10+ Best Paid & Free Web Scraping Tools

Some web scraping tools are completely free, great for beginners and small projects, while others are paid platforms designed for scalability, automation, and enterprise-grade reliability.

In this guide, we’ll cover 10+ of the best web scraping tools, categorized into:

1. Visual scrapers: no-code tools with point-and-click interfaces.
2. API-based solutions: for developers who want power without managing infrastructure.
3. Programmable libraries and frameworks: open-source options for those who prefer building custom scrapers.

Each tool is labeled as either free, paid, or a combination of free and paid plans, allowing you to find what fits your needs and budget quickly.

The best web scraping tools

Note: Sponsored providers are listed at the top of this table.

1. No-Code / Low-Code Visual Scrapers

1. Octoparse (Free + paid)

Octoparse is a UI-based scraping platform designed for non-technical users. It offers a free plan with certain feature limitations. The tool is capable of scraping dynamic web pages that utilize AJAX and JavaScript.

However, it cannot directly extract data from XML Sitemaps or PDF files, nor is it equipped to handle CAPTCHA automatically.

Pros of Octoparse:

• Features a visual point-and-click interface, which supports functionalities like looping, conditional logic, and pagination.
• Scrapes dynamic content from websites, including those with AJAX, JavaScript, and infinite scrolling.
• Cloud services are available, enabling scraping of large data volumes (pricing details available upon request).

Cons of Octoparse:

• Although a free version is available, advanced features such as access to more cloud servers and faster scraping speeds are only accessible with a paid subscription.
• Less adaptable to highly custom or obscure scraping scenarios compared to programmable solutions.
• It may not be the most suitable option for large-scale data extraction.

2. ParseHub (Free + paid plans)

ParseHub offers a point-and-click interface, similar to Octoparse. The platform supports Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems.

Pros of ParseHub:

• Can handle forms, logins, infinite scroll, and other dynamic elements.
• Provides a solid free plan suitable for personal or small-scale projects.

Cons of ParseHub:

• Requires downloading and installing a desktop client, which may not appeal to all users.
• The free tier has limitations on processing speed and the number of pages that can be processed per run.

3. Web Scraper (Chrome Extension) (Free)

Web Scraper is a no-code solution that runs entirely within the Chrome browser. It uses “sitemaps” to define how a site is navigated and what data is scraped, making it familiar for users who are comfortable with Chrome’s Developer Tools.

Pros of Web Scraper:

• Free to use.
• As a browser extension, it’s quick and easy to get started.

Cons of Web Scraper:

• Requires the browser to remain open during the scraping process, and your computer must stay on.
• Lacks built-in IP rotation and cloud features, limiting its usefulness for large-scale data extraction.

4. WebScraper.io (Free + paid plans)

WebScraper.io is a browser-based scraping tool that started as a Chrome extension and has since expanded into a cloud platform. It uses sitemaps to define how a website should be navigated and what data should be collected.

The free Chrome extension is ideal for small scraping tasks and quick experiments. For more demanding projects, the cloud version unlocks additional features, including automatic scheduling, data storage, team collaboration, and cloud-based execution.

Pros of WebScraper.io:

• Easy to start with a free Chrome extension.
• Familiar interface for Chrome Developer Tools users.

Cons of WebScraper.io:

• Free version limited to browser-based scraping.
• Not a powerful solution for complex tasks.

2. API-Based Solutions

5. Bright Data (Paid)

Bright Data offers over 230 specialized web scraper APIs that cover a wide variety of industries. These include social media platforms, e-commerce sites, real estate listings, travel services, and job boards.

In addition to dedicated scrapers, Bright Data also provides proxy-powered APIs, such as the Web Unlocker (for bypassing CAPTCHAs or IP blocks) and the SERP API. The Web Scraper API itself comes with two distinct modes:

• Scraper API: For technically proficient teams that want complete programmatic control.
• No-code scraper: For non-technical users who prefer a user-friendly interface to set up and run scrapers without writing code.

Pros of Bright Data:

• All Bright Data scrapers are backed by its large proxy pool, which supports both country-level and city-level targeting.
• Flexible options for both developers (Scraper API) and non-technical users (No-Code Scraper).

Cons of Bright Data:

• A broad feature set may feel overwhelming for beginners.
• Pricing is on the higher side, aimed at enterprise and professional users.

6. Oxylabs (Paid)

Oxylabs delivers a versatile web scraping API that can be applied across a wide range of use cases. In addition to its general-purpose API, the company also provides specialized, parameterized endpoints for well-known websites and platforms.

Oxylabs’ pricing model is usage- and feature-based. This means customers are billed according to the complexity of their scraping tasks. For example, scraping a simple static site costs less, while rendering heavy JavaScript content comes at a higher rate.

Pros of Oxylabs:

• Ready-to-use endpoints for popular sites.
• Flexible pricing tied to task complexity.

Cons of Oxylabs:

• Requires technical knowledge for advanced features.

7. Decodo (Paid)

Decodo provides two tiers of Web Scraping API services designed to match different levels of project complexity.

• The Core plan is designed for users who require straightforward data extraction without advanced processing. Its geo-targeting capabilities are limited to eight countries.
• The Advanced plan unlocks a broader range of features, including JavaScript rendering and global geo-targeting, making it more suitable for businesses that require flexibility and scalability.

Pros of Decodo:

• Anti-detection and proxy rotation built in.
• Flexible pricing options suitable for different scales of usage.

Cons of Decodo:

• The core plan is limited in its geo-targeting capabilities.
• Advanced features are available only at a higher cost.

