During my time looking into how we get information from websites, I’ve checked out two main ways: data scraping and web scraping.
I’ve learned that even though they sound alike, they’re not the same. Each has its own special way of doing things.
In this blog, we will look into Data Scraping vs Web Scraping, how they are different, and what else we can learn about it.
Data Scraping vs Web Scraping: How are they Different?
Data scraping mainly deals with extracting structured data from sources like databases or spreadsheets, often with the data owner’s permission. In contrast, web scraping focuses on obtaining unstructured data from web pages, which can lead to potential legal challenges due to website terms of service and copyright issues.
Here is a detailed comparison table for Data Scraping and Web Scraping.
Feature | Data Scraping | Web Scraping |
Types of Data Extracted | Structured data from databases or spreadsheets. | Unstructured data from web pages. |
Examples: product catalogs, financial reports, customer data. | Examples: news articles, customer reviews, and social media posts. | |
Legal Implications | Often done with the permission of the data owner. | Can be legally challenging due to terms of service of websites and potential copyright violations. |
Data Organization | Data is typically structured and well-defined. | Data is often unstructured, and fields must be better defined. |
Primary Source | Databases, spreadsheets. | Web pages. |
How to Choose the Right Method for Your Data Extraction Needs?
Choosing an appropriate method for data extraction is crucial to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and legality.
Here’s how to make an informed decision:
Factor 1: Determine the Data Type Needed
- Data Scraping: Ideal for extracting structured data. Examples include product catalogs, financial reports, and other organized databases.
- Web Scraping: Suited for unstructured data. Examples encompass news articles, customer reviews, and social media posts.
Factor 2: Consider the Source of the Data
- Data Scraping: Best used when the data source is internal to your organization or provided by a third-party vendor. This method allows for the direct extraction of structured data from these sources.
- Web Scraping: Optimal for extracting data from publicly accessible websites. It’s a method to extract data directly from web pages.
Factor 3: Understand the Legal Implications
It’s essential to know the legal aspects of data and web scraping. Some data might be copyrighted, protected by intellectual property laws, or restricted by a website’s terms of service.
Never forget to obtain necessary permissions or ensure the data falls under fair use guidelines before proceeding with extraction.

What is Data Scraping?
Data Scraping is the process of extracting information from structured data sources, such as databases or spreadsheets. It pulls out certain pieces of information and saves them in easy-to-read formats like CSV, Excel, or JSON.
While you can do this by hand, most people use tools or programs to make it faster. Some popular tools for this are SQL, Excel, and Google Sheets.
Over recent years, data scraping has emerged as a pivotal instrument for business growth.
The McKinsey Global Institute reports that organizations rooted in data analytics are 23 times more apt to attract customers. Additionally, they have a six-fold advantage in retaining those customers and are 19 times more inclined towards profitability. Harnessing this data empowers businesses to make enlightened choices and elevate the customer journey.
How does Data Scraping work?
The Data Scraping technique operates in a systematic manner, typically encompassing three core stages:
Stage 1: Initiating a Request to a Server
Whenever you access a webpage using your browser, you’re essentially dispatching an HTTP request, akin to seeking permission to view the site’s content. In a similar fashion, data scraping tools commence their operation by sending an HTTP request to their desired web destination.
Stage 2: Decoding and Analyzing the Website’s Code
After obtaining entry to a website, the scraping tool gets the ability to view and derive information from the website’s underlying HTML or XML code. This foundational code is responsible for shaping the layout and content of the site.
The scraping tool will then analyze or “parse” this code, segmenting it to pinpoint and retrieve specific components like text, ratings, or other predefined attributes such as tags, classes, and IDs.
Stage 3: Storing the Gathered Data
Subsequent to retrieving and analyzing the website’s code, the data scraping tool captures the pertinent information and saves it in local storage. The user typically pre-sets the specifics of what data to harvest. This extracted data is generally organized in a structured manner and can be saved in formats like .csv or .xls, facilitating easy access and analysis.

