handle most of the work.
All you have to do is tell it where to look.
You start by entering the URLs of the web pages you want to scrape and paste them into the Phantombuster tool.
If you have a longer list of websites, Phantombuster allows you to upload a Google Sheets spreadsheet containing a list of URLs.
It’s important to note that this file needs to be made public so Phantombuster can read it without error.
Based on the type of data you’re looking for, Phantombuster gives you the option to narrow it down.
For example, you can specifically collect social media or contact information if that’s what you want.
Of course, you aren’t limited to these parameters alone.
Examples of information you can collect include
- Email addresses
- Social media accounts
- Phone numbers
- And more
There are also parameters you can set to optimize the efficiency of Phantombuster’s web scraper tool.
This helps guarantee the fastest processing times while still getting the information you want from each website you provide.
New users won’t have to stress about a learning curve as Phantombuster offers detailed tutorials, tips, and tricks to walk you through how their tools work.
Make sure to utilize their 14-day free trial before making a financial commitment.
Once you’re ready to sign up for a subscription, they’re offered at $59, $139, and $399 for monthly billing.
You can also save 20% by opting in for an annual billing cycle.
2. Oxylabs
Features & Specifications
- Three pricing tiers
- Web scraper API
- 24/7 customer support
- 5 to 30 data request limits
- 99.9% uptime
Whether you’re looking for simple or more complex data, Oxylabs’ web scraper API can handle it all.
One aspect that makes their services unique is that users only pay for results that are delivered successfully.
Through country-specific targeting, users can easily get through geo-restrictions and don’t need to manually hassle with VPNs or different proxies to do it.
The infrastructure behind the web scraper API offers maintenance-free usability and is easy to use.
Users don’t need to have any hands-on experience with development or using other scraper tools.
Another detail about this tool is that it’s built with JavaScript rendering, which is great for more complex websites.
It also comes with an auto-retry system that’s great for working on scraping attempts that failed.
It’s advisable to utilize the scheduling feature, as this can help you set up recurring scraping tasks to help cover ground more efficiently.
Users can take advantage of 24/7 customer support, in addition to helpful features like bulk scraping, numerous delivery methods, and proxy management.
Oxylabs promotes its web scraping tool for website monitoring, market research, general business purposes, and even monitoring changing travel fares.
The web scraper API is very adaptable, giving users a level of customization that isn’t found with many other tools.
With the benefit of simple integration, customizability, and the ability to handle numerous requests all at once, Oxylabs is a go-to choice for many people.
If you’d like to give them a test run, make sure to work through their seven-day free trial period first.
After that, you have three different subscription tiers you can choose from with a variety of incentives.
3. Bright Data
Features & Specifications
- Free trial available
- Pre-built scraping functions
- Built-in proxies
- Browser scripting in Javascript
- Auto-retry mechanism
If you’re looking for simplicity, Bright Data is a good way to go regarding its pre-built scraping functionalities.
With the help of ready-made JavaScript functions, custom web scrapers can be built with the intention of scalability and efficacy.
A few standout features of this tool include:
- Interactive previews
- Built-in debug tools
- Web scraper templates
- Browser scripting
The auto-scaling infrastructure is extremely helpful as it’ll allow you to garner as much information as possible with the utmost efficiency.
Regarding the cost, Bright Data is unique as it works with a pay-as-you-go model.
You also won’t encounter any setup fees, and you can get discounts based on how you prefer to be billed.
There are also multiple delivery integrations included, including a dataset request service, including data validation.
Not only can you scrape the web for information, but you can avoid wasting time by only generating the most important and specific details.
Users aren’t limited to specific use cases, as the web scraper API can be adapted to eCommerce needs, as well as real estate, business, social media, and more.
Bright Data also suggests more specific use cases for this tool, like researching product trends, brand information, and consumer demands.
It’s important to note that Bright Data complies with data protection laws, and the web scraper API shouldn’t be used for any malicious purposes.
For those who are still new to how web scrapers work, don’t hesitate to use their pre-built scrapers.
Some of these are built specifically for Amazon, Alibaba, AngelList, Autotrader, and many others.
4. ScraperAPI
Features & Specifications
- Multiple coding languages to utilize
- Pricing for individuals and enterprises
- Heavily customizable
- Extensive educational resources available
- Free plan available
By using ScraperAPI, you can utilize multiple browsers and bypass CAPTCHAs, and navigate proxies as well.
They make it easy to get started, and you don’t have to put down credit card information to start using their services.
Multiple programming languages are available to build a variety of customized approaches.
ScraperAPI also utilizes 40 million different IP addresses, in addition to 50+ geolocations. Users get the benefit of unlimited bandwidth and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
They’ve also incorporated anti-bot detection and bypassing capabilities built into the API.
No matter the number of requests, none of them will ever be blocked.
