In the past few years, web scraping has emerged as a popular way for organizations worldwide to collect valuable data. Web scraping essentially refers to automated data extraction from the vast realm of the internet. Businesses operating across diverse industries can benefit from web scraping, from e-commerce and real estate to the healthcare and finance sectors. For instance, e-commerce businesses can utilize the data collected through web scraping to track competitors’ product prices, monitor customer reviews, and analyze market trends. They can then optimize their pricing strategies and improve their products accordingly. However, to gather real-time and accurate SERP data, choosing the best web scraping tool is essential.
Since lots of web scraping tools are available in the market, choosing the right web scraping API for your needs can be challenging. To make this process easier for you, we’ve created a comparison guide of two of the current best web scraping tools, namely Zenscrape and Bright Data.
In this article, we’ll compare Bright Data and Zenscrape features like data accuracy, ease of use, performance, speed, etc., to help you choose the right scraping tool.
Overview of Zenscrape and Bright Data
Zenscrape
Zenscrape is a top web scraping tool or web scraping API for extracting accurate data from the web. The advanced API is designed to handle thousands of API requests without compromising performance and has a response time as low as 50 milliseconds. Thus, you don’t have to wait for ages for your data to be delivered. Additionally, the API supports high concurrency, meaning it can handle a large number of tasks/operations simultaneously.
Zenscrape utilizes a massive proxy pool with millions of IP addresses and supports automatic proxy rotation. These features enable you to efficiently scrape data from thousands of websites on the internet without worrying about rate limits and getting blocked. The powerful API also allows you to select your proxy location for geotargeted content.
Moreover, Zenscrape offers an incredible headless browser feature, allowing you to instruct the API to render your requests in a headless browser. This way, you can effortlessly access websites like a real user and get highly accurate and up-to-date data.
Another impressive feature of Zenscrape is the Request Builder, which converts your API requests into production-ready code snippets to help you get started quickly and easily.
Also Read: Data Scraping in Python With a Proxy API for Web Scraping.
Bright Data
Bright Data is a web data platform that allows you to extract data from the web efficiently and convert unstructured data into structured datasets. The platform offers multiple scraping solutions, among which is a powerful web scraping API called Scraping Browser API.
The API supports website unblocking automation, meaning it automates data extraction from thousands of websites and is designed to overcome website blocking mechanisms. For instance, Bright Data has a huge proxy network with an extensive pool of IP addresses from different locations worldwide. Additionally, the API supports automatic IP rotation. This helps prevent IP bans or blocking due to rate limiting. Bright Data’s Scraping Browser API is also equipped with various other unlocking tools, such as CAPTCHA solving, automatic retries, cookies, and browser fingerprinting.
The API is highly scalable and can efficiently handle diverse scraping projects, from small to large ones. It’s one of the best scraping tools for 2024 for multi-step scraping projects requiring browser interactions, unblocking mechanisms, and proxy rotation.
Using and implementing Bright Data API is super easy. It just requires a single line of code to implement the API. You just need to connect your Playwright, Puppeteer, or Selenium scripts to Bright Data’s browser, and the platform will take care of the rest of the operations, such as unlocking mechanisms, proxy rotation, etc.
Zenscrape Vs. Bright Data Features Comparison
The table below compares Zenscrape and Bright Data features:
| Features | Zenscrape | Bright Data |
| Specialization | Zenscrape is a specialized web scraping tool offering advanced web scraping features, such as proxy rotation, automatic CAPTCHA solving, support for a headless browser, JavaScript rendering, etc. | Bright Data is a comprehensive data collection platform and includes web scraping APIs as a part of the platform. However, it focuses on many other use cases beyond web scraping. |
| Proxy support | Massive proxy pool with millions of IPs | Huge proxy pool with more than 72 million IP address |
| IP rotation | Supports automatic IP rotation to prevent IP blocks | Supports automatic IP rotation to prevent IP bans |
| CAPTCHA handling | Efficient CAPTCHA handling capabilities to provide an automated and smooth web scraping process. | Solves CAPTCHs automatically to enable users to extract data from any website, even if it imposes CAPTCHAs |
| Website unlocking mechanisms | In addition to automated proxy rotation and CAPTCHA handling, Zenscrape can automatically handle Cloudflare DDoS protection and allows you to set cookies. | In addition to automatic proxy rotation and CAPTCHA solving, Bright Data supports automatic retries, cookies, and browser fingerprinting. |
| Modern Headless Browsing | Allows users to instruct the API to render requests in a headless browser | Supports headless browser solution (Google Puppeteer), enabling users to interact with websites programmatically |
| JavaScript Rendering | Can efficiently execute and render JavaScript code to capture the dynamically generated content | Supports JavaScript rendering |
| High Concurrency Capabilities | Supports high levels of concurrency | Has high concurrency capabilities |
| Free API Calls | Offers a free plan with 1000 searches per month | No free plan, but it offers a free trial |
| API Uptime | 99% uptime | Not disclosed by the company |
| Scalability | Can handle millions of API requests without compromising performance | Highly scalable |
| Geotargeted content | Enables users to select proxy locations for geotargeted content.
