For those who are going to extract information from websites, web scraping tools will be indispensable helpers. This technique is developed for the large-scale extraction of information from websites. However, with the huge variety of scraping tools and services available, it can be difficult to choose a program just right for your needs.
To help you with your choice, this article takes a look at the different web scraping tools available and how to choose them.
Application Programming Interface (API) is an interface that allows apps to communicate and work with each other. It is like the link between your device and whatever is delivered to it at your request. This is usually done to develop other applications that use the same data.
API is one of the most common tools for collecting data using web scraping. It helps in obtaining valuable and structured data without having to research and collect information on your own.
One example is the Ahrefs data extraction API. The site has a complex algorithm and data collection model that provides all the information about keywords, their volume, traffic to sites, and so on. Here, the scraping API makes the process of extracting information from Ahrefs quick and easy, as users can get SEO-related information collected by Ahrefs simply by typing a keyword into the search bar.
Application programming interfaces consist of rules that create structure, impose restrictions on users, control retrieved types of data, frequency of requests, and which sources are open for collection. An API is like an individual website or application communication protocol with specific rules to follow.
There are a number of variables to consider when choosing a data scraping technology. Each person has different requirements, and there are a number of different tools for them. For example, serious data enthusiasts want tools that can do both basic and advanced tasks. Here are the factors by which a web scraping tool should be evaluated first:
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Scrape-it.Cloud is a web scraping API with proxy rotation and advanced web scraping services. The information-gathering process is legal and won’t create problems with site policies and rules. Scrape-it.Cloud is used in three steps: target link selection, sending a POST request and getting data in JSON format.
Professionals and programmers who need the data. Support assists in creating custom scripts and projects for the Web scraping API.
Rates start at $30 per month.
ScraperAPI is an easily integrated tool for developers building web scrapers. It works with proxies, browsers, and CAPTCHA so developers can get raw HTML from any site with an API call.
Individuals, small and medium-sized businesses.
1,000 free API calls, then the rate starts at $29 per month.
ParseHub is a free web scraping tool that comes as a downloadable desktop application. The data is available through JSON, Excel, and APIs and is stored on ParseHub servers.
Anyone can use it: executives, data analysts, software developers, business analysts, and so on.
The free plan is available, the standard plan starts at $149 per month.
Octoparse is a web scraping tool for all types of websites. The tool has a target audience similar to ParseHub and is aimed at people who want to collect data without coding knowledge while controlling the entire process.
Everyone who can and can’t code and who needs data.
Has a free plan and a trial version for a paid subscription, with rates starting at $75 per month.
Scrapy is a free, open-source web scraping platform for data extraction using APIs or as a general-purpose web scraper. It is written in Python, is easily extensible and portable, and supports Windows, Linux, Mac, and BSD.
Targeted to developers and technical companies with knowledge of Python.
Completely free.
Diffbot is a web scraping tool that provides extracted data from web pages. This tool allows you to automatically detect pages using the Analyze API and extract articles, videos, tables, images, and more. Diffbot uses computer vision instead of HTML parsing to determine relevant information, so if the HTML structure of the page changes, your scraper won’t break.
An enterprise-level solution for developers and tech companies with specific data retrieval needs.
A 14-day free trial then plans start at $299 per month.
ScrapingBee is a web scraping API that allows you to collect data from websites without blocking them. It displays the web page as a real browser with the management of thousands of headless instances, using the latest Chrome version.
Suitable for developers and tech companies who would like to do their own web scraping without using proxy servers or headless browsers.
Price plans start at $49/m.
Import.io offers web data scraping, integration, and analytics services in industries such as retail, finance and insurance, machine learning, risk management, product, strategy and sales, journalism, and research.
Anyone who needs to collect data can use it.
Price by application through the consultation appointment.
Webz is a web machine data provider that converts vast amounts of web data from the web into structured information streams ready for consumption by machines.
It is used by enterprises, developers and analysts.
Free trial period. Further price on request.
Bright Data is an open-source web scraper for data extraction. It is known for its quality, variety of features, and powerful tools for developers. The tool enables companies to collect critical unstructured and structured data from millions of websites using its proprietary technology.
Developers and enterprises.
It depends on whether you need data collection or a proxy solution.
Grepsr is an optimized data extraction platform without learning or configuring complex software tools. It helps you collect data, normalize it, and put it into your system.
Used by freelancers; small, medium, and large enterprises.
You can sign up for a free, starter plan from $129/site for 50k entries.
Web scraper is a free Google Chrome browser extension to extract web data from any public website using HTML and CSS and export the data to CSV, Excel and Google Sheets files.
Anyone who wants to collect data.
Free as a browser extension, then rates start at $50 per month.
API scraping has many features, including automation, secure communication, interoperability, and convenience. And it can be of great benefit to enterprises, enabling them to make critical decisions and improve their competitiveness.
I hope we’ve successfully introduced you to the benefits of web scraping APIs and helped you decide on the right tool to get the most out of it.
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