Fast and reliable performance is a core part of what ScraperAPI is known for.
This is partly because the tool removes slow proxies from its pool automatically.
You won’t have to worry about the potential for scalability, whether it’s 100 pages or upwards of 100 million web pages on a monthly basis.
ScraperAPI is an excellent solution for those who appreciate scalable and customizable web scraping tools.
The company caters to developers; you can easily enable JS rendering, IP geolocation, residential proxies, and much more.
They also offer an intuitive and easy-to-use dashboard that allows developers to manage API keys and monitor usage over time.
Just because ScraperAPI aims toward developers, they offer plenty of educational material to help new users learn.
They offer all of the documentation you might need to get started on your own.
Although coding experience may be helpful, it isn’t required to use ScraperAPI by any means.
Pricing for their services ranges from $49 to $999 per month, based on your needs.
If their pre-made plans don’t offer enough, you can inquire about a custom subscription.
5. Apify
Features & Specifications
- Multiple web scraping products
- Free subscription plan
- 10% off annual subscriptions
- Documentation for new users
- Universal web scraping tools
Easily extract structured data from any webpage with the help of Apify’s web scraping boilerplates.
The company offers multiple web scraping tools that are structured to tackle specific bits of online information.
You can use some or all of these tools at your discretion, and any limits imposed are based on the subscription tier you choose.
Some of their scraper tools focus on the following benefits:
- Recursive crawling
- Website logins
- Scraping web pages
- Handling Chromium browsers
The main point behind their services is to help streamline development by utilizing their premade boilerplates.
With just a little bit of coding, you can easily scrape data from any webpage, regardless of the challenges you might face along the way.
What’s great about web scraping boilerplates is that they’re able to handle many different types of websites.
They can also handle concurrency for maximum performance automatically, and they don’t come at any additional cost to your subscription.
Apify offers a blend of customizable and automated features, and the company’s tools are built to handle small to large-scale data extraction processes.
Their free plan offers 25 concurrent runs, and their business plan handles up to 256 concurrent runs.
Apify is great as it offers complex features with simplified usability.
6. Octoparse
Features & Specifications
- Scrape data for different industry use cases
- Point-and-click data scraping tool
- Free trial available
- Free plan available
- Up to 250 tasks per month
Although many other web scraping software tools focus on development and customization, Octoparse wants to make things easy by offering tools that require no coding experience.
You can easily create structured data from web pages, and all it takes is a few clicks.
This is possible through an easy-to-use interface that only requires several clicks to get started.
They also utilize machine learning algorithms to locate data accurately.
Octoparse can bypass the following to scrape data:
- Login requests
- Fill in forms
- Input search terms
- Switch drop-downs
- And more
Data extraction processing times are highly efficient thanks to Octoparses’ cloud extraction capabilities.
Since all of the extracted data is stored in the cloud, users can access it from any device.
Their cloud service is also supported by hundreds of cloud servers, and each of them comes with its own unique IP address.
For those looking to make the most use of their time, Octoparse provides scheduling features to help streamline the data extraction process.
You won’t have to worry about being traced or blocked, as automatic IP rotation keeps your tracks covered at all times.
Scheduling can be extremely customized, whether you want tasks greatly spread out or merely in intervals of 60 seconds each.
Users can export data to their own database through Excel or API, and automatic integrations can automate this process for you.
For individuals who need help with much larger operations, Octoparse offers professional data scraping services that exceed what their subscriptions have to offer.
Nevertheless, their pricing structure is pretty simple.
You can choose between either an $89 or $249 monthly plan, contact sales for larger enterprise solutions, or simply stick with their free plan for small-scale operations.
7. ScrapingBee
Features & Specifications
- No-code and customized web scraping features
- Proxies available
- Free trial available
- Multiple integrations
- Code samples available
ScrapingBee offers the best of both worlds as they have no code and code samples available.
The no-code integration feature allows you to integrate ScrapingBee with many common tools.
Some of these include Google Sheets, emails, Webhook data delivery, and more.
There are over 1,000 integrations you can work with.
You’ll also benefit from a decent pool of proxies, which efficiently help you bypass anti-scraping tools, IP blocks, and geo-restrictions.
The tools utilize headless browsers to extract data, whether it’s from single pages or complex and dynamic websites.
Captchas are extremely common nowadays, but ScrapingBee doesn’t have any issue getting through them.
With a built-in Captcha-solving feature, you can guarantee that any type of Captcha can be bypassed.
It’s extremely scalable, allowing users to extract data from hundreds of websites without limitation.
For those who are looking to take a more customized route with coding, ScrapingBee offers detailed documentation and all the help you might need.
Although this tool is meant to help you automate data collection, you can monitor its progress every step of the way.
If you aren’t sure if ScrapingBee is right for you, make sure to get started by making use of the free trial.
