Which Data Extraction API is better Scrapestack vs. Parsehub?

The growth of every company relies on the quality of the data at its disposal. Just as important however is how effectively you are able to use the data it has. That is why data extraction is such an important factor for modern business success — it provides you with the ability to gain new insights and collect valuable information about your products, services, and competitors. It gives you an edge that may put your company at the head of the pack.

That said, extracting data can be a tedious process. Thankfully, extraction APIs can make your job much easier.

In this article, we compare two of the most prominent extraction APIs on the market: Scrapestack and Parsehub.  

Scrapestack has a vast pool of 35+ million proxies and IPs. Basically, this gives you a high level of scraping consistency and accuracy without worrying about your requests getting blocked. 

Parsehub on the other hand boasts an easy-to-use graphical interface and data visualization.

Ultimately, Scrapestack distinguishes itself as the more advanced tool because of its reliability, simultaneous API requests, access to 100+ global locations, scalability, and HTTPS encryption. Parsehub, however, has a desktop app that supports Windows, Mac, and Linux; and makes extracted data available in Excel, CSV, and JSON.

Main Features Compared

Both tools are efficient and offer great features depending on your needs. 

Despite the great features that Parsehub has, such as tableau integration to offer data visualization, it performs poorly compared with Scrapestack in terms of accessibility and result generation. This makes Scrapestack the more suitable option of the two. 

Reliability

Having a data extraction tool that delivers consistently is crucial. Scrapestack offers lightning speed without technical glitches. 

Scrapestack has a large-scale network of over 35 million data centers and premium proxies that cut across over 100 countries. This allows users to send API requests and receive results in milliseconds, making it reliable. In addition, it lowers the risk of getting blocked by the scraping target. 

Scrapestack is built on a solid cloud infrastructure that manages over 1 billion requests monthly combined with an impressive 99.9 percent uptime. 

Parsehub is less reliable because of its slower data extraction process. Also, it fails to get around anti-scraping measures, which makes it challenging to get your desired results. 

Customer Support

Parsehub has excellent customer service with a lot of self-help in the software. The API, tutorials, and chat options are distinct features. For example, you can schedule a 30-minute demo call to make inquiries about the paid plans. 

The only downside is that the service is only available between 9-to-5 operating hours. If you ever have an urgent need for support during off-hours, you will have to sort things out yourself. 

Scrapestack customer support is not as efficient as Parsehub. Unlike Parsehub, it does not have a call or chat option. Their time to respond is usually between 24 to 48 hours. 

The plus is that the website has articles that have detailed explanations of how the platform works. 

Scalability

Scrapestack is a REST API service with the capacity to handle millions of API requests daily. It is built on the top-notch Apilayer cloud infrastructure, which hosts some of the world’s leading API services. 

Moreover, the Screapestack system scales up and down automatically, making it flexible and able to operate at the highest possible speed levels. You never have to worry about a crash or slow data extraction due to volume.

Parsehub, conversely, can experience downtime when there is a heavy workload. This gives Scrapestack the advantage in terms of scalability and reliability.

Versatility

In the versatility category, Scrapestack also scores high because it supports multiple platforms in addition to Google, and it works well with social media sites. It can also extract data from eCommerce platforms like Amazon, eBay and travel websites like TripAdvisor and Booking.com.

Parsehub also works with some social media sites. 

Documentation

Documentation is often key when it comes to the successful implementation of an API.

Compared to Parsehub, Scrapestack has more detailed documentation. Its descriptive step-by-step guide helps you get started working with the API within five minutes.

Of equal importance, Scrapestack setup is straightforward once you have an API key. 

There are two sections at the top of the documentation page: a quick start guide and code examples. The guide allows you to sign up to get your API key. You can then run your first API request and incorporate it. 

The code example section showcases six coding languages: PHP, jQuery, Node.js, Python, Go, and Ruby. When you click on the code example button, it takes you directly to the code example section.

The section contains samples of scraping requests in all six languages with pictorial representation to guide users. 

The guide has one very critical feature — the API Error Codes. It is easy to access and explains the most common error codes users encounter and what they mean. The documentation is also well-arranged, which makes it readable and easy to navigate. The sidebar on the left also serves as shortcuts to different categories on the page.

Parsehub documentation is not as comprehensive as Scrapestacks’. 

It is written sparsely and claims that you will find sample code in various languages, but the code is often missing. 

There is also a section describing specific parameters, but it does not have an area to break down error codes.

The Scrapestack documentation is far more comprehensive and guides the user at every level. 

Which One is The Easiest to Use

When it comes to ease of use, both APIs have interfaces that are accessible and easy to understand, especially for first-time users. They also have built-in tutorials to walk you through if you get stuck at any point in your project. 

Parsehub has a distinctive feature within the interface — a real-time view of the target website that allows you to click and highlight the selection you want to scrape. 

Scrapestack on the other hand isn’t quite as intuitive. It is however much more feature-rich. You trade off a small amount of ease of use for versatility and scope.

Pricing

Both Scrapestack and Parsehub have competitive pricing, but Scrapestack edges it.

Parsehub is not a free data extractor. It does offer a free version, but that has very limited features.

Parsehub has four plans: Free, Standard, Professional, and Enterprise.

At $149 per month, the standard plan offers 200 pages of data in 10 minutes, 10,000 pages per run. It comes with regular support and has a data retention of 14 days. 

The professional plan gives you an unlimited number of pages per run, and you get 200 pages of data in under 2 minutes. 

While the basic plan allows 20 private projects, the professional plan gives you 120 private projects and costs $499.

The enterprise plan is customizable. With dedicated scraping speeds for all projects, you can only get pricing upon request.

Scrapestack is cheaper and offers more value.

The basic plan goes for $19.99 monthly with a discount to $15.99 per month for annual billing. It offers unlimited support, simultaneous requests, and over 100 geolocations. 

The most popular plan is the professional plan. You get 1,000,000 API requests monthly at $79.99. If you choose the annual billing option, you get it at a discount of $63.99.

The business plan gives you all the tools available in Professional with 3,000,000 monthly requests, while the enterprise plan is customizable. 

Scrapestack offers discounts on annual billings of up to 20%, while Parsehub does not. 

Based on what they each offer, their pricing is, in no way, comparable. However, if you are looking for a relatively affordable API with top-notch service delivery, Scrapestack is your go-to.

Free Tiers Compared

On the Parsehub website, the free version runs 200 pages of data in 40 minutes; you can launch five public projects. 

However, you will need to set up your IP rotation and proxies separately.

Scrapestack has basic functionality with limited support. It allows the standard proxies and processes 1,000 requests per month.

Conclusion

Extracting data in its raw form and making it available in a structured format is essential in today’s data-driven market. If you are looking for a data extraction API that guarantees accurate data that helps you make smart and confident decisions, Scrapestack is your best bet. 

Its unbeatable uptime record, superior security, and easy integration make it the better option of the two. To get started with Scrapestack head on to their website and sign up for a free API key today!