Advantages of Data Scraping
Here are some advantages of Data Scraping:
- Efficiency: Automated data scraping can quickly extract large volumes of data.
- Cost-effective: Data scraping tools can save on manual data entry costs once set up.
- Accuracy: Automated scraping can be more accurate than manual extraction, as it eliminates human errors.
- Flexibility: Data scraping tools can be customized to target specific data, making the extraction process more precise.
- Up-to-date Information: Automated scraping can be scheduled regularly, ensuring that the data is always current.
- Competitive Analysis: Businesses can scrape data from competitors’ websites to gain insights into their operations and strategies.
- Data Availability: Allows for the collection of data from sources that might not have a public API.
Disadvantages of Data Scraping
Here are some disadvantages of Data Scraping:
- Legal Concerns: Scraping data without permission can lead to legal issues, especially if the data is copyrighted or terms of service prohibit scraping.
- Data Quality: Scraped data might not always be clean or accurate. It might require additional processing.
- Dependence on Source Structure: If the source website or database changes its structure, the scraper might break and need adjustments.
- Server Load: Intensive scraping can overload the source server, affecting its performance.
- Potential Bans: Websites might block IP addresses they identify as scrapers.
- Ethical Concerns: Scraping personal or sensitive information without consent can raise ethical questions.
- Maintenance Overhead: Scrapers may require regular maintenance and updates to ensure they function correctly.
Similar to Web Scraping, a web crawler is a computer program that automatically and systematically browses the internet to collect information about websites and their pages. Learn more about it here.
Top 5 Data Scraping Tools
In the rapidly evolving digital age, learning which tool is best for your needs is difficult. So, here’s a look at the top 5 data scraping tools for you:
Import.io

Import.io empowers organizations to harness the vast amount of data available on the web, translating it into actionable intelligence, efficiency, and competitive advantages. This tool stands out for its ability to:
- Form datasets by importing data from specific web pages.
- Export the scraped data directly to CSV.
- Seamlessly integrate data into applications via APIs and webhooks.
Saivi

Saivi is a holistic solution offering a range of data-related services, guiding users from data sourcing to its visualization. Its distinct features include:
- Custom solutions across four pivotal stages: Data Scraping, Data Labelling, Data Visualization, and the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
- A focus on accelerating the digital transformation journey, emphasizing the significance of data as the “new oil.”
ParseHub

ParseHub is a robust, free web scraping tool that simplifies data extraction. A few of its salient features are
- An advanced web scraper that makes data extraction as simple as clicking on the desired data.
- Desktop clients available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, ensuring accessibility across various operating systems.
Diffbot

Diffbot stands out for its unique approach to data scraping. With Diffbot, users can:
- Extract diverse forms of useful data from the web without the complications and expenses of manual research or intricate web scraping.
- Benefit from its innovative use of computer vision, a departure from the traditional HTML parsing techniques, to pinpoint relevant information on web pages.
Scrapy

Scrapy is the go-to web scraping library for Python developers aiming to craft scalable web crawlers. It offers
- A comprehensive web crawling framework that manages the intricacies inherent to building web crawlers.
- Open-source and collaborative nature, making it a preferred choice for extracting essential data from websites.
What is Web Scraping?
Web scraping is a technique used to extract vast amounts of data from websites automatically. Often found in unstructured HTML formats, this data is transformed into structured data for storage in spreadsheets or databases for various applications.
Some big websites give special tools (APIs) to get organized data easily, but many don’t. So, we use web scraping. This method has two parts: the crawler, a smart system that looks for data on the web by following links, and the scraper, a tool that grabs data from websites. How the scraper is made can change depending on how complex the task is to ensure it gets the data correctly and quickly.
How does Web Scraping work?
Since we have learned about Web Scraping, here is a detailed step-by-step breakdown of the process:

Stage 1: URL Specification
At the onset of a web scraping project, the user must identify and provide the URLs of the websites they aim to scrape. This step is crucial because it directs the scraper where to retrieve information. URLs can range from a single webpage to multiple sites, depending on the breadth of the data required.
Stage 2: Fetching the HTML
Once the URLs are specified, the web scraper accesses these links to obtain the HTML code of each webpage. This code serves as the foundation for data extraction. During this phase, the scraper sends a request to the server hosting the website and, upon successful connection, retrieves the site’s raw HTML content.
Stage 3: Retrieving Additional Elements (Optional)
More advanced scrapers have the capability to fetch not just the HTML but also other webpage elements like CSS and Javascript. This is particularly useful when the website’s layout, styling, or dynamic content plays a role in the data extraction process. Extracting these elements can provide a comprehensive view of the website’s structure.
Stage 4: Data Extraction
After obtaining the necessary code, the scraper parses through the content to locate and extract the desired information. This process involves sifting through tags, classes, and other HTML elements. Users must clearly specify their data needs to ensure that the scraper focuses on the relevant sections of the code and extracts the appropriate information efficiently.
Stage 5: Data Formatting
Once data is extracted, it might not be in a ready-to-use format. This step involves cleaning and structuring the data to make it more accessible and understandable. This might mean removing unnecessary characters, converting data types, or organizing the data into tables or lists.
Stage 6: Data Storage
The cleaned and structured data needs to be stored for future use. The data can be saved in various formats depending on the user’s needs. Common choices include Excel spreadsheets for tabular data, CSV files for general use, or JSON for more structured and hierarchical data. The choice of storage format often depends on the intended use of the data.
Stage 7: Review and Use
Once the data scraping process is complete, users should review the output to ensure accuracy and completeness. If discrepancies or gaps are found, adjustments can be made to the scraping process. After verification, the data can be leveraged for various purposes, including research, business analytics, or even machine learning projects.
Advantages of Web Scraping
Here are the advantages of Web Scraping:
- Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: Web scraping offers a cost-effective alternative to manual data collection, accelerating the data extraction process and optimizing efficiency by minimizing manual intervention.
- Accuracy and Timely Data Access: It ensures access to current and accurate data, tracks real-time market shifts, and stays updated with competitor activities and industry changes.
- Customization and Scalability: Web scraping tools are adaptable, catering to specific data needs, and are versatile enough for both minor studies and major projects, scaling effortlessly as demands change.
- Strategic Advantages and Research Support: It offers a competitive advantage by uncovering market trends and user preferences. It’s invaluable for academic research and comprehensive market analyses and delivers rich data for definitive insights.
- Automation and System Integration: It is ideal for regular data collection, allowing more time for complex tasks and integrating seamlessly with current databases and analytical tools.
Disadvantages of Web Scraping
Here are the disadvantages of Web Scrapping:
- Technical Complexity and Maintenance: Setting up a web scraper requires technical know-how. Websites update frequently, leading to scraper issues. Consistent monitoring ensures uninterrupted data extraction.
- Anti-scraping Measures and Resource Intensiveness: Websites employ captchas and IP blocking to deter scrapers, increasing the need for extra tools and potentially driving up costs.
- Data Quality and Reliability: Website variations can lead to data issues. Thorough checks and data cleaning are vital for reliable information.
- Legal, Ethical, and Privacy Concerns: Web scraping can raise legal and ethical concerns, especially regarding copyright. It’s vital to adhere to data protection guidelines and manage data responsibly.
- Scalability and Infrastructure Challenges: Running a large scraper consumes significant resources. Proper planning and the right infrastructure are essential for successful project expansion.
Top 5 Web Scraping Tools
If you are struggling with the answer- “Which tool is best for your needs” worry no more. Here’s a look at the top 5 data scraping tools for you:
1. Bright Data

