Whether browser-based or cloud-based, web scraping tools can be useful for everyone, from small businesses to large organizations. Because of this, many AI scraping tools have been developed for various uses, including sales prospecting, recruiting candidates, gathering research data, and influencer marketing.
If you’re new to the whole AI web scraping game, it can be a pain to find the perfect one that fulfills your requirements. Cloud? Browser? API? Technical jargon like this can send your head spinning.
In this article, we’ll clear up your confusion about AI data scraping tools. We’ll also provide a long list of the best web scraping tools available, explaining the pros and cons of each.
What is AI Scraping?
AI web scraping is an automated process of extracting data from websites using AI-based methods and tools.
Unlike traditional web scraping, which relies on pre-defined selectors that isolate the data you want to extract, web scraping AI uses artificial intelligence algorithms capable of self-adjusting to handle dynamic websites. This approach addresses the limitations associated with manual or purely nocode-based scraping techniques.
Using an artificial intelligence web scraping tool is much more effective. AI scraping tools are designed to navigate through web pages, identify and extract data, and adapt to changes in website layouts without human intervention.
Key Features of AI Web Scraping
Want to know what AI web scrapers do? You can use an AI data scraper tool to gain the following benefits:
- Automatic Data Extraction: AI web scraper tools automatically collect web data with just a few clicks from you, eliminating the need for extensive manual input.
- Adaptable to Dynamic Websites: A webscraping AI tool is ideal for modern sites because it can adjust to changes in website structures, ensuring consistent data collection.
- Can Handle Diverse Data Types: These tools are capable of extracting various types of data, including text, images, and videos. For instance, you can use price scraping tools to gather data on product costs and perform market research.
- Efficient Data Storage: You can then perform a data export to store collected information in multiple formats, such as JSON, Excel, and CSV. This improves access and analysis when performing data extraction tasks.
The global AI web scraping market is expected to reach US$ 3,295.0 million by 2033, according to Future Market Insights. This growth shows just how popular AI web scrapers are and how companies continue to rely on their powers of automation to increase operational efficiency.
What are the Different Types of Website Scrapers?
There’s no one-size-fits-all web scraper. AI is the way to go if you want to improve your efficiency, but what might work for one user may not work for you (and vice versa).
If you want to find an AI website scraper that meets your needs, you must understand the following three categories of AI scraper tools:
- Browser-Based: You can use AI to scrape website pages directly from your browser. These web scrapers operate from browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. Browser-based web scrapers run locally, which means your data stays with you for better data privacy, However, they operate from your local IP address and residential proxies, so they are better suited to non-intensive scraper operations. These tools also typically have the most user-friendly UI.
- Cloud-Based: These scrapers operate from a separate cloud server, securing your local IP from getting blocked through IP rotation. They’re usually more expensive but provide a good option if you require high-volume scraping operations. Cloud-based web scraper AI tools are also available as downloadable local apps on your desktop.
- Hybrid: If you can’t decide between browser or cloud-based web scraping tools, why not go for a hybrid scraper? These offer varied scraping features and are often considered the best screen scraping tools for flexibility.
The best web scraping tool is typically browser-based. They are easier to use and more powerful, especially when scraping data is only part of your workflow. You can create your own browser-based scraping extension if you know how to code, but it’s much easier to just use Bardeen for free!
The 8 Best Web Scraping Tools Available to You
We’ll now take you through eight of the best tools for scraping websites and compare multiple AI web scrapers to find out which is best. The table below gives a brief overview before we delve into each visual web ripper in more detail.
1. Bardeen.ai
Update for 2024: Bardeen's AI Browser Agents extract information the same way a human would - all you have to do is ask in natural language. Check it out now!
Bardeen.ai is the best web scraping software out there. With Bardeen, you can retrieve the structured data you want and then send it to various web apps and integrations automatically without adding code.
Here are a few examples of what you can do with Bardeen:
Web scrapers like Bardeen collect data from the web, enabling you to performt asks like gathering information on product listings from Amazon, Instagram followers, job postings from LinkedIn, and other data.
Most AI web scraping tools are designed solely to scrape data. This is where Bardeen stands out from the rest. With Bardeen, you can connect the scraped data with different automations. Plus, you can link to third-party apps like Zillow and LinkedIn.