8. Apify (Free + paid plans)

Apify is a developer-centric web scraping and automation platform built around reusable components known as Actors. Actors are essentially pre-built scrapers or automation tools that can extract structured data or perform actions on a wide variety of sites.

Each Actor can be used directly “as is” for quick results, customized or adapted for a specific use case, or built from scratch by developers who want complete control.

Pros of Apify:

• Large marketplace of ready-to-use Actors.
• Developers can create and deploy custom scrapers with Crawlee.
• Cloud platform with built-in proxies, rotation, and automation.

Cons of Apify:

• Some pre-built Actors may require modification to fully meet specific needs.
• Costs can rise with large-scale or complex scrapes.

9. Nimbleway (Paid)

Nimble’s Web Scraping API is designed for interactive and large-scale tasks, especially in e-commerce and SERP data collection. It supports bulk scraping with up to 1,000 URLs per request, routes all traffic through Nimble IP’s proxy network, and allows limited page interactions such as clicking, typing, and scrolling, capped at 60 seconds per request.

Pros of Nimbleway:

• Built-in residential proxy support for reliability.
• Parsing templates helps structure output.

Cons Nimbleway:

• Time limit may restrict complex workflows.
• Better suited for advanced users and enterprise-scale projects.

10. ScrapingBee (Paid)

ScrapingBee provides a REST API and supports popular programming languages such as Python and JavaScript. It manages headless browsers (like Chrome) on your behalf, making it easier to handle JavaScript-heavy pages. ScrapingBee is a good option for developers who want to manage their own scraping pipeline.

Pros of ScrapingBee:

• Simplifies web scraping into a single API call: Manages proxy rotation, browser rendering, and anti-bot systems with a simple API call.

Cons of ScrapingBee:

• Operations consume credits so that costs can rise with large volumes or complex requests (such as JavaScript rendering).
• While the API is straightforward, you still need to write code to interact with it.
• Users have the option to create custom actors utilizing the Apify Software Development Kit (SDK).

3. Programmable Libraries / Frameworks

11. Scrapy (Free)

Scrapy is a Python-based web scraping framework that provides everything needed to build large-scale crawlers. It handles requests, parses responses, manages data pipelines, and supports features like auto-throttling and proxy integration.

Pros of Scrapy:

• Robust framework for large and complex scraping projects.
• Built-in support for handling requests, pipelines, and extensions.
• Active open-source community with extensive documentation.

Cons of Scrapy:

• Steeper learning curve compared to simpler libraries.

12. Beautiful Soup (Free)

Beautiful Soup is a lightweight Python library for parsing and extracting data from static HTML and XML. It’s easy to learn and is often used with the requests library to fetch pages. While not suited for heavy or dynamic scraping, it’s perfect for smaller projects.

Pros of Beautiful Soup:

• Beginner-friendly and easy to use.
• Suitable for small to medium static scraping tasks.

Cons of Beautiful Soup:

• Limited performance for large-scale projects.
• Doesn’t natively handle JavaScript rendering.

What is a web scraping tool?

A web scraping tool is a software that supports extracting web data automatically. These are the common types of tools that support web scraping:

• Web scraping tools offer end-to-end web scraping capabilities
• Proxy servers enable scraping solutions to defeat anti-bot systems

Build vs. Buy: Should You Create Your Own Web Scraper?

When it comes to web scraping, you can either build an in-house scraper using libraries or rely on pre-built tools and APIs. Both approaches have trade-offs.

Building your own scraper (in-house):

• Pros: Highly customizable, full control over the pipeline, and potentially cheaper long term.
• Cons: Requires programming skills (Python, HTML parsing), ongoing maintenance, and more development effort.

Using pre-built scrapers (off-the-shelf):

• Pros: Easier for non-technical users, maintained by dedicated teams, includes customer support, and adapts quickly to site changes or anti-bot systems.
• Cons: Less customization, higher recurring costs compared to building in-house.

Bottom line: If you have a technical team and need flexibility, building in-house may be worth it. For most businesses that value speed, simplicity, and reliability, pre-built tools are the more practical choice.

What’s the best web scraping tool for your project?

Choosing the right tool depends on your skills, goals, and the scale of the project.

1. Do you know how to code?

• No: Use a no-code tool like ParseHub, Octoparse, or Web Scraper extension.
• Yes: Consider libraries/frameworks like Beautiful Soup, Scrapy, or Playwright for complete control.

2. How complex is the website you want to scrape?

• Static HTML pages: Lightweight libraries (Beautiful Soup, Cheerio).
• Dynamic or JavaScript-heavy sites: Headless browsers or advanced APIs (Playwright, Puppeteer, Apify, Bright Data).

3. How much data do you need?

• Personal projects: Free tools and libraries are usually enough.
• Ongoing, medium projects: Cloud-based no-code tools.
• Enterprise scale: Paid APIs and proxy solutions (Oxylabs, Bright Data, Nimble).

4. Do you want to manage infrastructure yourself?

• Yes: Build an in-house scraper with libraries like Scrapy.
• No: Use API-based solutions (ScrapingBee, Apify) where providers handle proxies, rendering, and anti-bot measures.

Limitations and next step

We relied on vendor claims to identify capabilities of tools. As we have a chance to try out these tools, we will update the above table with actual capabilities of these tools observed in our benchmarking

Web data scraping is an evolving market. If we missed any provider or our tables are outdated due to new vendors or new capabilities of existing tools, please leave a comment.

FAQs about free web scraping tools