Bright Data offers a Web Scraper IDE that is designed for developers while ensuring scalability. With its fully hosted IDE, developers can utilize pre-made scraping functions, significantly reducing development time. Here are the Features offered by Bright Data:
- Leverage the Industry’s First Proxy Infrastructure
- Fully Hosted Cloud Environment
- Pre-made web scraper templates
- Browser scripting in JavaScript
- Built-in Proxy and unblocking
- Industry Leading Compliance
- Designed for Any Use Case
2. Oxylabs Scraper API

Oxylabs’ Web Scraper API provides real-time public web data extraction from almost any page. It is a reliable solution for data extraction suitable for market research, fraud protection, and travel fare monitoring, among others. Here are the Features offered by Oxylabs:
- Patented Proxy Rotator for block management
- Auto-retry system for failed scraping attempts
- Country-specific geo-targeting
- JavaScript rendering
- Recurring jobs scheduling
3. Smartproxy

Smartproxy provides a range of Scraping APIs tailored for different use cases, powered by over 50M high-quality proxies globally. Here are the Features offered by Smartproxy:
- Combine proxies, a web scraper, and, in some cases, a data parser
- Users pay only for 100% successfully scraped results
- No-Code Scraper allows data collection without writing code
- 24/7 support via LiveChat
4. Apify

Apify is a powerful no-code web scraping and automation platform. Here are the Features offered by Apify:
- Hundreds of ready-to-use tools
- No-code, open-source proxy management
- Search engine crawler
- Proxy API
- Browser extension
5. Scrape.do

Scrape.do provides a fast, scalable, and proxy web scraper API. It stands out for its cost-effectiveness and superior features. Here are the Features Scrape.do have to offer:
- Rotating proxies for any website scraping
- Unlimited bandwidth in all plans
- Fully customizable
- Charges only for successful requests
- Geotargeting for over 10 countries
- JavaScript render for protected web pages
- Super proxy parameter for sites with data center IPs protection
Why Choose Core Devs Ltd. for Your Data Needs?
Data is super important nowadays, and CoreDevs helps you make the most of it. We don’t just get data for you; we help you understand it so you can make smart choices.
Here’s how we can help you:
Getting Data from Websites (Web Scraping)
We quickly and correctly get useful info from websites. Need to know what competitors are doing or what customers are saying? We can help you get that info and make the right moves. Benefits for You:
- Make smart choices with the data we provide.
- Quick data collection from the web.
- Always have the latest info ready.
Watching Social Media (Social Media Monitoring)
We keep an eye on social media to see what’s trending and how people feel about things. Stay connected with your fans and know what’s happening in real time to boost your brand. Benefits for You:
- See what competitors are doing on social media.
- React quickly to hot topics.
- Get more love and likes on social platforms.
Job Ads Collection (Job Listing Aggregation)
We gather job ads from different places, making hiring easier and faster. Find the best people for your team without the hassle. Benefits for You:
- See all job ads in one place.
- Quickly find the right people.
- Easier hiring process.
Collecting Property Info (Real Estate Data Gathering)
We collect details about properties and market changes. Make smart property choices with all the info you need. Benefits for You:
- Make wise property investments.
- Know about the latest property sales and trends.
- Act quickly on property deals.
Staying Updated with News (News and Media Monitoring)
We keep track of news to keep you in the loop. Always know what’s going on in your industry and make timely moves. Benefits for You:
- Always be in the know about your field.
- Understand the latest news trends.
- Act fast on new chances.
Collecting and Organizing Content (Content Aggregation and Curation)
We gather and sort out content from different places. This gives you helpful resources that your audience will love. Benefits for You:
- Great content for your audience.
- Easy process to sort and use content.
- Become a trusted name in your field.
With CoreDevs, you get more than just data. You get the tools to make wise decisions, stay on top, and boost your business. Choose CoreDevs and make your business shine!

Final Words
When it comes to gathering info online, knowing the difference: data scraping vs web scraping is like having a handy map.
Simply put, it’s about picking the best tool for the job. So, remember these tips next time you’re looking to collect data.
Let’s keep things simple and smart, letting the right kind of scraping guide your choices.