Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Crawlera VS Column

Compare Crawlera VS Column and see what are their differences

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Crawlera logo Crawlera

The smartest proxy for web scraping that never gets blocked

Column logo Column

Social network built to be high-signal in a world of noise.
  • Crawlera Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-07

Crawlera is a downloader designed for web scraping and web crawling. It provides a universal HTTP proxy API for integrating with any technology used by your web crawling stack. It scales to billions of unblocked requests per month, you only pay for successful requests.

  • Column Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-30

Crawlera

$ Details
paid Free Trial $99 / Monthly (200,000 requests per month)
Platforms
Python JavaScript Java Scrapy Ruby PHP .Net
Release Date
2013 May

Column

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Crawlera features and specs

  • IP Rotation
    Crawlera automatically rotates IP addresses to prevent blocking, allowing for seamless and continuous data extraction without the need for manual IP management.
  • Geolocation Targeting
    It offers support for accessing data from various geographical locations, enabling users to collect location-specific information effectively.
  • Anti-Ban Mechanism
    Crawlera includes various anti-ban strategies to minimize the risk of getting blocked by websites, providing more reliable data scraping.
  • Scalability
    The service is designed to handle large volumes of requests, making it suitable for projects that require high-scale data extraction.
  • Easy Integration
    Crawlera provides straightforward integration with scraping frameworks, simplifying the process for developers to incorporate it into existing systems.

Possible disadvantages of Crawlera

  • Cost
    Crawlera can be expensive, especially for small projects or individual users, which may limit its accessibility for those with budget constraints.
  • Complexity
    While feature-rich, the setup and configuration can be complex for users without technical expertise, possibly requiring additional time and resources to fully utilize.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Relying on a third-party service means that any downtime or technical issues are outside the user's control, potentially impacting data collection processes.
  • Limited Customization
    Despite offering powerful features, users may find certain aspects of Crawlera to be less customizable compared to building a bespoke solution.

Column features and specs

  • Bank-owned infrastructure
    Column operates as a nationally chartered bank itself (Column N.A.), rather than partnering with a third-party sponsor bank. This reduces the layers of intermediaries typical in banking-as-a-service models, potentially leading to more reliable service, fewer conflicts of interest, and direct control over compliance and risk management.
  • Developer-first API design
    Column offers modern, well-documented REST APIs that are designed with engineers in mind, making it easier for fintech companies and developers to integrate banking services such as ACH, wire transfers, and account management directly into their products.
  • Direct access to payment rails
    Because Column is a chartered bank, it has direct access to Federal Reserve systems like ACH, Fedwire, and FedNow, which can result in faster processing times and more reliable payment operations compared to companies relying on indirect access through sponsor banks.
  • Experienced leadership
    Column was founded by William Hockey, co-founder of Plaid, bringing significant fintech industry experience and credibility. This background can inspire confidence among potential partners and investors regarding the platform's vision and execution capability.
  • Transparent and flexible pricing
    Column is known for offering clear, usage-based pricing models without hidden fees, which can be appealing to startups and fintechs looking for predictable costs as they scale their banking operations.

Possible disadvantages of Column

  • Limited track record
    As a relatively new entrant in the banking-as-a-service and chartered bank space, Column has less historical performance data and fewer long-term case studies compared to more established banking infrastructure providers, which may create uncertainty for risk-averse clients.
  • U.S.-only operations
    Column's banking charter and services are limited to the United States, which restricts its usefulness for companies seeking to offer banking services internationally or in multiple countries.
  • Technical integration burden
    Because Column emphasizes a developer-first, API-driven approach, companies without strong in-house engineering resources may find it challenging to implement and maintain integrations compared to more turnkey banking-as-a-service solutions.
  • Shared compliance responsibility
    While Column handles core banking compliance, partner companies still need to manage certain regulatory and compliance obligations related to their specific use cases, which can add complexity and require dedicated legal or compliance expertise.
  • Smaller ecosystem and support network
    Compared to larger, more established banking-as-a-service providers, Column may have a smaller partner ecosystem, fewer third-party integrations, and potentially less extensive customer support infrastructure, which could impact scalability for some businesses.

Analysis of Crawlera

Overall verdict

  • Crawlera is considered a strong choice for those in need of a robust proxy management solution for web scraping. Its ease of use, combined with its effectiveness in navigating anti-scraping technologies, makes it a valuable tool for developers and businesses seeking to gather data efficiently.

Why this product is good

  • Crawlera by Scrapinghub, now known as Zyte, is widely regarded as a reliable proxy solution for web scraping. Its ability to handle IP rotation, manage anti-bot countermeasures, and provide high uptime makes it an effective tool for seamless data extraction from various websites. Additionally, it simplifies the scraping process by automating the management of headers and cookies, reducing the need for complex manual configuration.

Recommended for

    Crawlera is recommended for businesses, developers, and data scientists who require reliable and scalable web scraping solutions. It's especially beneficial for those who need to scrape data from sites with strict anti-bot measures, such as e-commerce websites, competitor analysis, and market research projects.

Analysis of Column

Overall verdict

  • Column is a well-regarded banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform because it operates as a nationally chartered bank itself rather than relying on a separate partner bank, which simplifies compliance, reduces intermediary risk, and gives developers direct API-level access to core banking functions like payments, accounts, and card issuing.

Why this product is good

  • It is a real, chartered bank (not just a middleware layer), which reduces the multi-party risk seen in typical BaaS stacks that rely on third-party partner banks
  • Developer-first design with clean, well-documented APIs for building payments, ACH, wire transfers, card issuing, and account management
  • Backed by reputable investors (including Stripe), signaling strong technical and financial credibility
  • Direct access to the Fed and payment rails, which can mean faster settlement and fewer intermediaries
  • Transparent, predictable pricing structure compared to some legacy BaaS providers
  • Strong focus on compliance and risk infrastructure built into the platform itself

Recommended for

  • Fintech startups building embedded banking, lending, or payments products
  • Companies wanting to avoid the complexity and risk of traditional sponsor-bank BaaS relationships
  • Engineering-heavy teams that prioritize API quality and control over banking infrastructure
  • Businesses needing reliable ACH, wire, and card issuing capabilities without building their own bank relationships
  • Mid-to-large scale fintechs that need a stable, directly regulated banking partner as they grow

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Crawlera and Column)
Web Scraping
100 100%
0% 0
CSS Framework
0 0%
100% 100
Data Extraction
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Crawlera and Column, you can also consider the following products

import.io - Import. io helps its users find the internet data they need, organize and store it, and transform it into a format that provides them with the context they need.

Data Miner - Data Miner is a Google Chrome extension that helps you scrape data from web pages and into a CSV file or Excel spreadsheet.

Apify - Apify is a web scraping and automation platform that can turn any website into an API.

Kimono - The clove shop is well-established drapery of the gate of the tiger. Other than fabrics for kimono sale, I meet various requests concerning the sum commencing with a dressing classroom, a kimono rental, recycling.

Octoparse - Octoparse provides easy web scraping for anyone. Our advanced web crawler, allows users to turn web pages into structured spreadsheets within clicks.

ParseHub - ParseHub is a free web scraping tool. With our advanced web scraper, extracting data is as easy as clicking the data you need.