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Can target almost any country and city. |
| API Documentation | Detailed documentation with coding examples | Extensive documentation |
While both Zenscrape and Bright Data offer many similar features, Zenscrape is the right choice for a project focused on web scraping api. However, if your project’s scope extends beyond web scraping, Bright Data is a better option.
Bright Data vs Zenscrape Comparison: Performance and Speed
The table below shows the comparison between Bright Data vs Zenscrape performance and speed:
| Zenscrape | Bright Data | |
| Support for concurrency and parallel requests | Yes | Yes |
| API response time | As low as 50 milliseconds | Not disclosed by the company |
| Scalability | Highly scalable infrastructure | Highly scalable |
| Uptime | 99% | Not disclosed by the company |
Comparing Best Web Scarping Tools: Bright Data Vs Zenscrape Ease of Use
| Zenscrape | Bright Data | |
| Documentation | Extensive documentation with coding examples | Detailed documentation |
| Other features for ease of use | Offers a Request Builder that converts your API requests into production-ready code snippets | Implementation is easy and quick, with just a few lines of code using Bright Data’s browser. |
| Blog | Zenscrape has an informative blog that is updated regularly with new blogs and articles related to web scraping and Zenscrape features. | Bright Data also has a great blog containing articles related to web scraping, proxies, and data collection. |
While both Zenscrape and Bright Data offer detailed documentation and have informative blogs, there is a difference in their ease of use. Zenscrape is a specialized web scraping API that focuses on ease of use and simplicity. On the other hand, Bright Data offers a wide range of features even beyond web scraping. Hence, it has a steeper learning curve compared to Zencrape.
Best Web Scraping Solutions Review: Bright Data Vs Zenscrape Pricing
The table below compares Zenscrape vs Bright Data cost and pricing plans:
| Zenscrape | Bright Data | |
| Free plan | Offers a free plan which includes 1000 monthly searches | No free plan, but it offers a free trial |
| Pay as You Go model | No | Offers a pay-as-you-go subscription plan |
| Pricing Plans | Offers various pricing plans. Pricing ranges from $30/month – $300/month | Offers multiple pricing plans. Pricing ranges from $500 – $1000 per month |
| Custom Plan | Yes | Yes |
As evident from the above table, Zenscrape is a more budget-friendly option. This is especially because Zenscrape focuses on web scraping while Bright Data’s features go beyond Bright Data.
Bright Data vs Zenscrape Videos
Bright Data
Zenscrape
Best Web Scraping Tools 2023 Bright Data Vs. Zenscrape Comparison: Conclusion
Zenscrape and Bright Data are among the best data extraction services and web scraping tools. Both tools have quite a few similar features. However, Zenscrape is the best choice for a project focused on web scraping. It offers a simple yet efficient API for accurate web scraping and is more budget-friendly and easier to use compared to Bright Data. On the other hand, if your project’s scope extends beyond web scraping, Bright Data is a better option.
Join the best web scraping API and extract the data you need with high accuracy in just seconds!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What distinguishes Bright Data and Zenscrape in terms of their headless browsing capabilities?
Both Bright Data and Zenscrape offer modern headless browsing, enabling users to access web content without a graphical user interface. Bright Data provides a headless browser automation solution that offers a variety of tools for emulating human-like interactions, while Zenscrape focuses on providing a lightweight and efficient headless browsing experience for efficient scraping.
How do Zenscrape and Bright Data handle DDoS protection and overcome CAPTCHA challenges?
Both platforms provide features to overcome CAPTCHA challenges and mitigate DDoS attacks. Bright Data offers a comprehensive set of tools, including a residential proxy network and CAPTCHA-solving capabilities. Zenscrape employs a similar approach, leveraging premium proxies and IP rotation to handle CAPTCHAs and DDoS protection, ensuring uninterrupted scraping activities.
What sets Zenscrape and Bright Data apart in terms of pricing and free trials?
Bright Data offers various pricing plans based on usage and requirements, with different packages that include a range of features. They also provide free trials for users to test their service. Zenscrape, on the other hand, offers a straightforward and transparent pricing structure with an emphasis on affordability. Additionally, Zenscrape provides free access to its API with a limited number of monthly calls, allowing users to explore the platform before committing to a paid plan.
