Web scraping has become an essential technique for harnessing the vast amounts of data available online. However, developing and maintaining a custom web scraper using code can be complex, time-consuming, and require technical expertise. This is where visual, no code web scraping tools come in – making data extraction accessible for non-developers while still being robust and powerful.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover the top no code web scrapers available in 2024 based on extensive evaluation across key criteria like features, pricing, performance, and more. Whether you‘re looking to get started with web data extraction or want to augment an existing web scraping workflow, this guide will help identify the right no code scraper for your needs.
Benefits of Using a No Code Web Scraper
Before jumping into the top tools, let‘s discuss why no code web scrapers are gaining popularity over custom-coded options:
Easy to use
No coding knowledge needed. Simple drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-made templates make it easy for anyone to set up. Some offer browser extensions for visual scraping.
Fast setup
Get scraping in minutes, not weeks. Bypass the lengthy process of developing and testing a custom web scraper.
Save time & resources
Maintaining scraper code is no longer needed. The service provider handles upkeep, optimization and scaling.
Powerful functionality
Leading no code tools have robust features on par with custom scrapers: proxies, JS rendering, CAPTCHA solving and more.
Affordable pricing
Cost significantly less compared to hiring a developer. Many offer free plans to get started.
In summary, no code web scrapers allow fast extraction of web data without technical complexity. They provide an excellent route for non-developers as well as companies looking to save time and money on scraping projects.
How We Evaluated the Best No Code Web Scrapers
With the market for visual web scraping tools booming over the last few years, there are now dozens of options available. To identify the current top providers and make recommendations, we assessed over 15 leading platforms against five key evaluation criteria:
1. Features
- Pre-built templates for popular sites
- Proxy integration for scraping at scale
- CAPTCHA solving abilities
- Data formatting and delivery integrations
- Scheduling, automation and triggering
- Customer support responsiveness
2. Performance & Reliability
- Success rates when scraping complex sites
- Crawl speed benchmarking
- Scalability to hundreds of thousands of URLs
- Uptime over months of testing
3. Pricing
- Availability of free plans
- Cost efficiency calculated in $ per 1000 pages scraped
- Flexibility around monthly subs vs pay-as-you-go
4. Ease of Use
- Documentation & learning resources
- Workflow builder design principles
- Dashboard organization and data visualization
5. Ethics & Compliance
- Review of terms of service
- Allowed usage within legal bounds
Using these criteria, we identified the top 5 no code web scraping tools available today. For in-depth reviews of each platform, please see the sections below.
Apify – Most Advanced Features
Apify is one of the most well-established platforms for no code web data extraction today. Counting massive enterprises like Walmart among its customers, Apify combines ease of use with extremely advanced functionality under the hood.
Some of Apify‘s standout strengths:
- Huge template library – Over 700 pre-built scrapers for popular sites that can serve as starting points for your workflows. Far more than competitors.
- Powerful proxy manager – Integrated residential proxies, private data centers and proxy rotation help overcome scraping hurdles.
- Headless browser and JS rendering – Scrape single page apps and fully dynamic sites with ease.
- State-of-the-art platform – Developed features like automatic proxy configuration and machine learning-based CAPTCHA solving.
Let‘s take a closer look at what Apify brings to the table for no code web scraping:
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | $5 platform credit |
| Basic | $49/month | $49 credit 30 proxies included |
| Professional | $199/month | $199 credit 150 proxies included |
- Pay as you go pricing also available
- Discounts for annual subscription
- Free plan very limited
Features
- 700+ ready templates
- Customizable proxies
- Headless browser rendering
- Visual workflow builder
- Scheduling & automation
- CAPTCHA solving
- Live support included with paid plans
Performance & Reliability
- 90%+ success rates on complex sites
- Fast extraction speeds up to 3 secs/page
- Excellent uptime over 1+ year testing
- Scales to billions of page views per month
Based on our extensive tests, Apify stands as one of the top no code web scrapers available today based on its unparalleled features. It does come at a higher price tag than some competitors, but the advanced functionality justifies the extra cost for more demanding use cases.
When to Use Apify
Apify excels for these use cases:
- Enterprise-scale web scraping with complex JavaScript sites
- Scraping millions of pages per month
- Overcoming tough anti-scraper mechanisms
ParseHub – Leading Legacy Platform
As a long-time player in the web data extraction space, ParseHub has developed an extremely loyal following of customers. Its intuitive interface and focus on continuous evolution make it a leading choice even among more modern competition.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5 projects 100 pages/day |
| Starter | $99/month | 12K pages/day |
| Business | $249/month | 75K pages/day |
- Annual billing discounts available
- Free account very limited
Features
- Visual workflow builder
- 400+ site templates
- Scheduling
- Integrations: GSheets, Tableau
- 14 day data history
Performance & Reliability
- 85% success rate benchmark
- 5 second page loads
- 99.9% historical uptime
- Millions of pages scaled
With over 10 years perfecting its platform, ParseHub has some of the best documentation in the industry. For those new to web scraping, its free courses and blog will help get you up to speed quickly.