The Bardeen scraper tool is capable of more than performing simple web scraping tasks. Its pagination, deep scraping, automation, and click actions features let you enrich data from a list of links, create your own scraper templates, and send data to integrated apps.
Here’s a demo of Bardeen in action:
Key Features:
- Pre-designed automation templates for common workflows.
- Browser-based scraping for Google Chrome.
- Easily integrates with multiple apps and platforms, such as Notion, Google Sheets, Airtable, Slack, and LinkedIn.
- Extract data from popular sites without much work.
- Simple to install and use, even for non-technical users.
Pricing: Free version; Premium plans from $10 a month.
Pros
- Can automate data scraping process.
- Integrates with many popular apps.
- Free to get started.
Cons
- Only available in Chrome.
Interested? Download Bardeen for free on Chrome.
Alternatively, explore more ready-to-use cloud-based website data scrapers and instant website data scrapers if you’re not quite ready to make a decision yet.
2. Webscraper.io
Do you have experience with web development or coding? If yes, you’ll like Webscraper.io. It’s one of the best website scraping software out there. Once installed, it becomes a module in the Developer Tools menu. When you click on the extension icon, you’ll be shown this:
As you might expect, once you open this free AI web scraper in Developer Tools, the overall design is very cut-and-dry. Its point-and-click interface can be a plus point for some users. You can create or import a sitemap to scrape AI data from any website.
After specifying a name and a URL, you can add selectors to extract data. It supports text, links, images, and many more data types and will create a comprehensive web scraping library for you if you choose to scrape multiple pages for data.
Keep in mind that this is a hybrid web scraper, so it can scrape a website both from your local IP or a server. This means that it’s flexible based on your needs. Are you just scraping a list of groups from Facebook? A browser-based scraper will do. Are you planning on scraping data from LinkedIn profiles? In that case, you’d better use the cloud version!
Besides having a scheduler and IP rotation like any other cloud scraper, Webscraper.io comes with many other options to simplify the process. For example, you can automatically export the scraped data to Dropbox, Google Sheets, or Amazon S3. You can also integrate this scraper into an API and manage it from there!
Of course, only the browser extension is free. If you want to access their servers, you’ll need to choose from their various packages. Webscraper.io plans range from $50 to $300 per month.
Webscraper.io might have a basic design and carry a learning curve for non-developers, but it’s really nifty over the long term. You can get it on Chrome and Firefox or check out the cloud version.
Key Features:
- Straightforward interface.
- Offers both browser and cloud-based scraping.
- Can extract data from dynamic websites.
- Export data through Dropbox, Google Sheets, or Amazon S3.
- Supports multiple formats,including CSV, XLSX, and JSON.
Pricing: Starts free; Premium plans from $50 a month.
Pros
- Available on both Chrome and Firefox.
- Offers both browser-based and cloud-based scraping.
- Capable of automatically exporting data to other platforms.
Cons
- Not suitable for beginners.
- Only free as a browser extension.
- Basic design.
3. Instant Data Scraper
Most of the webscrape AI tools we’ve talked about have powerful bonus features on top of just scraping. It can be powerful, but it also adds more complexity to the platform. If you only want to get the data from a web page, Instant Data Scraper is the way to go.
The tool is easy to use. Activate the scraper, and it’ll try to detect what you want to scrape. You can edit the scrape template if necessary. Available for both Chrome and Edge, it’s fully browser-based and allows you to download scraped data in XLV file format.
It’s completely free and only takes up less than a megabyte of space. However, this tool has limited functions, so it may not be the best tool to scrape website data with.
Key Features:
- Simple point-and-click interface.
- Offers browser-based scraping.
- Can extract data from sophisticated websites.
- Infinite scrolling and automated navigation.
- Data is exported in CSV and XLSX formats.
Pricing: Free browser extension.
Pros:
- Highly user-friendly
- Automatically detects what data you want to extract from a webpage
- Free and light-weight
Cons:
- Lacks advanced features
4. ParseHub
If you want a more dedicated and professional data scraping and list crawling app, then browser-based options don’t work for you. ParseHub might be the way to go. It has no browser extension, only desktop clients on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
When you open it on your computer, you’ll see a built-in browser from which you can do your AI web scraping operations.