They offer four different pricing tiers for their subscriptions, which range from $49 to $599+ per month.
You can also request additional credits by contacting customer service if the premade tiers don’t necessarily fit your needs.
8. Mozenda
Features & Specifications
- Point and click interface
- Auto IP rotation
- Customizable scrapers
- Scheduling features
- Unlimited data storage
Offering a wide range of data collection solutions, Mozenda is more than capable of handling your web scraping needs.
With an easy-to-use point-and-click interface, their services don’t come with any kind of steep learning curve.
Many of their users are big fans of the customizable scrapers, and automatic IP rotation helps keep you covered from being traced or blocked from websites.
You can also set scheduling parameters so the tool only runs at certain times.
This can be customized on a daily basis, all the way down to each hour.
Scraped data is provided in real-time, so you won’t have to wait for a full report to be finished.
It doesn’t matter how big your operation is either, as Mozenda provides unlimited data storage.
Users have multiple export options to choose from, allowing you to organize your data how you please.
The company offers a generous free trial that lasts a month, giving users plenty of time to discern if they want to commit to a subscription.
What makes their subscriptions unique is they let you somewhat build your own pricing structure based on your needs.
Other notable features Mozenda provides include:
- Multiple data sources
- Automatic data extraction
- Dynamic page handling
- Multi-user access
They’re a diverse solution when it comes to web scraping.
For individuals who appreciate the custom approach, Mozenda is definitely worth looking into.
9. Diffbot
Features & Specifications
- Automatic data extraction
- Identifies multiple data points
- Large-scale extraction capabilities
- Data analysis tools
- Leverages natural language processing
From a manual to an automated approach, Diffbot brings something unique to the table.
Although the user is always in control, Diffbot also has machine learning capabilities which can lead to higher-quality data.
The automatic data extraction feature makes it easy to scrape web pages and even structures the data for you.
Another aspect of the service that stands out is that it comes with data enrichment which helps to identify specific data points when scraping web pages.
You can either let Diffbot handle all the work for you or focus on customizing extraction parameters.
Easily create custom extraction templates that focus on areas the automated process may not pick up on.
Data delivery is made simple by providing the data in structured formats such as CSV, Excel, JSON, and more.
By taking advantage of the data analysis tools, you can ensure the data you collect is filtered and only includes the exact data points you need.
The company offers new users a two-week free trial. However, they’re likely to be one of the most expensive options on the market.
The starting subscription costs $299 per month and moves up to $899 per month from there.
There’s also a custom option for enterprises that need a custom subscription plan.
10. ParseHub
Features & Specifications
- Free plan available with limited features
- Offers a 14-day money-back guarantee
- Built-in machine learning algorithm
- Desktop application available
- Detailed documentation and tutorials
Most web scrapers are stacked with paid subscriptions and limited free trials, but Parsehub offers a permanently free plan.
For those looking for quick and effective solutions, this company might be worth a look.
Of course, the free plan comes with a few limitations, but it’s still suitable enough for small-scale operations.
Here’s how to get started with Parsehub:
- Open up a website in the desktop app
- Start scraping specific data points
- Download results in numerous file formats
Easily integrate data collection with other tools like Slack, Zapier, and more.
Users can also go after multiple data types, such as general text, URLs, HTML code, and images.
Parsehub also supports Python, JavaScript, and REST API for custom integrations which are perfect for savvy developers.
If you’re looking for a little more power, don’t hesitate to consider one of their paid subscriptions.
One option goes for $189, and a step-up will cost you $599.
If you choose to go for quarterly billing, you can save 15% on your subscription.
If their pre-made subscriptions don’t have everything you need, you can contact support, and they’ll put together a custom plan for you.
FAQs
What is web scraping?
Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites using automated software tools.
This can include extracting text, images, videos, and other types of content from websites.
Why do people use web scraping tools?
There are many reasons why people use web scraping tools.
Some common use cases include market research, lead generation, content aggregation, and data analysis.
Is web scraping legal?
The legality of web scraping can vary depending on the specific use case and the website being scraped.
In general, it is legal to scrape publicly available data from websites, but it is important to be aware of any terms of service or other restrictions that may apply.
What are some best practices for web scraping?
When web scraping, it is important to be respectful of websites and to follow best practices to avoid being blocked or causing damage.
Some best practices include using a user agent string, limiting the rate of requests, and avoiding scraping sensitive or personal data.
Conclusion
There is a long list of web scraping tools on the internet, but very few actually meet the output requirements of today’s users.
The tools found in this list have everything you could possibly want and much more on top of that.
Utilizing the free trials, these companies offer is the best way to find out which one fits you the best.
Overall, this article has the best web scraping services and tools you can find in 2023, each stacked with features that are all geared toward data collection.
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Written by Jason Wise
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