Curious about web scraping? Even if you're a beginner, don’t worry — this article will give you a quick introduction to web scraping, how to evaluate scraping tools, and help you find the one that suits your needs. Plus, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best free web scraping tools for Windows, Mac, and browser extensions.

Web scraping is an automated process of collecting data from websites using a scraping bot. This technique allows users to extract large amounts of data quickly. Tools like Regex (Regular Expression) can be used to clean and structure the data, making it more organized and ready for analysis.

• Sending Requests: A web scraping bot imitates human behavior by browsing websites. It sends a request to the server for a specific URL and retrieves the webpage’s HTML file in response.
• Data Extraction: Once the HTML file is retrieved, the bot navigates to the part of the document containing the desired data and extracts it.
• Data Processing: After scraping, the data is cleaned, organized, and structured, ready for download or integration into a database.

Here are some important factors to consider when selecting a web scraper:

1. Device Compatibility: Ensure the tool supports your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux).
2. Cloud Access: Cloud-based tools allow you to access and manage your data from multiple devices.
3. API Access & IP Rotation: Look for scrapers with IP proxies and API access to prevent being blocked.
4. Integration: Choose a tool that integrates with your data pipeline to automate further processing.
5. Ease of Use: If you’re not a programmer, look for user-friendly tools with tutorials and support.
6. Pricing: While some tools are free, others charge for advanced features. Consider your budget when choosing.

Here are 10 of the best free web scrapers, covering various platforms. While some are desktop applications, others are browser extensions or cloud services.

ParseHub is a powerful, user-friendly web scraper that extracts data effortlessly—just click on the content you need. No coding is required; its smart engine handles complex sites with JavaScript, AJAX, forms, and infinite scroll. Extract data from multiple pages, then export it in JSON, Excel, or via API. Features include IP rotation, scheduled scraping, and cloud storage. Trusted by professionals for its speed and accuracy, ParseHub simplifies data collection for businesses and analysts. Download the free desktop app and start scraping instantly!

"ParseHub delivers complete, timely data—I don’t know what we’d do without it!" — Jenny Morehead, CEO, Salesboxer.

For those who want a powerful web scraping API without the headaches of managing proxies, CAPTCHAs, and browsers, ScraperAPI is an excellent solution. This web scraping tool simplifies complex data extraction by handling all anti-bot measures automatically. Whether you're scraping product data for e-commerce insights, monitoring prices, or gathering real estate listings, ScraperAPI's robust proxy API for web scraping ensures high success rates and reliable data collection.

It supports JavaScript rendering for dynamic content and offers various integrations, making it ideal for developers and businesses looking to scale their data acquisition efforts. While primarily an API, its ease of integration means even those less familiar with intricate proxy management can benefit significantly. You can start with a generous free trial to experience its capabilities.

Octoparse is beginner-friendly, featuring an AI-based auto-detecting mode to help you scrape websites without any coding skills. It also has advanced features for custom web crawlers, with a free plan for basic scraping and paid options for large-scale needs.

• More Read: Octoparse Integrate with MoMo Proxy

ScrapingBot is ideal for developers who want to scrape product pages and gather data such as prices, stock availability, and descriptions. It offers several APIs and includes 100 free credits per month. Paid plans start at €39 per month.

Web Scraper enables you to build sitemaps for scraping websites. Its cloud service allows scraping large volumes of data and running multiple tasks concurrently. You can export the data in CSV format or store it in CouchDB.

Scraper is a simple browser extension that allows you to scrape table data from a webpage and upload the results directly to Google Docs. Advanced users can customize the scraping using XPath or JQuery.

Outwit Hub is a Firefox extension with a “Fast Scrape” feature, making it easy for non-programmers to gather data from websites. Simply feed in a list of URLs, and the tool will scrape the content quickly without requiring technical expertise.

Data Scraper is great for extracting table and listing-type data from web pages. It offers a free plan that covers basic scraping needs, with a paid plan providing access to more advanced features like API and proxy integration for larger-scale scraping.

Dexi.io is suited for advanced users and offers a variety of robots to create customized scraping tasks. It includes IP proxies for anonymous scraping, and data can be exported in JSON or CSV format or stored on their servers.

Webz.io (formerly Webhose.io) enables real-time scraping of data from a variety of online sources, including the dark web. It supports multiple languages and allows you to export data in XML, JSON, and RSS formats. The free plan includes 1,000 HTTP requests per month, with paid plans available for more requests.

With this list of 10 free web scrapers, you can now choose the one that fits your needs. For a coding-free experience, Octoparse is an excellent choice, especially with its ready-to-use templates for popular websites.