Enter the URL of the website from which you want to extract data. After it loads, on the left side you’ll see various commands and settings. In the middle will be an interactive view of the website which you can click on to select elements. You can preview the selected data at the bottom in CSV or JSON format. Once set in place you can ‘Run’ the scraping operation on their server.
When the data has been scraped, you can also download it in CSV/Excel, JSON, or API or import it into Google Sheets or Tableau.
Operating exclusively from the cloud presents many benefits like IP rotation, scheduled collection, and more. Unfortunately, that extra functionality is reflected in the costs.
With the free plan, you get 200 pages per run and 5 public projects. You can opt for the Standard and Professional plans to increase that limit, costing $189 and $599, respectively. So, it’s definitely expensive but might be worth it based on your use case.
Key Features:
- Simplistic interface.
- Cloud-based scraping.
- Uses JavaScript and AJAX to extract data.
- Automatic IP rotation.
- Supports CSV and JSON formats.
Pricing: Starts free; Premium plans from $189 a month.
Pros:
- Built-in browser
- Multiple export options
- Thanks to cloud-based scraping, your IP address is kept secure
Cons:
- Expensive
5. Octoparse
If you want something similar to ParseHub but cheaper, you’ll like Octoparse. It doesn’t have any web extensions, only desktop clients on Windows and Mac, but you can simply visit the website you want to scrape data from in the built-in browser and get started.
Cloud-based web scraping tools have many benefits, like IP rotation and scheduling, but in some cases, it also makes sense to scrape locally. Since Octoparse is a hybrid scraper tool (it can operate both from your local IP and the cloud), you can choose to run the scraping operations from your computer itself too!
As your business grows and your requirement increases, you can also look into Octoparse’s professional data scraping service. For now, you can download the app to your computer via their website.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-use interface.
- Browser and cloud-based scraping.
- Compatible with AJAX, JavaScript, and website cookies.
- Can navigate site logins, CAPTCHAs, and pagination.
- Pre-designed templates for automated data extraction.
- Exports in CSV, XLSX, Google Sheets, XML, HTML, MySQL, SQL, and JSON formats.
Pricing: Starts free; Premium plans from $99 a month.
Pros:
- Capable of both local- and cloud-based scraping
- User-friendly UI
- Tutorial videos available to help you get started
Cons:
- Some users report slow customer support
6. Byteline
Do you want a web scraper with a higher focus on automations rather than just plain data? Byteline operates on ‘Flows’ where you can connect various web apps. These can be triggered by either an HTTP API, a scheduler, or an in-app update.
For data scraping, it allows you to pick elements with the Chrome extension, but they are scraped using their server. They also auto-rotate between residential servers to ensure the highest level of reliability.
Notice how a link had been copied when the elements were selected? You can paste that link into the console and configure the selection further. Once it’s done, you can export the data to Airtable, Google Sheets, or any other Byteline-integrated apps.
Love it already? Time to talk about pricing. With the free plan, you get 500 actions per month. If you want more, there are paid plans available ranging from $9 per month to over $749 per month based on your requirements.
Key Features:
- Cloud-based scraping.
- Integrations with Salesforce, Mailchimp, Google Calendar, and Slack.
- Automatic data structuring.
- Easy data synchronization between cloud apps.
- Supports CSV and JSON formats.
Pricing: Free trial; Premium plans from $99 a month.
Pros:
- Easy three-step process to scrape data
- Integrated with many well-known apps like Mailchimp and Webflow
- Offers helpful learning resources for beginners
Cons:
- Desktop client not available
7. Grepsr
If you’re new to this whole data web scraping thing and need a tool that can guide you through the process, you’ll love Grepsr! It works similarly to all the other web scraper tools we’ve looked at so far.
Go to the website you want to scrape data from and start clicking on elements. When you’re doing it for the first time, Grepsr will define the steps for you and make sure you understand the process.
Being a cloud-based scraper, you can save the data you’ve collected to storage platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and even FTP. Download scraper tools like this if you only want to set it up once and then automate it, as you can use the built-in scheduler and define an extraction timeline to get the most up-to-date data.
Unfortunately, this feature is only available with the Basic and Advanced plans. The Free plan is fairly generous by itself, but the Basic or Advanced plans are also available if you have a higher requirement.