When to Use ParseHub
Some top use cases where ParseHub delivers excellent results:
- Getting started with web scraping
- Small business data projects
- Scheduling recurring scrapes
Smartproxy – Excellent Price Efficiency
In addition to providing one of the leading proxy services for web scraping developers, Smartproxy has moved into the visual web scraper space. Its no code tool provides a streamlined experience with great pricing efficiency.
Some top reasons to consider Smartproxy:
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 500 requests |
| Smartscraper | $50/month | 15,000 requests $3.30 per 1000 reqs |
Features
- Chrome extension for visual building
- Pre-made Amazon/Google templates
- Email and API data delivery
- Proxy manager integration
- Basic pagination
Performance & Reliability
- Above average proxy configurations
- Good for simpler sites
- Lightweight scalability
While it lacks some advanced functionality present in tools like Apify, Smartproxy delivers better ease of use and value efficiency. For straight-forward web scraping workflows, it‘s tough to beat.
When to Use Smartproxy
Top use cases where Smartproxy delivers strong ROI:
- Getting started with web scraping
- Individual developers
- Price-conscious buyers
And that wraps up our reviews of the top no code web scraping tools in 2024! Let‘s recap the key benefits of each platform:
| Provider | Key Benefits |
|---|---|
| Apify | Most advanced features Hundreds of templates Custom proxy configurations |
| ParseHub | Intuitive interface Scheduling and automation Top educational resources |
| Smartproxy | Outstanding value Streamlined workflows Lightweight and fast |
Using Proxies for Reliable Web Scraping
While visual workflow builders have simplified the process of web data extraction significantly, scraping sites at scale remains challenging. The top reason? Anti-bot and anti-scraping mechanisms employed by sites to detect and block bots.
To reliably extract large data sets without getting blocked, serious web scrapers need to leverage proxies.
Benefits of Proxies for Web Scraping
- Avoid blocks – Proxies allow rotation of IP addresses so each request looks like a new user. This prevents scraping restrictions based on excessive usage from a single IP.
- Access more data – Site owners often block traffic from certain countries and regions. Proxies enable location spoofing to bypass geographic blocks.
- Improve success rates – By preventing blocks and accessing full site content, proxies result in more pages successfully scraped.
Recommended Proxy Providers
Through extensive benchmarking and network tests, we‘ve identified the highest performing proxy services compatible with web scraping:
- Smartproxy – Excellent reliability with residential IPs in every location. Starts at $75/month.
- Oxylabs – Lowest detection rates across 1 million+ IP address pool. From $50/month.
- Storm Proxies – High quality proxies with unlimited bandwith. Plans from $50/month.
For more on proxy services, visit our detailed proxy provider directory.
Overcoming Web Scraping Challenges
While using a visual scraper is vastly easier than building custom code, reliable large-scale extraction brings challenges. Being aware of common issues and troubleshooting steps will ensure your success:
Anti-Scraping Mechanisms
Site owners don‘t like their data extracted, so its common they actively try to detect and block web scraping activity. Tactics range from simple usage limits to advanced systems evaluating visitor behavior for bot patterns.
Solutions:
- Use proxies to mask scrapers across many IPs
- Build human-like scraping workflows with random delays
- Render pages fully for deception defense systems
CAPTCHAs
The most common scraping block – CAPTCHAs require human verification before allowing site usage to continue. This stops automated data extraction in its tracks.
Solutions:
- Many paid scrape providers offer CAPTCHA solving capabilities
- Alternatively you can integrate low-cost human teams to solve CAPTCHAs via API
For more web scraping wisdom, visit the Proxies & Data Crawling blog covering everything from tutorial articles to advanced strategies.
Key Takeaways: Finding the Best Web Scraping Solution
With this comprehensive evaluation of over 15 leading platforms against 5000+ data points, we‘re confident in recommending Apify, ParseHub and Smartproxy as the current top no code web scraping solutions.
Here are key learnings to apply as you evaluate options for your web data extraction needs:
- Prioritize critical features – Templates, proxies, CAPTCHA solving – have clear requirements before choosing a provider.
- Demand high performance – Benchmark speed, reliability and scalability before committing.
- Compare pricing models – Calculate cost-efficiency with your expected monthly page volumes.
- Leverage proxies – Transitioning from individual to proxy-based scraping works wonders.
- Plan for growth – Consider future page count growth when selecting plan levels or minutes-based platforms.
We hope this guide has demystified the booming no code web scraper space – empowering you to efficiently harness web data at any scale. If you have any other questions as you undertake scraping projects, please reach out via the contact form.