Grepsr also saves your scraped data to its own servers. With the Free plan, your data is saved for 30 days, and that goes up to 60 and 90 days for the two paid plans. Similar to other cloud-based web scraping tools, they also offer a personalized data service, for both data acquisition and integration with third-party platforms.
All in all, Grepsr is a good cloud-based web scraping tool. It’s beginner-friendly but also has the high-tech features we’ve come to expect.
Key Features:
- Handles complex sites and web pages.
- Cloud-based web scraper.
- Automatic data processing.
- IP rotation and auto throttling.
- Supports CSV, Parquet, XML, and JSON formats.
Pricing: Free trial; Premium plans from $350.
Pros:
- Ideal option for beginners
- Built-in scheduler to automate data extraction
- Also offers a personalized data collection service
Cons:
- Some users report occasional crashes and buggy UI
8. ScrapeStorm
ScrapeStorm is an AI web scraping tool with a visual, no-code interface. It uses AI to identify lists, tables, and pagination buttons automatically.
You also get advanced features like an in-built scheduler, IP Rotation, and Automatic Export. ScrapeStorm supports data export to the cloud or a local file in formats like CSV, HTML, MySQL, MongoDB, WordPress, and Google Sheets. It is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Now, about pricing. There’s a free plan available, but it’s limited to 100 rows of export per day. If you have a higher requirement, you can choose between plans ranging from $49 to $199 per month. For those enthusiastic about using AI in web scraping operations, ScrapeStorm is an exciting tool.
Key Features:
- Simple interface.
- Cloud-based tool.
- Complex web scraping.
- Supports CSV, XLSX, Google Sheets, Txt, and HTML formats.
Pricing: Starts free; Premium plans from $49 a month.
Pros:
- User-friendly visual scraper
- Supports multiple types of data export formats
- Built-in scheduler
Cons:
- Free plan limited to 100 rows export per day
Get Started with Bardeen: The Best Web Scraper For Browsers
Web scrapers are more popular now than ever before. But it’s important not to get carried away by the hype. Instead, choose the scraper tool that best fits your desired purposes.
Bardeen is undoubtedly the best web scraper. Although it’s just for Chrome users, it has a wide range of integrations, and you can do a lot with the free plan. Here are some examples of how Bardeen can help you:
- Data analysts and researchers save valuable time collecting information from ecommerce sites, property listings, and stock prices.
- Digital marketers and product managers can improve their campaign performance by gathering data from competitor websites and social media influencers. They can also analyze business directories for potential leads.
- Freelancers and consultants can automate repetitive tasks like collecting data for client billing, scraping job boards, and tracking payments.
Download Bardeen today or book a demo to see for yourself how you can benefit from Bardeen.
What can you use scrapers for?
Web scrapers can often be hard to wrap your head around. They can scrape data from the web, which brings to mind some obvious use cases, like product listings from Amazon, followers from Instagram, or job postings from LinkedIn. But, what else? Can they also be leveraged to save time in everyday life?
This is where Bardeen stands out from the rest. Whereas most of them are designed to scrape data and not much else. With Bardeen you can connect the scraped data with different automations. Plus, you can connect to third-party apps like Zillow and LinkedIn.
Here are some noteworthy pre-built automations.
As you might’ve picked up by now, browser-based scrapers are usually the best bet for most users since they are easier to get started and more powerful, especially when scraping data is only part of your workflow. if you know how to code or web development, you can create your own, but most people don't.
You’ve already got the hang of Bardeen, but there are also many other ones that are worth checking out for certain use cases. In this article, we’ve talked about eight of the best scraper extensions.
FAQs
Is it legal to scrape data from a website?
Some people may think that scraping data from websites is less than legal, but that’s not true. Web scrapers only retrieve public information that is readily available on the internet. You can use tools for web scraping to get any data that others have posted online.
How to scrape data from a website?
If you know how to code, you can scrape data from a website by writing your own code and creating a scraping tool. Alternatively, you can just download Bardeen for free and use it as a Chrome extension to collect the data you want.
What is the best Google scraping tool?
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to free web scraping tools. Pick the one that best suits your needs and intentions. For example, if you use Google Chrome as your browser, pick a browser-based extension like Bardeen. If you want to scrape data using different IPs, pick a cloud-based scraper tool.
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